The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and live. While some changes are temporary, others are here to stay. Here, Tina Lapp, head of local brands for Colibri Real Estate, offers her take on how the pandemic has created challenges and opportunities for working women.
How have opportunities for working women changed over the course of the pandemic?
The pandemic has forced people to rethink what they want out of a career. Working
moms, in particular, have had to make hard decisions. While their kids transitioned out of the classroom and into online learning, many women left their demanding salary-based jobs for careers in real estate that allow for more flexibility, self-autonomy and unlimited earning potential.
Getting into real estate has never been easier thanks to online and livestream pre-licensing and continuing education, allowing women to get their real estate license—and keep it—from the comfort of their own home. Additionally, the gender pay gap is still holding a lot of women, especially women of color, back from earning what they deserve. The great thing about real estate is it’s a “what you put into it, you get out” type of income model, which helps women financially support themselves and their families.
Do you think virtual/work-from-home trends paved the way for more women in real estate?
Real estate has always allowed for more flexibility, especially when it comes to raising a family. Moms welcome the work-from-home lifestyle for many reasons, including the opportunity to pick their kids up from school. As with everything in parenting, there are challenges with this trend, as it’s hard to drop everything to meet a client for a home showing if you have kids who need supervision. However, many companies are still allowing their employees to work from home. If the spouse is working for one such company, they would be able to watch the kids if needed, so in some ways, the pandemic has made it easier for child-rearing responsibilities to be more equally distributed.
How can women overcome the challenges that are still present, such as having to bear the majority of the child-rearing responsibilities?
The great thing about real estate is that it’s a relationship-based business, so women can use their connections with other moms in the community to generate business. Work and family life can be more intertwined, allowing women to use their personal connections to grow their real estate business.
As part of the Colibri Real Estate family of premier education brands, McKissock Learning helps hundreds of thousands of real estate professionals each year achieve sustainable success throughout each stage of their career via continuing education and professional development courses.
For more information, visit https://www.mckissock.com/.
