Remote work is preferred by women, but it may lead to less career growth
Women are embracing remote work more than men in the US, saying they were twice as likely as men (26% versus 13%) to seek work from home in a survey done by ZipReccruiter, according to the Wall Street Journal. Companies are increasingly using remote and hybrid work as an incentive to attract workers, with increased flexibility in work modes expected to help boost women’s participation in the workforce, following a decline early on in the pandemic.
This is particularly the case for moms: Around 7% of women with children under the age of 18 said they would resign from their job if asked to go back to the office full-time and instead look for another job they could do remotely. Meanwhile, 40% said they would go back to work but immediately start looking for other options.
However, this preference could lead to less career growth for women: Workers who do not come back to the physical office face the threat of isolating themselves and lowering the potential of career progression, economists told the WSJ. Being less noticed puts these women workers at the back of management’s mind when it comes to raises and the like.