March 11, 2021 • 21 mins
Childcare is among the many challenges facing women business owners and their families—and the pandemic has only heightened the crisis. Alejandra Castillo, who recently stepped down as YWCA CEO, talks about the “she-cession” and what the organization is doing to support women. She also discusses the YWCA’s new partnership with P&G and its Secret Deodorant brand in support of superhero moms; learn more at #RaiseItUp and at Secret.com.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Made by Women by the Seneca Women Podcast
Network and I Heart Radio. At a moment when businesses
face some of the biggest challenges in recent history, we
bring you inspiring stories, practical insights, and shared learnings to
help you successfully navigate in today's environment. I'm Kim Azarelli,
(00:26):
and thanks so much for joining us today. We are
so proud to partner with P and G and its
brand Secret Deodorant on today's episode of Made by Women.
Just as women entrepreneurs have long fought for equality in business,
Secret has been a long time advocate of equal pay
and equal treatment for women and a great supporter of
(00:46):
women owned businesses. Now each week on this podcast, we
hear the stories of resilience and strength in the face
of challenges women face every day. One of those challenges
is childcare. It's a major obstacle for all families, as
we've seen during this pandemic. That's why we were delighted
to learn that Secret is recognizing the heroic acts moms
(01:07):
do every day. By partnering with the y w C,
A Secret will help pay for childcare services and programming
for more than a hundred thousand women and their families
because secret believes childcare is something mothers and their families
shouldn't have to sweat now. The y w c A
has been on the forefront of women's issues for more
than a hundred years, including as a major provider of childcare.
(01:29):
To find out what women really need to move forward
right now, I talked to the y w c AS
Alejandra Castillo, who recently stepped down as CEO after leading
the organization through the pandemic, one of the most challenging
times in its history. Enjoy my conversation with Alejandra. Alejandra,
thanks so much for joining us. Thank you for having
(01:51):
me so tell us a little bit about the work
of the y w c A. Sure, the y w
c A, as you may know KIM is one of
the old and largest women's organization on the country. We've
been around for a hundred and sixty two years and
it was such a pleasure to be able to lead
that organization because through our two hundred and two wide
w c as across the country serving communities, we can
(02:14):
really say that we have our finger on the pulse
to be able to look at communities large and small
in urban, suburban and rural areas. To be able to
witness what's happening, but most importantly, to be able to
respond to the needs of communities across the country. It's
an amazing pleasure. And why do we see you know,
has stood at the forefront of some of the most
(02:34):
critical issues defining the lives of women, from marching for
the eight hour work day, to creating the first women
employment center, the first child care center in the country,
becoming the first fully racially integrated organization in our nation.
You know, we have a lot of first but in
this moment in time, why do w c A continues
to be that voice advocating for women and girls and
(02:57):
communities of color as we go to COVID, but more
employment as we go through this recession which is being
called the she Session. So you have led this organization
for the last several years, and you recently stepped down
as CEO, but you have led it during one of
the hardest periods in our recent history. These last fourteen
months during COVID have been really, really difficult. What is
(03:20):
leadership like during crisis? What a great question. You know,
leadership is most tested in moments of crises, and for
me it was a blessing to be at the helm
of y w c A because I just went into
work mode at a hyper speed and what does that mean?
That meant that day in and day out, it was
my mind, My team, UM, my colleagues were all working
(03:44):
around the clock thinking about what are the solutions, how
do we solve for these problems? And being innovative in
our approaches because we knew, for example, that we had
to keep our emergency UM domestic violence shelters open, so
across the country tree why the w c as were
being very innovative. Some of them had r V rented
(04:05):
r vs or hotel rooms to be able to solve
for the for those um, for those challenging moments. So
as as I say, you know, leadership is not for
the faint of heart. It really requires tenacity, It requires boldness,
but above all it requires that urgency. Because I knew
that it was that you know, this organization was not
(04:25):
going to fail under my watch, but it wasn't. It
was something that was also very organic. Um. We have
two d and two leaders across the country that lead
their respective why the w c A s and they
two um rose to the occasion UM and made sure
that they had solutions UM available to them and to
their communities. I want to follow up on what you
(04:48):
had said about being in a SHE session. Can you
tell us a little bit about what that term means. Sure,
So that term really showed up UM back sometime in
September of the New York Times, and what that really
meant and and it his it has been adopted because
it's really UM. It really hits the nail on the head.
