Marking International Women’s Day, Facebook has published a new report into gender imbalance, and the ways in which businesses can ensure they commit to addressing such by working with female-owned organizations and boosting women and under-represented voices.

Facebook notes that while much progress has been made on addressing the gender gap, much work remains. That’s been underlined, once again, by the pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted women-owned businesses. 

“In Facebook’s most recent Global State of Small Business Report, created in conjunction with the OECD and the World Bank, women leading small and medium businesses reported that they were more likely than men SMB leaders to close because of the pandemic. Overall, women lost a million more jobs over the course of the pandemic in 2020 than men did. In fact, women lost 156,000 jobs in December 2020 alone, while men gained 16,000 jobs that month.”

So while it seems like things are changing, women are still significantly more impacted, statistically, in such circumstances, while pay disparity and representation in management also both remain a constant concern in business circles.

In order to address this, Facebook provides a range of notes, including maximizing diversity in your marketing and supporting female-owned brands.

Facebook also outlines its own commitment to the cause, with a range of initiatives designed to amplify female-lead businesses.

Given the stats noted here, such initiatives are crucially important, while ensuring diversity and representation in your marketing efforts will also help to maximize reach and resonance.

The data doesn’t lie, and female-owned businesses and employees have been significantly impacted by the pandemic, underlining the need for support and consideration. It’s worth taking a read of Facebook’s report and getting a better understanding of the various issues and impacts at play.

You can down Facebook’s full “Celebrating Women’s History, Culture and Community” guide here.