Written by: Katica Roy
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Question:
What advice would you give to emerging female professionals, especially at a time like this when women are leaving the workforce in droves? What lessons from your own experience would you share with them?
Answer:
We are living in the midst of a pandemic that has wiped out millions of jobs—55% of those jobs belonging to women. We are living at a time when the gender pay gap has been pushed back to levels not seen since 1998. When the unemployment rate for young women ages 20-24 sits at an uncomfortable 9.3%—and for young Black women, it’s 10.8%.
It’s okay to be apprehensive about the future. That said, we can’t let our apprehension paralyze us. Here are the top three lessons I want to share with young women entering the labor force today.