It is the first time in our nation's history that
(05:11):
women are at the core of this recession. And what
that means is that women are bearing the disproportionate impact
of the economic wake of COVID, and they're burying the
brunt in terms of loss of jobs because they're in
those areas that are overly indexed UM, like restaurant, hospitality, travel, retail.
(05:33):
They're also UM having to bear the brunt in terms
of the childcare situation. There's no the lack of childcare.
Kids are now at home instead of school kids are
you know, childcare centers had to close because of social
distancing and other areas. So they are at the moment
where they have nowhere to go when they comes to
carrying of their family UM. And then we're seeing how
(05:55):
also how communities of color and women of color are
also by the brand in terms of the high rate
of COVID cases and COVID deaths. So let's break that
down to important issues you just mentioned. The first is childcare.
What is going on for working women right now and
why is childcare so crucial? Well, I will tell you
(06:16):
one of the first things you noticed was um and
you continue to see what the job reports is that
most of the of the losses and jobs have been women.
Women are leaving the workforce not because they want to,
but because they have to. They either have to care
for their children to care for their parents. They're sandwiched
(06:37):
in the middle, and unfortunately, as a nation, we have
put childcare on the shoulders of women. Child Care has
to be an issue that really is about families, but
also it's the national importance. The Organization of Economic Development,
the o e c D tracks out countries deal with childcare,
(07:02):
and to no surprise, the United States is at the
bottom of that ranking. So we have to really make
childcare a critical um imperative for us, and unfortunately women
are the ones who bear the brunts in terms of
the high cost. But also we need to talk about
quality and we also need to make sure that it's
a you know, accessible to everyone. So again, if we
(07:25):
are going to bring back women to the workplace and
bring back jobs, we have to look at childcare as
well as workers in the childcare space. How do we
pay them? How are they um? How do we not
only compensate them for a very hard job? Um. So
childcare has many, many facets and at this point we
are at a crisis and we have to make sure
(07:47):
that the funding is there, that we're designing childcare for
twenty one century community, and that we're making it accessible, affordable,
and quality. So the other issue that you mentioned, which
is at the center of all this women's entrepreneurship. Women
entrepreneurs being hit very, very hard in this session. Can
you tell us a little bit about that. Yeah, And I,
(08:08):
you know, in a previous life, as you may know,
I worked at the Commerce Department for over seven years
and it was very interesting to look at um entrepreneurship.
I let the Minority Business Development Agency at the time,
and I looked at the data UM from the Census Department,
which really has been showing for quite some time how
women are the fastest growing segment of the entrepreneurial space,
(08:30):
especially um women of color have been driving entrepreneurship in
in so many different ways. What we're now seeing is
it's not just looking at how do you open a
business or how do you start a business, but more importantly,
how do you how do you maintain sustainability and growth?
And this pandemic has really challenged that second part, the
(08:51):
sustainability and the growth of women entrepreneurs. So we need
to make sure that we are doing the three things,
which is access to capital, access to markets, and access
to contracts. So the last part, the access to contracts
is who are your clients? How how can women be
part of the supply chain for big corporations or or
(09:13):
government as a whole. So that whole space of procurement
and contracts is critically important. But also the access to capital,
the fact that women have to finance their entrepreneurial dreams
because most banks will not lend them the dollars. We
have to change that. This is where innovation really stems,
(09:33):
making sure that women and communities of color that are
starting their businesses, that are looking at the marketplace and
looking at the services and products that are needed, that
they have that capital in order to start the business
and grow the business. We'll be back with Senecas made
by Women after this short break. Well, you know, at
(10:02):
Seneca Women, this is really important to us, and we
just launched a new marketplace, the Seneca Women Marketplace, to
showcase women owned businesses that everyone can shop from, because
we can all do something, certainly to use our purchasing
power to support women entrepreneurs at this critical moment. But
I want to just think about the two things that
you said. You talked about childcare and you talked about
women entrepreneurs. And if you think about mompreneurs, you know,
(10:24):
women who are starting businesses and who have children, they're
getting doubly impacted right now. What can you tell us
about that? Yeah, and again it's how do you tell
a woman who's pursuing her entrepreneurial dream that she has
to make these tough choices because there's only so much time,
energy and resources in her life and her day to
(10:45):
get things going. So again, this is where we need
to have that conversation that childcare has to be something
that not only is on the shoulders of women, but
that we have to look at it from a national
priority that there are the funding and the resources there.
