Repairing & Reshaping a Better Normal for Women and Work

It's not only the right thing to do, it makes business and economic sense. 

Over the last 18 months we have experienced massive market and social disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disruption that has exposed inequities in our workforce, our society and our homes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened decades of women’s labour force gains and caused a crisis in women's mental health.

• Women tend to work in industries most affected by closures, earning losses and layoffs.
• Women shoulder more child-care responsibilities than their male counterparts and have to refuse work or seek a reduction in hours with unreliable childcare.
• Women led businesses tend to be smaller, newer and less well financed than those owned by men.
• Precarious workers, disproportionately Black, Indigenous and racialized, are less likely to have sick leave and face even greater systematic barriers to economic recovery.

In April of 2020, RBC put out a report noting that women’s labour force participation was at a 30 year low. We’re back up to a 20 year-low with women aged 20-24 and 35-39 still leaving the workplace at an alarming pace.

A new analysis published in March 2021 indicated that nearly 100,000 working-age Canadian women have completely left the workforce since the pandemic started - which means they aren't even trying to get a job any more. The figure for men is more than 10 times smaller.

This presents another challenge for women. The longer these women are out of the labour force, the greater the risk of skills erosion, network separation and widening of the confidence gap. All of which will make it harder to re-enter at the same level or above as when they left. Women incur a pay penalty after returning to work after a significant absence, earning 7% less on average than men in the same position. This will have a long-term impact on the gender pay gap.

We risk going backwards on the gains we have made in gender equality unless we take an innovative and collaborative approach to getting women back to paid work. 

Accessible childcare plays a key role in getting women back to work, but even with childcare, women need mindset and skills re-training with transition support to move into new roles and industries, to start new companies or ventures and to ultimately progress through the leadership pipeline to find and build work that works for them.

Now more than ever, we need to work together to move the needle on gender equality and broaden women's economic participation. Are you ready to join us?

Sponsorship Benefits

Better Business, Social and Economic Outcomes

This project will increase economic opportunity for women in cities and rural communities alike, it will support women in leadership and women looking for work and it will strengthen Canada's ecosystem of entrepreneurs and innovators.

We are closing the opportunity equity gap through:

• Paid employment
• Self-employment and entrepreneurship
• Internal leadership

Our partnerships and collaborations are grounded in the unwavering belief that we can achieve great things together. Together we can cement your position as an advocate for women in the work force, social impact leader and first responder to the inequities that this pandemic has unearthed.

We can do good and do good business. For more information and ways to get involved, please book a discovery call with our Founder and CEO, Jennifer Hargreaves. 

About Us

tellent's mission is to accelerate women's progress in the workplace and increase opportunity equity. We are a diversity recruitment and social impact organization.

We believe that collaboration, innovation and collective action is required to create lasting and impactful change in our society and in our economy. Diversity of thought and full access to all talent will be required to stay innovative and relevant in the future of work.

We support women of all race, colour and religion including cis-women, transgender, non-binary people and those who are otherwise marginalized.

Read more about us here.