the lack of Labor flexibility It is one of the main causes that is affecting the professional progress of women. The number of women around the world who left their job for this reason in the last 12 months increased, compared to 2021 and 2020 combined.
According to data from the third edition of the report Women at Work: A global perspective, Prepared by Deloitte.
Some advances in the experiences that women live in their workplace: according to the results of the survey, the rates of exhaustion decreased, non-inclusive behaviors were reduced, and work experiences in hybrid environments improved. However, these issues continue to be a challenge for many.
Not only has there been a significant decrease in the number of respondents who feel comfortable talking about their mental health in the workplace, but fewer and fewer women feel they have received adequate mental health support from their employers. employers.
In addition, more and more women feel unable to disconnect from work, even when they generally bear the most responsibility for homework.
Research also shows how health problems of women impact their working lives. One in five women say that she experiences health problems related to menstruation or menopause. Many women say they work despite pain and discomfort, in part, because of the persistent stigma surrounding these issues.
“While our research revealed some progress in women’s workplace experiences over the past year, it also showed that there is still work to be done,” says Emma Codd, inclusion leader at Global Deloitte.
“A large number of women surveyed do not believe that their employers are taking concrete steps to meet commitments related to gender equality. The employers they must go beyond setting goals and policies, as well as foster a more inclusive and respectful work environment in which all women can succeed,” she concluded.
For some, flexible working supports career advancement, while hybrid work experiences enhance This year’s report reinforced the idea that flexibility is a fundamental expectation for women and a major driver of decision-making in their careers .
However, less than a quarter of those surveyed say they have a high degree of flexibility in where and when they work. In this regard, this lack of adaptability around working hours is one of the top three reasons women cited for leaving their employers last year.
There is a correlation between work flexibility and loyalty to employers, with two-thirds of women with a highly flexible work arrangement saying they plan to stay with their company for more than three years, compared to just 19% of women who do not have this facility.
However, many women do not feel comfortable taking advantage of the policies of flexible work: 97% believe that applying for or taking advantage of this benefit would affect their chance of getting a promotion and 95% believe their workload is unlikely to adjust.
Around a third of the women surveyed say they have experienced a lack of predictability in work hours when working in hybrid environments and that they do not have enough flexibility from their employer.
In this sense, although the experiences of women working in hybrid environments have improved this year, 37% of women said they felt left out of important meetings and almost a third said they do not have enough exposure with their senior leaders.
Women have the most responsibility for household chores and often feel they should prioritize their partners’ careers. Coupled with their paid work, women continue to lead most of the responsibility for household chores. These trends are more widespread for women from minority ethnic groups, who are more likely to do most chores.
Additionally, more than a third of women say they feel the need to prioritize their partner’s career over their own, often because the latter makes more money. More than two thirds of women say that their partner is the main source of income; however, even among women who are the main breadwinner in their households, nearly one in five still say they have to prioritize their partner’s career over their own. This can contribute to a cycle that decreases women’s chances of earning more.
Workplace concerns persist as mental health and non-inclusive behaviors present additional challenges This year’s report also found that mental health remains a top concern for working women. Although respondents report a slight improvement in their Mental Wellness — with fewer women saying they feel exhausted compared to last year (28% vs. 46%) — only 37% rate their ability to disconnect from work as “good,” vs. 45% this year past.
Meanwhile, the stigma around mental health in the workplace remains, with only a quarter of respondents feeling comfortable talking about it, a 43% decrease since the last report.
In addition, many feel that their employers have not given them adequate support in this matter. These problems are particularly common among women from underrepresented groups, who are more likely to report feeling burned out.
Along with these challenges, there are also social issues that impact women. Nearly six in 10 of those surveyed (59%) say they are “very/extremely concerned” about women’s rights, making this their top concern, followed by financial security (58%), mental and physical health (both with 56%), and personal safety (54%).
Women from the LGBT+ community are more concerned about women’s rights, while women belonging to minority ethnic groups are more concerned about their financial security. More than four in 10 women (44%) report having suffered harassment I microaggressions.
Although we found a decrease from 59% last year, these numbers are still too high, as more than half of the women who experienced these behaviors did not feel comfortable reporting it to their employers. Worryingly, women from the LGBT+ community (76%) and women from minority ethnic groups (53%) experienced more non-inclusive behaviors in the last 12 months.
When it comes to health problems of women, many struggle in silence Many of the women in the workplace globally are experiencing health problems related to menstruation and menopause. Among them, more than 40% stated that they work with pain or symptoms related to menstruation and 20% with symptoms related to menopause.
Leading gender-equity organizations continue to do well This is the third year the report has identified a group of “gender-equity leaders” — organizations that women surveyed say have created genuinely inclusive cultures that support their careers , work-life balance, and foster inclusion.
The women who work for these organizations experience three common factors: they all feel comfortable reporting non-inclusive behaviour; they all feel supported by their employers when it comes to balancing their work and personal lives; and they all believe that their career is growing as fast as they would like.
“Only 5% of women see their employers as leaders in gender equality, which should be a wake-up call that meaningful action is still needed,” says Michele Parmelee, deputy executive director and director of People and Purpose at Deloitte. Global.
“Women are a vital group in the workforce, and our data shows that when organizations prioritize improving women’s workplace experiences, they are more engaged, more productive, and want to stay with their employers longer. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it allows leaders to cultivate an inclusive culture in which all women are set up to thrive,” she said.