You know, the federal government has has designated resources for childcare,
but it's not enough. How do we bring in How
(11:07):
do we bring a different set of players as well,
whether it's philanthropy, whether it's a private sector, to really
look at childcare and its affordability and availability. Um And
and again we're going through a caregiving crisis because it's
not just childcare. You know, I'm caring for my eighty
one year old mother, so it's childcare, but it's it's
(11:29):
really the care industry overall, whether it's an elderly parent,
a sick child, uh or a partner or the childcare
as a whole. Um. And then the other part on
the entrepreneurial side, which I want to add um cam
is it's supporting women entrepreneurs, which is important at the
individual level, like what do we do, where do we buy,
(11:49):
who do we purchase from? But I also want to
stress how do companies and governments who purchase so many
goods and services. The federal government, for example, buys half
a trillion dollars of goods and services every year, how
do we make sure that women entrepreneurs are in that
supply chain UM, and that is something that we have
(12:09):
to educate, but we also have to demand um because
there are so many innovative women out there who are
pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams and bringing some very very important
products and services to market. So I'm glad that Seneca
Women is focusing on that marketplace idea. Well, you made
so many important points just now. I think one of
(12:30):
the points you made about not being women's responsibility solely
to solve the childcaresh, You're not putting another burden on
women on top of working, on top of running your business,
on top of trying to, you know, make sure you're
taking care of children, elderly, etcetera. But actually solving this
national crisis is going to require a lot and and
it just is unfair to put yet another burden on
women alone. And you then talked about the role of
(12:52):
the public sector and the role of the private sector.
And I understand that you just recently launched a partnership
with Secret Deodorant that will change the lives of men
across the US. How is Secret partnering with y w
T A. First of all, I want to thank Secret Um.
They have been an incredible partner with us on so
many levels, but this particular campaign really tugs at the
(13:13):
heart and it's a way to celebrate UM. So celebrate
moms UM. If if you've seen some of the ad,
which I hope you, you can put a link to
the ad when you post this podcast. The ads are
are kids recognizing their moms, recognizing the hard work that
it is to hold on a job or to run
a business and too at the same time care for
(13:36):
the future of their children, and it it tugs at
the heart we um, why do we see a partnered
with Secret um since COVID nineteen and they have been
truly pushing out the message that women and girls need
to be supported not just in their lives but in
the and also supporting their dreams. So UM, this this
(13:57):
campaign is really UM something that I think it's to
make a big difference in terms of awareness and also recognition,
very very appropriate recognition UM as we enter into Women's
History Month and as we celebrate International Women's Day. I
think Secret is just an extraordinary partner for us and
I love this idea of the campaign that makes mom
(14:18):
the superheroes that they are. So how will you be
using the funds that SECRETS providing to work on workforce
development and other programs. Sure so Secret is actually a
partnering with y w c A on a on a
couple of projects. In this particular campaign, they are partnering
with us in a program that we call WE three
sixty which stands for Women Entrepreneurship three sixty and that
(14:42):
is a platform that y c A will be launching
and later this month to support women entrepreneurs not just
with the classical how do you start a business? But
more importantly how do you grow a business? How do
you get access to capital? It underscores the access to
capital peace because again, um, when you have a tight
cash crunch, you're not able to continue to buy the
(15:05):
supplies the you know, maintain your inventory, be able to respond.
So it's a it's that WE three six c is
a platform that's going to help women weather COVID but
also start planning UM on not just weathering COVID, but
really thinking about growing growing your business. So um again,
it was one of the partnerships that I was most
(15:26):
thrilled of of making sure that we entered. And again
Secret is just an incredible partner both on the on
the visibility side, but also on the substantive side, making
sure that what they say is actually backed up by
a very strong program that can reach communities across the country.
So we're talking about this because we know there's a
(15:48):
fairness and it's justice, but there's also a benefit that
is unleashed when we relieve this burden on women, when
we allow women to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations and dreams.
