COVID pandemic has women 'contemplating leaving the workforce'

MILWAUKEE - Women are parents, teachers, employees, bosses, support systems and more, but sometimes, trying to juggle it all leaves them feeling like they're falling short.

"It has been challenging," said Vicki Updike of life amid the coronavirus pandemic. "It is hard."

Updike, the founder of New Sage Strategies, says women are feeling a lot of weight on their shoulders as the pandemic has put stress on families and homes.

"Research is showing that women are contemplating leaving the workforce," she said.

Updike says four times as many women as men have dropped out of the workforce, and the number continues to rise.

"I get it, life is hard, but it’s not time to stop your professional development," Updike said.

March is Women’s History Month, which Updike says is the perfect time for women to realize their potential, so she launched the Women’s Leadership Academy.

"This is really a professional development tool to help you to continue to learn and grow and advance your careers. Even though we are in this challenging space, it's going to give you the confidence and communication skills to continue to move your career forward and see yourself as a leader," Updike said. "We talk about strategic thinking, executive presence. It’s about being heard and not diminishing your input or your ideas."

And as women take time to work on themselves...

"I also encourage these companies not to forget about the challenges women are facing and invest in women," Updike said. "2021 is going to be a year of celebration, and we are going to make it happen."

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