Women are more likely to prioritise salary over the hunt for flexible working hours, according to new research.
The number of women prioritising salary and benefits in a job has significantly increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with greater flexibility and choice of work likely a key driver of change in women’s priorities, according to a Glassdoor survey.
Glassdoor commissioned the survey to find out the extent to which employees’ considerations of how to choose a job had changed in light of greater flexibility from many employers in when and where to work. The survey found that only 16 per cent of female employees say salary or benefits were the dominant factor behind choosing their current (or most recent) job, with 19 per cent of respondents citing flexible working hours as the major consideration. However, when asked what would be the dominant factor behind choosing their next job, 24 per cent of women said salary/ benefits – an increase of eight percentage points – with 20 per cent saying ‘personal happiness/ fulfilment’.
The survey also found that more than half of female employees (53 per cent) think that jobs have become more flexible post-COVID-19, in terms of when and where they work, plus 50 per cent believe they now have more options in terms of which job they might choose. When asked to consider whether they would choose their current job again (specifically with regards to the general workplace change in flexible and remote working over the past 12 months) over one in five female employees said they would not choose their job. This suggests that finding and securing work in a specific location is now less of an issue, allowing people to focus on other factors.
Speaking about the findings, Carina Cortez, Chief People Officer at Glassdoor, said, “One of the unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is that women in the workplace now have more flexibility and choice in terms of where to work.”
“Where once some women might have had to prioritise finding a job in a certain location or with flexible working hours, it has become far more common for employers to offer an element of flexibility as standard, allowing female employees to pursue higher earning potential.”
“Removing barriers to flexible and remote working is a very positive development for pay equality.”
WeAreTheCity covers the latest female centric news stories from around the world, focusing on women in business, careers and current affairs. You can find all the latest gender news here.
Don’t forget, you can also follow us via our social media channels for the latest up-to-date gender news. Click to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