As you say, what is the impact on the economy
when the burden of childcare is lifted tremendous um. The
burden of childcare creates so many UM invisible impacts you know, women.
(16:12):
Absentee Ism in the workplace or absenteeism even with your
own business is in a very large part cause when
when your childcare is unstable, when you have to uh
stay at home with a sick child, when you have
to um you know that there is no available childcare
when you're when you're babysitter or or other caretakers are
(16:34):
not there for you. UM. That causes for the workplace
a huge UM, a huge cost UH in terms of
absentee ism. But it also creates a huge cost when
it comes down to UM. You know, preparing our kids
for the future as well as we know. The data
also tells us that, um, you know, the earlier the
(16:55):
child is in school in terms of early childhood education,
the ear or they're going to learn how to read,
how to write, how to love learning. So it has
an impact on on both ends of the spectrum. On
on women in terms of how they show up in
the workplace, how they show up in in UM, in
their entrepreneur on their businesses, I should say, but it
(17:17):
also shows up in the quality of a child's um
experience in terms of education. And I think that as
a country, we we lump childcare in one big category
without the ability of teasing it out and really being
able to understand and underscore what the cost is when
we have a childcare system that's broken and we're seeing
(17:37):
it in the in in the flush right now, we're
seeing it come to life because this is why so
many women are exiting the workforce. And until we solve it,
you won't be able to get women back to work.
You won't be able to get women to open up
their shops there on their businesses, and that has a
huge economic cost, especially now that the focus is on
on revitalizing this economy. Hence why this is called the
(18:02):
She Session. You know, I love this phrase of secrets,
which is, of all things women shouldn't have to sweat,
childcare is one of them. And I think you've just
you've just laid out the economic argument extremely well. So
I guess I just want to end by asking you
one last question. I mean, obviously this is these are
really hard times for everybody, and it's difficult to see
that data and to recognize the impact that this is
(18:24):
having on women. But what's making you optimistic right now?
So many things, Kim, So many things. First of all,
partners like Secret who are really coming into the fold
and and kind of through their power of of their
products and and and of their and of their campaign
being able to tell the world, Yeah, moms shouldn't be
(18:44):
sweating all of this, bringing that awareness, celebrating women. UM,
You're You're absolutely right. These last um, you know, these
last fourteen months have been a very hard journey, especially
for women, especially for women's of color as well. Um.
But what keeps me optimistic is the fact that the
nonprofit community has really um stood up in terms of
being They're never closing their doors answering the call of need,
(19:09):
whether it's in our food and security or domestic violence,
as the y w c A has done UM issues
of of also turning our child care centers UM to
help first responder and and UM and essential workers. It's
it's the optimism that people have have really re centered
themselves around community and that is that is very important
(19:32):
because pre covid UM there was a sense of very
individualistic society. Now we're all understanding how it all takes.
It takes all hands on deck to get through these
challenging moments, and that's that's really promising UM. The fact
that the nonprofit sector, that philanthropy, that corporate partners like
(19:53):
Procter and Gambling and in this case secret Um have
all lent their voices and their resources and their their
ideas to get us through this part Well. Alejandra, it's
always extremely motivating to talk to you and to listen
to the work of the y w c A. And
we're thrilled about this partnership, so we look forward to
seeing what's to come. Thank you, Cam, it's always a
(20:14):
pleasure to be with you. American women have been fortunate
to have Alejandra Castillo at the helm of the y
w c A. Here are three valuable lessons I took
from the conversation. First, as Alejandra tells us, the true
test of leadership comes in moments of crisis and the
(20:35):
three requirements of leadership, she says, our tenacity, boldness, and
above all, urgency. Second, women's entrepreneurship can provide a path
forward for so many women, but for them to succeed,
they need to have access to capital, access to market,
and access to contracts. Finally, one of the most crucial
(20:57):
factors for mothers who run businesses and for all others
and families is solving the childcare crisis. As Alejandra says,
the childcare burdling can't only be on the shoulders of women.
