(ThySistas.com) Freelancing is huge right now. In 2016 an extensive survey estimated that over 55 million people in the USA were working as a freelancer. That’s around 35% of the working population. This number is rising all the time, and expected to hit 40% before 2020. It’s thought that just over half of these workers are women. Another statistic that’s set to rise.
Freelancing has some incredible benefits. It’s a great way to earn flexibly, to work around responsibilities and to make something for yourself. It’s also incredibly unbiased. In many industries, women face discrimination and find themselves earning less than their male
counterparts. When it comes to freelancing, gender matters much less than talent and ability. Of course, it’s not all great. Freelancers can face an unstable income and immense difficult securing a loan or mortgage. But, these are things women are happy to put up with, seen as they often make awesome freelancers. Here’s a look at why.
They Want it
Despite the equal pay act of 1963, women still struggle to earn as much as men in many fields. They can also find it hard to work around their family commitments. Studies show that offering flexible working conditions benefits businesses and the economy as a whole. Yet, many big companies are failing to provide enough flexibility for mothers and those with other responsibilities to work happily. Re-entering the workplace after having children is difficult for many women. The struggles they face is often the reason they turn to freelancing in the first place. They often make awesome freelancers simply because they need to be, and want to make a success of things so that they don’t have to spend their life juggling work and family.
They Are Organized
We’ve all teased the men in our lives for being terrible multi-taskers, but there may be some truth to it. Women are often much better at organizing their time and managing to do several things at once. This can make them great freelancers. They make lists, organize their days, plan around the kids, pitch for new work, use a Check stub maker and send invoices and keep control of their finances.
They Know Their Worth
Being vastly undervalued and appreciated in many industries can give women a powerful sense of their own worth. One of the hardest parts of freelance life is asking for money. Sometimes it’s as simple as accepting a fee and sending an invoice to the client. But, other times you have to work out how much time you’re going to put in, how much work the job will take, and how much you think your time is worth, before presenting and perhaps negotiating a fee. Women can be great at this.
They Are Creative
Many freelancers work in a creative field. This could be writing, photography, design and many other things. Women can be naturally more creative and great at coming up with new ideas and drawing inspiration from their lives and passions. They can team this creativity with logic to do a brilliant job.
Staff Writer; Shelia Poole