Job outlook for senior administrative supports in the United States

Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Senior Administrative Supports?

Angela Robbins Ph.D.: That has yet to be seen, but WFH is here to stay in many sectors. This crisis has had many negative effects, both short term and long term, on workers. We are a women's college, so how this crisis has affected women in the workplace is particularly salient. For some, WFH has been an option and also a positive, because they have kept their jobs while practicing safety measures. But women with young children at home have been the most negatively affected as they try to balance work and family commitments, particularly when children can't be in school or day care. Some mothers have had to give up their jobs because of these conditions. More moms than dads have walked away from their jobs to care for their children, often because moms earn less and also because society expects women to put child care above career aspirations. So the normal mechanisms which, when in place, allow women to pursue the same career opportunities as men but, when missing, make it nearly impossible for women to pursue their career goals, threaten the gains women have made as professionals over the past couple of generations. That's another alarming aspect of this crisis.

Women in the service sector have been hit the hardest, perhaps keeping their jobs, but without the flexibility to work from home and stay safe and keep their families safe. This shines a spotlight on how many working women are in low-paying jobs and viewed as somehow dispensable and essential at the same time, which is not the focus of this feature but is a critical discussion about compensation and worker rights in America. It also impresses upon college women how a college education not only improves their future earnings potential-which is something we have traditionally emphasized-but also offers them a degree of job security. This crisis drives home the reality that, if it's at all possible to stay in college now, it will pay off in the long run. We are witnessing this in real time, so it's not just an idea about what might be. The evidence is in front of us. But for these future working moms to be able to keep their careers on track, we have to do a better job with child care, flexible work schedules, and pay equity, too. This is something that feminists have emphasized for generations.