It needs to be a national priority. That's why we
were thrilled to learn about Secret deodorance docuseries showcasing moms
as a superheroes they are and about their partnership with
(21:18):
the y w c A. If you want to learn
more about this program and to help spread awareness about
the need for childcare, check out hashtag raise it Up
from Secret and go to Secret dot com to see
videos of Secret superhero moms and to learn how you
can get involved. Made by Women is brought to you
by the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio,
(21:38):
with support from founding partner p and
Welcome to Made by Women by the Seneca Women Podcast
Network and I Heart Radio. At a moment when businesses
face some of the biggest challenges in recent history, we
bring you inspiring stories, practical insights, and shared learnings to
help you successfully navigate in today's environment. I'm Kim Azarelli,
(00:26):
and thanks so much for joining us today. We are
so proud to partner with P and G and its
brand Secret Deodorant on today's episode of Made by Women.
Just as women entrepreneurs have long fought for equality in business,
Secret has been a long time advocate of equal pay
and equal treatment for women and a great supporter of
(00:46):
women owned businesses. Now each week on this podcast, we
hear the stories of resilience and strength in the face
of challenges women face every day. One of those challenges
is childcare. It's a major obstacle for all families, as
we've seen during this pandemic. That's why we were delighted
to learn that Secret is recognizing the heroic acts moms
(01:07):
do every day. By partnering with the y w C,
A Secret will help pay for childcare services and programming
for more than a hundred thousand women and their families
because secret believes childcare is something mothers and their families
shouldn't have to sweat now. The y w c A
has been on the forefront of women's issues for more
than a hundred years, including as a major provider of childcare.
(01:29):
To find out what women really need to move forward
right now, I talked to the y w c AS
Alejandra Castillo, who recently stepped down as CEO after leading
the organization through the pandemic, one of the most challenging
times in its history. Enjoy my conversation with Alejandra. Alejandra,
thanks so much for joining us. Thank you for having
(01:51):
me so tell us a little bit about the work
of the y w c A. Sure, the y w
c A, as you may know KIM is one of
the old and largest women's organization on the country. We've
been around for a hundred and sixty two years and
it was such a pleasure to be able to lead
that organization because through our two hundred and two wide
w c as across the country serving communities, we can
(02:14):
really say that we have our finger on the pulse
to be able to look at communities large and small
in urban, suburban and rural areas. To be able to
witness what's happening, but most importantly, to be able to
respond to the needs of communities across the country. It's
an amazing pleasure. And why do we see you know,
has stood at the forefront of some of the most
(02:34):
critical issues defining the lives of women, from marching for
the eight hour work day, to creating the first women
employment center, the first child care center in the country,
becoming the first fully racially integrated organization in our nation.
You know, we have a lot of first but in
this moment in time, why do w c A continues
to be that voice advocating for women and girls and
(02:57):
communities of color as we go to COVID, but more
employment as we go through this recession which is being
called the she Session. So you have led this organization
for the last several years, and you recently stepped down
as CEO, but you have led it during one of
the hardest periods in our recent history. These last fourteen
months during COVID have been really, really difficult. What is
(03:20):
leadership like during crisis? What a great question. You know,
leadership is most tested in moments of crises, and for
me it was a blessing to be at the helm
of y w c A because I just went into
work mode at a hyper speed and what does that mean?
That meant that day in and day out, it was
my mind, My team, UM, my colleagues were all working
(03:44):
around the clock thinking about what are the solutions, how
do we solve for these problems? And being innovative in
our approaches because we knew, for example, that we had
to keep our emergency UM domestic violence shelters open, so
across the country tree why the w c as were
being very innovative. Some of them had r V rented
(04:05):
r vs or hotel rooms to be able to solve
for the for those um, for those challenging moments. So
as as I say, you know, leadership is not for
the faint of heart. It really requires tenacity, It requires boldness,
but above all it requires that urgency. Because I knew
that it was that you know, this organization was not
(04:25):
going to fail under my watch, but it wasn't. It
was something that was also very organic. Um. We have
two d and two leaders across the country that lead
their respective why the w c A s and they
two um rose to the occasion UM and made sure
that they had solutions UM available to them and to
their communities. I want to follow up on what you
(04:48):
had said about being in a SHE session. Can you
tell us a little bit about what that term means. Sure,
So that term really showed up UM back sometime in
September of the New York Times, and what that really
meant and and it his it has been adopted because
it's really UM. It really hits the nail on the head.
