What 78% of working women really want?

Key insights on working women :

• Career aspirations: 78% of working women express a desire to advance in their careers. Lack of internal opportunities, lack of mentorship and networking and pay discrimination emerge as the primary hurdles to career progression.
• Job application priorities: when women apply for jobs, salary is the foremost consideration. Plus, specific benefits hold significance, with paid maternity leave surprisingly not ranking high among desired benefits.
• Flexible work arrangements: 80% of women have dependents and embracing flexible work arrangements aligns with the realities of modern life, contributing to talent retention.
• Career pauses: 49% of respondents had taken a career pause at least once, emphasising the normalcy of career pauses on a women’s work journey. 49% have had a career pause ranging from motherhood, mental health, retrenchments and further studies. 95% returned to work after the career pause.
• Work location: 59% of respondents prefer hybrid working arrangements, 33% prefer remote working, and 8% prefer solely in-office work. Younger women with dependants have a marginal preference for remote working, and women in townships have a marginal preference for solely in-office working.
• Working hours: 55% of women, regardless of age, seek full-time hours. This finding comprises 32% seeking full-time hours and 23% seeking full-time hours with a reduced work week. The remaining 45% of women seek reduced hours per day.

Other important information :

• The report reveals that 45% of women are actively seeking new job opportunities.
• In South Africa, the female workforce lags, with only 15% of executives in the entire executive population of all JSE-listed companies being female.
• 71% of single women prefer full-time work, and considering that 20% of the respondents are single, this enlightens us on why the need for full-time work is higher than expected. 47% of married women and 45% of widowed women prefer part-time hours.
• 92% of women want to work at all stages of life, and despite the prevailing thinking, most want to work full-time in a hybrid manner that delivers financial reward.
• Women are qualifying at higher rates than men: the majority (52%) of people with post-secondary education are women, and within STEM 47% of African universities’ STEM graduates, undergraduates and postgraduates, are women. Female candidates attained 66.4% of the 2023 NSC matric distinctions.
• 38% of working women in South Africa are the sole household income earners, making financial independence vital for them and their families. Furthermore, 21% of sole-income earners are married and financially support their spouses/partners.
• Employers need to proactively adopt remote or hybrid work policies to attract and retain top calibre female talent. Embracing flexibility positions you as a progressive and inclusive employer.
• There are several global studies and trends that suggest a broader appeal for reduced working hours and flexible arrangements amongst professionals, including senior women. The global shift towards flexible work, with many employees expressing a desire for continued flexible work arrangements, is a sentiment that is likely to resonate strongly with senior women seeking a better work-life balance and greater control over their schedules.

Read the full report on https://www.recruitmymom.co.za

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