CALGARY -- Business leaders say Canadian women are disproportionately suffering in the COVID-19 pandemic with many struggling to balance working from home with childcare, while many cannot keep working full-time.

Thursday also marked Women’s Entrepreneurship Day in Canada.

“We speak to women entrepreneurs and their number one concern is childcare,” said Leah Nord with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber also has a women’s advocacy group that is calling for swift action from the federal government to address working women specifically.

Nord suggested the federal wage subsidy program should also allow a childcare provision, “so female employers can have their children being taken care of so they can open their business and then employ (people).”

The chamber is also calling for rapid testing to be brought into schools and daycares to help them stay open.

As well, it says Canada needs coordinated childcare funding so women can get back to work.

According to the September Labour Force Survey by Statistics Canada men and women returned to work at similar rates — yet working mothers were more likely to miss half of their work hours, with 70 per cent more frequency than levels in February (pre-pandemic).

“This is likely because working mothers are caregivers to children and the elderly — and have had to miss work for isolation periods etc.” said the Stats Can website.

Additionally, the Canadian chamber said the sectors hardest hit in the pandemic are large employers of women, including retail, hospitality and chilcare.

“We need workers in the workforce and women are 50 per cent of that workforce," said Nord. "We can’t look at an economic recovery without having women in the workforce."

Airdrie Company wins entrepreneurship grant

BMO Financial Group offered a grant to 10 women-owned businesses to mark Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, including an Airdrie business called Lathered Cleaning Company.

It’s founders are a pair of female friends who say they provide an affordable cleaning service to help working moms, while their staff are given flexibility to allow work-life balance.

Lathered Cleaning

All of their staff across their Alberta franchises are women.

“I feel like it's so important for us to be able to offer affordable cleaning, because it is something that we don’t have a lot of time for anymore,” said Kristin Verbeek, co-owner.

Their biggest concern is allowing time for their staff to balance work and childcare as recently some staff have cancelled shifts last minute because of isolation guidelines amid the pandemic.  in most cases,“mom” is the one who has to stay home when a child presents symptoms or is exposed.

“It’s definitely an issue that if address would allow a lot more women to be able to work as much as they need or want,” said co-founder Meghan Peters.

Alberta’s Minster of the Status of Women says since the pandemic began — the Province in conjunction with the federal government have invested $99 million into the chilcare sector.

In a statement to CTV News, Leela Sharon Aheer says. “this funding was provided to help child care centres stay open, operate safely and help parents get back to work."

"The sector employs nearly 18,000 early childhood educators — the vast majority of them are women."

In a news release she added “this past year has been especially challenging. The stresses of the economy and the pandemic have taken a toll on everyone in our province, but especially on our business owners.

“I want to commend the innovative and creative women entrepreneurs in our province who adapted to the unimaginable, and found new ways to connect with their clients and the community.”