It is the first time in our nation's history that
(05:11):
women are at the core of this recession. And what
that means is that women are bearing the disproportionate impact
of the economic wake of COVID, and they're burying the
brunt in terms of loss of jobs because they're in
those areas that are overly indexed UM, like restaurant, hospitality, travel, retail.
(05:33):
They're also UM having to bear the brunt in terms
of the childcare situation. There's no the lack of childcare.
Kids are now at home instead of school kids are
you know, childcare centers had to close because of social
distancing and other areas. So they are at the moment
where they have nowhere to go when they comes to
carrying of their family UM. And then we're seeing how
(05:55):
also how communities of color and women of color are
also by the brand in terms of the high rate
of COVID cases and COVID deaths. So let's break that
down to important issues you just mentioned. The first is childcare.
What is going on for working women right now and
why is childcare so crucial? Well, I will tell you
(06:16):
one of the first things you noticed was um and
you continue to see what the job reports is that
most of the of the losses and jobs have been women.
Women are leaving the workforce not because they want to,
but because they have to. They either have to care
for their children to care for their parents. They're sandwiched
(06:37):
in the middle, and unfortunately, as a nation, we have
put childcare on the shoulders of women. Child Care has
to be an issue that really is about families, but
also it's the national importance. The Organization of Economic Development,
the o e c D tracks out countries deal with childcare,
(07:02):
and to no surprise, the United States is at the
bottom of that ranking. So we have to really make
childcare a critical um imperative for us, and unfortunately women
are the ones who bear the brunts in terms of
the high cost. But also we need to talk about
quality and we also need to make sure that it's
a you know, accessible to everyone. So again, if we
(07:25):
are going to bring back women to the workplace and
bring back jobs, we have to look at childcare as
well as workers in the childcare space. How do we
pay them? How are they um? How do we not
only compensate them for a very hard job? Um. So
childcare has many, many facets and at this point we
are at a crisis and we have to make sure
(07:47):
that the funding is there, that we're designing childcare for
twenty one century community, and that we're making it accessible, affordable,
and quality. So the other issue that you mentioned, which
is at the center of all this women's entrepreneurship. Women
entrepreneurs being hit very, very hard in this session. Can
you tell us a little bit about that. Yeah, And I,
(08:08):
you know, in a previous life, as you may know,
I worked at the Commerce Department for over seven years
and it was very interesting to look at um entrepreneurship.
I let the Minority Business Development Agency at the time,
and I looked at the data UM from the Census Department,
which really has been showing for quite some time how
women are the fastest growing segment of the entrepreneurial space,
(08:30):
especially um women of color have been driving entrepreneurship in
in so many different ways. What we're now seeing is
it's not just looking at how do you open a
business or how do you start a business, but more importantly,
how do you how do you maintain sustainability and growth?
And this pandemic has really challenged that second part, the
(08:51):
sustainability and the growth of women entrepreneurs. So we need
to make sure that we are doing the three things,
which is access to capital, access to markets, and access
to contracts. So the last part, the access to contracts
is who are your clients? How how can women be
part of the supply chain for big corporations or or
(09:13):
government as a whole. So that whole space of procurement
and contracts is critically important. But also the access to capital,
the fact that women have to finance their entrepreneurial dreams
because most banks will not lend them the dollars. We
have to change that. This is where innovation really stems,
(09:33):
making sure that women and communities of color that are
starting their businesses, that are looking at the marketplace and
looking at the services and products that are needed, that
they have that capital in order to start the business
and grow the business. We'll be back with Senecas made
by Women after this short break. Well, you know, at
(10:02):
Seneca Women, this is really important to us, and we
just launched a new marketplace, the Seneca Women Marketplace, to
showcase women owned businesses that everyone can shop from, because
we can all do something, certainly to use our purchasing
power to support women entrepreneurs at this critical moment. But
I want to just think about the two things that
you said. You talked about childcare and you talked about
women entrepreneurs. And if you think about mompreneurs, you know,
(10:24):
women who are starting businesses and who have children, they're
getting doubly impacted right now. What can you tell us
about that? Yeah, and again it's how do you tell
a woman who's pursuing her entrepreneurial dream that she has
to make these tough choices because there's only so much time,
energy and resources in her life and her day to
(10:45):
get things going. So again, this is where we need
to have that conversation that childcare has to be something
that not only is on the shoulders of women, but
that we have to look at it from a national
priority that there are the funding and the resources there.
