Survey shows concerns about flexible working rising

Almost half of women believe that there is not enough flexibility in their workplace to adequately juggle childcare and work life, a number which has risen over the years, according to a survey.

The survey of 2,000 women office workers by One Poll for co-working specialist Headspace says this represents a steady rise from 39% in 2017 and 33% in 2013 when similar surveys were done. Around two thirds (67%) believe the Government doesn’t offer enough support to adequately juggle childcare and work life. A quarter of women (24%) believe that having children has held them back in their career.

Moreover, 39% of women say they have experienced direct or indirect sexism in the workplace, up from 31% in 2017 and 27% in 2013.

Other key findings included:
– 24% of women reported that they had been overlooked for a job or promotion because they
were of child bearing age; 24% reporting the same because of having young children; and
24% had been overlooked simply because of their sex.
– The number of women saying they would discriminate against other women is on the rise, with 29% reporting that they would be reluctant to hire a woman recently married (up from 22% in 2017 and 20%
in 2013); 36% reporting that they would be reluctant to hire a woman with children (up from
31% in 2017 and 25% in 2013) and 33% reluctant to hire a woman of child bearing age (up
from 28% in 2017 and 27% in 2013).
– 62% of those surveyed indicated that they would be reluctant to hire a woman who dressed provocatively (up from 61% in 2017 and 58% in 2013) and 43% would be reluctant to hire a woman deemed ‘too confident’ (up from 40% in 2017 and 36% in 2013).
– Just 23% believe that the MeToo movement has had a positive impact on workplace equality.

Headspace questioned respondents on what employers could do to support greater equality in the
workplace. Better part time and flexible working options were deemed most likely to have the greatest
impact (by 43% of respondents) on improving equality, compared with greater pay transparency (40%), more women in senior positions (35%), better maternity leave (28%), better paternity leave (26%), better training for female members of staff (17%) and better training for female members of staff (14%). Only 8% of women felt that women-only areas in the workplace would have the biggest impact and just 6% believed the same of women-only events.

Interestingly, just 22% of respondents believe fathers should be offered paternity leave more in line with current maternity legislation and less than half (40%) said that they would take advantage of
equal paternity leave.

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