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Women at a Momentum event before COVID. My favorite part is all the colors. Photo via Momentum

Mid-November, I heard this story on NPR about how the pandemic is forcing a lot of women out of their jobs. In fact, according to McKinsey & Co and LeanIn.org, “1 in 4 women are now considering leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers due to Covid-19.”

Since 2001, Momentum has been working to strengthen women’s leadership in Birmingham and throughout the state of Alabama. Keep reading to learn what Momentum is doing to reverse this trend and how you can support them.

Why are working women leaving the workforce?

Andrea McCaskey + Katherine Thrower of Momentum, back before COVID times. Photo via Momentum

Talk to any working mom of youngish kids in virtual school right now and you’ll hear tales of juggling work meetings with Zoom school, family lunchtime with impromptu calls from coworkers, deadlines with requests for homework help or playtime. You’ll also hear words like “burnout,” “overwhelm” and “not enough hours in the day.”

And that’s just on the home side. On the work side, there’s a whole host of other challenges, based on the employer, company culture and how much work may or may not have ramped up since March 2020.

Talk to moms whose jobs aren’t flexible and who can’t work from home and you’ll hear struggles with childcare, transportation and all the flexibility required to parent during a global pandemic. Your kid gets exposed at school and suddenly the whole family has to quarantine for 14 days, but work needs you there. What do you do?

Then talk to moms who have lost their jobs and you’ll hear a whole ‘nother story of trying to make ends meet.

With increased childcare responsibilities (and few options), worry about aging parents and increased community care needs and few resources available for support, it’s no wonder one in four women is considering downsizing her career or leaving the workforce entirely.

Help Momentum help women stay in the game + get ahead

Women of Momentum gathered together before COVID. Photo via Momentum

Women leaders have the potential to make a difference in the lives of the women who work for and with them, especially when they are supported to succeed themselves.

If you’ve ever believed in the importance of women’s leadership, this is the time to lean in and offer your support. Support Momentum’s super-important work today.

Over the past three years, Momentum has been working hard to increase their impact in a few key ways:

The Upward Early-Career Program works to generate the next generation of talented leadership.
Men with Momentum helps men in leadership explore the challenges faced by women and people of color in their organizations, and to speak candidly about their experiences with diverse talent.
Momentum’s community Mentor Matching program helps people share and develop talents, skills and networks.
Momentum’s biennial conference is the premier leadership development conference in the state and brings in phenomenal speakers.
Virtual events have focused on wellness strategies for the challenges of coping with all that 2020 has thrown our way.

All together, Momentum has impacted more than 3000 professional women and men, but they’re not stopping there, according to CEO April Benetollo.

Momentum’s new goal is to extend their reach far beyond the Birmingham metro area.

The new Momentum Matters podcast provides free, on-demand access to incredibly inspiring leaders.
The new YouTube channel provides a home for a host of free trainings.