You know, the federal government has has designated resources for childcare,
but it's not enough. How do we bring in How
(11:07):
do we bring a different set of players as well,
whether it's philanthropy, whether it's a private sector, to really
look at childcare and its affordability and availability. Um And
and again we're going through a caregiving crisis because it's
not just childcare. You know, I'm caring for my eighty
one year old mother, so it's childcare, but it's it's
(11:29):
really the care industry overall, whether it's an elderly parent,
a sick child, uh or a partner or the childcare
as a whole. Um. And then the other part on
the entrepreneurial side, which I want to add um cam
is it's supporting women entrepreneurs, which is important at the
individual level, like what do we do, where do we buy,
(11:49):
who do we purchase from? But I also want to
stress how do companies and governments who purchase so many
goods and services. The federal government, for example, buys half
a trillion dollars of goods and services every year, how
do we make sure that women entrepreneurs are in that
supply chain UM, and that is something that we have
(12:09):
to educate, but we also have to demand um because
there are so many innovative women out there who are
pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams and bringing some very very important
products and services to market. So I'm glad that Seneca
Women is focusing on that marketplace idea. Well, you made
so many important points just now. I think one of
(12:30):
the points you made about not being women's responsibility solely
to solve the childcaresh, You're not putting another burden on
women on top of working, on top of running your business,
on top of trying to, you know, make sure you're
taking care of children, elderly, etcetera. But actually solving this
national crisis is going to require a lot and and
it just is unfair to put yet another burden on
women alone. And you then talked about the role of
(12:52):
the public sector and the role of the private sector.
And I understand that you just recently launched a partnership
with Secret Deodorant that will change the lives of men
across the US. How is Secret partnering with y w
T A. First of all, I want to thank Secret Um.
They have been an incredible partner with us on so
many levels, but this particular campaign really tugs at the
(13:13):
heart and it's a way to celebrate UM. So celebrate
moms UM. If if you've seen some of the ad,
which I hope you, you can put a link to
the ad when you post this podcast. The ads are
are kids recognizing their moms, recognizing the hard work that
it is to hold on a job or to run
a business and too at the same time care for
(13:36):
the future of their children, and it it tugs at
the heart we um, why do we see a partnered
with Secret um since COVID nineteen and they have been
truly pushing out the message that women and girls need
to be supported not just in their lives but in
the and also supporting their dreams. So UM, this this
(13:57):
campaign is really UM something that I think it's to
make a big difference in terms of awareness and also recognition,
very very appropriate recognition UM as we enter into Women's
History Month and as we celebrate International Women's Day. I
think Secret is just an extraordinary partner for us and
I love this idea of the campaign that makes mom
(14:18):
the superheroes that they are. So how will you be
using the funds that SECRETS providing to work on workforce
development and other programs. Sure so Secret is actually a
partnering with y w c A on a on a
couple of projects. In this particular campaign, they are partnering
with us in a program that we call WE three
sixty which stands for Women Entrepreneurship three sixty and that
(14:42):
is a platform that y c A will be launching
and later this month to support women entrepreneurs not just
with the classical how do you start a business? But
more importantly how do you grow a business? How do
you get access to capital? It underscores the access to
capital peace because again, um, when you have a tight
cash crunch, you're not able to continue to buy the
(15:05):
supplies the you know, maintain your inventory, be able to respond.
So it's a it's that WE three six c is
a platform that's going to help women weather COVID but
also start planning UM on not just weathering COVID, but
really thinking about growing growing your business. So um again,
it was one of the partnerships that I was most
(15:26):
thrilled of of making sure that we entered. And again
Secret is just an incredible partner both on the on
the visibility side, but also on the substantive side, making
sure that what they say is actually backed up by
a very strong program that can reach communities across the country.
So we're talking about this because we know there's a
(15:48):
fairness and it's justice, but there's also a benefit that
is unleashed when we relieve this burden on women, when
we allow women to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations and dreams.
As you say, what is the impact on the economy
when the burden of childcare is lifted tremendous um. The
burden of childcare creates so many UM invisible impacts you know, women.
