As the country begins to creep back to a semblance of normalcy — or, in some states, into a possible new coronavirus outbreak — many are examining how working lives may be fundamentally altered forever. Some women, particularly those in male-dominated fields like commercial real estate, are hoping greater flexibility and less reliance on the confines of the office may result in a more equitable workplace.

The coronavirus and the drastic measures to try and stop its spread have significantly shifted how most workplaces view remote work. Major hubs like New York City have been under extreme stay-at-home orders for more than three months now, and though tentative steps toward returning to offices are underway, most expect businesses to take a very different approach toward managing their personnel.

New kinds of technology that have been adopted in recent months could allow women to network and develop relationships more easily, several female commercial real estate executives told Bisnow. Others pointed to increased empathy for the challenges of caring for children that the Great Work-From-Home Experiment has generated.

Some suggested there is now a laser focus on what people can produce and how effectively they work, potentially removing some systemic barriers that have stopped women advancing in the industry.

Still, women are statistically far more likely to be saddled with child care duties. Some worry that without being able to effectively network in person, their ability to meet with the right people and strengthen their careers may be stymied.

“While this time period brings specific challenges for working moms, it also has the opportunity to be a sort of equalizer,” Ackman-Ziff Managing Director Marion Jones said. “Everyone, universally, is experiencing profound disruption. The emphasis has to be on creative problem-solving and getting things done. Your ideas have to be sound and executable. There has never been less room for noise, and that’s a good thing.”