BizWomen
Marie Leech
Sept. 12, 2022
Global workforce and talent shortages caused in part by the pandemic-fueled Great Resignation could be solved by addressing gender imbalances in the workplace, a new study finds.
Research by management consulting firm Bain & Company found that women still make up less than 40% of the global workforce and participation is declining in many faster-growing, lower-income countries with more non-college-educated women, like India and Nigeria.
The key to filling those gaps lies in empowering women, which means workplaces must understand the differences and similarities between men and women at work if they want to address gender parity, the study finds.
“While the outcomes of women and men and the workforce vary, the motivations are strikingly similar,” said Bianca Bax, expert partner on humanized change for Bain & Company. “Men and women have consistent motivations when it comes to work, across factors like financial orientation and camaraderie. They also have similar attitudes on inclusion, with fewer than 30 percent feeling included in the workplace.”
In other words, men and women have similar intrinsic motivations, the study found, yet vastly different outcomes.
Taking a deeper look at what causes that imbalance, the study found that the bias begins at a young age. Occupational choice is often rooted in childhood expectations, it found.
“In fact, studies have shown that by the age of 7, girls choose more ‘caring’ careers, like teaching and healthcare, and boys choose more stereotypically masculine careers, like engineering,” the study states.
Women hold just 25% of U.S. computing jobs and 13% of engineering jobs. Women earning bachelor’s degrees in computer science declined from 33% in 1980 to 21% in 2018.
Another difference between genders is their interest in workplace flexibility, the study found. While men and women cite flexibility as a common interest when starting the workforce, flexibility grows in importance for women and declines for men as they age. Part-time work often keeps women in the workforce but is also one of the main contributors to the pay gap.
“In the U.S., twice as many women work part time than men,” the research found. “Of those, nearly nine times more women voluntarily work part time due to family needs.”
Then there’s the matter of workplace bias – both conscious and unconscious, the study found.
“This is often seen as women not receiving sponsorship, often asked to take on the majority of administrative work and cultural double standards focused on traditional promotion ladder,” it states.
In order for companies to attract and retain top talent to address the workplace shortages, firms will need to address the imbalances that hold women back, said Andrew Schwedel, partner at Bain & Company and co-chair of the firm’s think tank, Bain Futures.
“Successful firms of the future will embrace gender equality among policies (i.e., similar parental leave for all caregivers) along with a move to take a ‘passport’ approach to their careers – where individuals can explore different roles, flexible work and on- and off-ramps as part of their career journey,” he said. “That cultural change, paired with actions to increase the number of women in leadership roles can reset the value systems to be more equitable at all levels of organization.”
Research by management consulting firm Bain & Company found that women still make up less than 40% of the global workforce and participation is declining in many faster-growing, lower-income countries with more non-college-educated women, like India and Nigeria.
The key to filling those gaps lies in empowering women, which means workplaces must understand the differences and similarities between men and women at work if they want to address gender parity, the study finds.
“While the outcomes of women and men and the workforce vary, the motivations are strikingly similar,” said Bianca Bax, expert partner on humanized change for Bain & Company. “Men and women have consistent motivations when it comes to work, across factors like financial orientation and camaraderie. They also have similar attitudes on inclusion, with fewer than 30% feeling included in the workplace.”
In other words, men and women have similar intrinsic motivations, the study found, yet vastly different outcomes.
Taking a deeper look at what causes that imbalance, the study found that the bias begins at a young age. Occupational choice is often rooted in childhood expectations, it found.
“In fact, studies have shown that by the age of 7, girls choose more ‘caring’ careers, like teaching and healthcare, and boys choose more stereotypically masculine careers, like engineering,” the study states.
Women hold just 25% of U.S. computing jobs and 13% of engineering jobs. Women earning bachelor’s degrees in computer science declined from 33% in 1980 to 21% in 2018.
Another difference between genders is their interest in workplace flexibility, the study found. While men and women cite flexibility as a common interest when starting the workforce, flexibility grows in importance for women and declines for men as they age. Part-time work often keeps women in the workforce but is also one of the main contributors to the pay gap.
“In the U.S., twice as many women work part time than men,” the research found. “Of those, nearly nine times more women voluntarily work part time due to family needs.”
Then there’s the matter of workplace bias – both conscious and unconscious, the study found.
“This is often seen as women not receiving sponsorship, often asked to take on the majority of administrative work and cultural double standards focused on traditional promotion ladder,” it states.
In order for companies to attract and retain top talent to address the workplace shortages, firms will need to address the imbalances that hold women back, said Andrew Schwedel, partner at Bain & Company and co-chair of the firm’s think tank, Bain Futures.
“Successful firms of the future will embrace gender equality among policies (i.e., similar parental leave for all caregivers) along with a move to take a ‘passport’ approach to their careers – where individuals can explore different roles, flexible work and on- and off-ramps as part of their career journey,” he said. “That cultural change, paired with actions to increase the number of women in leadership roles can reset the value systems to be more equitable at all levels of organization.”