(16:12):
Absentee Ism in the workplace or absenteeism even with your
own business is in a very large part cause when
when your childcare is unstable, when you have to uh
stay at home with a sick child, when you have
to um you know that there is no available childcare
when you're when you're babysitter or or other caretakers are
(16:34):
not there for you. UM. That causes for the workplace
a huge UM, a huge cost UH in terms of
absentee ism. But it also creates a huge cost when
it comes down to UM. You know, preparing our kids
for the future as well as we know. The data
also tells us that, um, you know, the earlier the
(16:55):
child is in school in terms of early childhood education,
the ear or they're going to learn how to read,
how to write, how to love learning. So it has
an impact on on both ends of the spectrum. On
on women in terms of how they show up in
the workplace, how they show up in in UM, in
their entrepreneur on their businesses, I should say, but it
(17:17):
also shows up in the quality of a child's um
experience in terms of education. And I think that as
a country, we we lump childcare in one big category
without the ability of teasing it out and really being
able to understand and underscore what the cost is when
we have a childcare system that's broken and we're seeing
(17:37):
it in the in in the flush right now, we're
seeing it come to life because this is why so
many women are exiting the workforce. And until we solve it,
you won't be able to get women back to work.
You won't be able to get women to open up
their shops there on their businesses, and that has a
huge economic cost, especially now that the focus is on
on revitalizing this economy. Hence why this is called the
(18:02):
She Session. You know, I love this phrase of secrets,
which is, of all things women shouldn't have to sweat,
childcare is one of them. And I think you've just
you've just laid out the economic argument extremely well. So
I guess I just want to end by asking you
one last question. I mean, obviously this is these are
really hard times for everybody, and it's difficult to see
that data and to recognize the impact that this is
(18:24):
having on women. But what's making you optimistic right now?
So many things, Kim, So many things. First of all,
partners like Secret who are really coming into the fold
and and kind of through their power of of their
products and and and of their and of their campaign
being able to tell the world, Yeah, moms shouldn't be
(18:44):
sweating all of this, bringing that awareness, celebrating women. UM,
You're You're absolutely right. These last um, you know, these
last fourteen months have been a very hard journey, especially
for women, especially for women's of color as well. Um.
But what keeps me optimistic is the fact that the
nonprofit community has really um stood up in terms of
being They're never closing their doors answering the call of need,
(19:09):
whether it's in our food and security or domestic violence,
as the y w c A has done UM issues
of of also turning our child care centers UM to
help first responder and and UM and essential workers. It's
it's the optimism that people have have really re centered
themselves around community and that is that is very important
(19:32):
because pre covid UM there was a sense of very
individualistic society. Now we're all understanding how it all takes.
It takes all hands on deck to get through these
challenging moments, and that's that's really promising UM. The fact
that the nonprofit sector, that philanthropy, that corporate partners like
(19:53):
Procter and Gambling and in this case secret Um have
all lent their voices and their resources and their their
ideas to get us through this part Well. Alejandra, it's
always extremely motivating to talk to you and to listen
to the work of the y w c A. And
we're thrilled about this partnership, so we look forward to
seeing what's to come. Thank you, Cam, it's always a
(20:14):
pleasure to be with you. American women have been fortunate
to have Alejandra Castillo at the helm of the y
w c A. Here are three valuable lessons I took
from the conversation. First, as Alejandra tells us, the true
test of leadership comes in moments of crisis and the
(20:35):
three requirements of leadership, she says, our tenacity, boldness, and
above all, urgency. Second, women's entrepreneurship can provide a path
forward for so many women, but for them to succeed,
they need to have access to capital, access to market,
and access to contracts. Finally, one of the most crucial
(20:57):
factors for mothers who run businesses and for all others
and families is solving the childcare crisis. As Alejandra says,
the childcare burdling can't only be on the shoulders of women.
It needs to be a national priority. That's why we
were thrilled to learn about Secret deodorance docuseries showcasing moms
as a superheroes they are and about their partnership with
(21:18):
the y w c A. If you want to learn
more about this program and to help spread awareness about
the need for childcare, check out hashtag raise it Up
from Secret and go to Secret dot com to see
videos of Secret superhero moms and to learn how you
can get involved. Made by Women is brought to you
by the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio,
(21:38):
with support from founding partner p and
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.