How the Pandemic Set Gender Equity Back Years
Despite growing conversations around gender equity in the workplace in recent years, many women continue to face barriers to career growth, stability and equity. In the past five years, women’s labor force participation rate had fallen to levels not seen since 1988. The COVID-19 pandemic compounded many of the issues women face in the workplace, such as a lack of support, resources and even clarity in the policies that decide and govern how women are treated.
The pandemic didn’t just pause progress, it actually reversed it. In 2020 and 2021, millions of women left the labor force entirely, meaning they were neither working nor seeking work. With schools closed and childcare support vanishing seemingly overnight, women disproportionately absorbed the impact, facing long-term career disruptions and heightened economic insecurity. While everyone was affected by the pandemic, a meaningful post-pandemic recovery can’t ignore the reality of how women were affected, especially those in creative fields and roles. Meaningful recovery must include structural reforms: equitable caregiving support, flexible work models, and gender-just policy at every level.
JobKeeper Excluded Thousands
The arts and creative industries were among the hardest hit by COVID-19 restrictions, both globally and in Australia. As of April 2020, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that only 47% of businesses in the arts and recreation sector were still operating, with numbers declining further as the pandemic continued. Although the government introduced the JobKeeper payment to support workers, more than 193,000 people in creative arts were ineligible because they could not show 12 months of continuous employment with a single employer.
In the broader arts and entertainment sector across Australia, women make up approximately 51% of the art and entertainment workforce.
These shifts and issues have wide-reaching implications, from long-term career disruption to broader economic setbacks.
The COVID-19 pandemic has set gender equality back by 36 years, according to the World Economic Forum. The disruption to women's work, caregiving burdens, and job losses have compounded existing inequalities and slowed progress across industries. This gap in relational confidence doesn’t just impact day-to-day performance, it plays a critical role in women's abilities to advocate for themselves, seek leadership opportunities, or pivot into new roles.
Tackling Confidence and Inequality Issues
In a post pandemic era, as the world of business grapples with recession and reform, women are recovering slower and struggling to find their footing again. Recent data reveals that while 46% of women feel confident in their own skills and abilities, more than 75% say they lack confidence in their work relationships or environments. The root of this disconnect? A widespread absence of supportive environments and professional networks that foster collaboration, trust, and mentorship.
As workplaces rebuild and evolve, closing the gender confidence gap requires more than individual resilience. It demands systemic change, more inclusive work cultures, stronger support networks, and equity in advancement opportunities.
If you are a woman struggling to regain traction and move forward in your career post pandemic, here are some methods you can use to reclaim power and carve a path forward for yourself.
Reassess and Reframe Your Story
Many creative women experience career gaps, pivots, or undervalued work, especially post-COVID. Owning your unique story is a form of advocacy, and personal branding is a powerful tool to master in your career toolkit.
What to do:
Reframe career interruptions as seasons of growth, care, or reinvention.
Refresh your CV, bio, LinkedIn profile or portfolio with a narrative that focuses on evolution, not setback.
Create a short "career narrative" pitch that clearly articulates your value, passion, and purpose.
Learn to Negotiate, Even When It’s Uncomfortable
Research shows women are less likely to negotiate, particularly in creative or freelance roles. You can read our article on Powerful Negotiation skills here.
What to do:
Practice asking for what you need (fees, scope, visibility, boundaries).
Benchmark your worth using industry pay guides or peer networks.
Remember: you’re not “difficult” for negotiating. You’re professional, qualified and you deserve to be there.
Share Your Work Publicly
Visibility is currency, especially in creative industries. Attribution for your work is a powerful tool and effectively creates timestamps of your career progress, which is useful when applying for new roles or when you need to demonstrate your capabilities. Don’t wait to be invited to the table, own your work.
What to do:
Publish excerpts, process notes, or behind-the-scenes posts on social media or Substack.
Submit to anthologies, exhibitions, or online publications.
Host live sessions or workshops to position yourself as a voice in your niche.
The setbacks women have faced in recent years are undeniable, but they are not the end of the story. For women in creative industries especially, reclaiming space means more than resuming work, it means reimagining it. Through self-advocacy, community, and bold storytelling, women have the power not just to recover, but to reshape the systems that once excluded them.
