A December 2022 survey found that more than a third of women leaders considered resigning last year, according to The Chief, a network to support female executives. LeanIn.org says women are in the midst of a “Great Breakup” with work––as its founder Sheryl Sandberg knows only too well.
Following her resignation as Facebook’s COO in 2022, she said, “this job has been the honour and privilege of a lifetime, but it does not leave a lot of time to do other things.” Already, this year has seen the sudden resignations of former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern as well as Scotland’s former first minister, Nicola Sturgeon. In tech, YouTube’s CEO of nine years, Susan Wojcicki, ended her tenure, saying that “it’s been exhilarating, meaningful, and all-consuming.” Wojcicki plans to focus on her family, health and personal projects.
Burnout was a key factor in both politicians’ resignations. Nicola Sturgeon, explained that “giving absolutely everything of yourself to this job is the only way to do it […] But, in truth, that can only be done, by anyone, for so long. For me, it is now in danger of becoming too long.” Ardern had a similar sentiment, saying that she “no longer had enough in the tank” to do her job.
A McKinsey report found that 50 per cent of women leaders are experiencing burnout at work, and in 2020 alone, 25 per cent of women in senior leadership positions said they were ready to either slow their careers down, or leave the workforce.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is #EmbraceEquity, and is seeking to place “a focus on gender equity [which] needs to be part of every society’s DNA.” In the wider workforce, women in leadership are experiencing high rates of burnout, exhaustion, and chronic stress compared to men in similar positions.
The reasons for this are manifold. According to a poll of 5,444 people by Ipsos Mori and the charity Business in the Community (BITC), three out of five UK women say their caring responsibilities preclude them from applying for a new job or promotion, but only one in five men say the same.
Then there’s the phenomenon of “second-generation gender bias”, where non-overt biases, such as deeply ingrained assumptions and stereotypes about gender roles and expectations are reinforced throughout organisations, without them really being noticed.
Second-generation gender bias can include the belief that women are not as committed to their careers as men, assumptions that women are not suited for leadership roles, and the expectation that women will take on more of the caregiving and household responsibilities, therefore have less time for work.
This can affect hiring, promotion, and performance evaluation decisions, as well as everyday interactions and opportunities for career growth.
So what is the solution? “To make sustained progress toward gender equality, companies need to focus on getting more women into leadership and retaining the women leaders they have,” says Bob Sternfels, global managing partner of McKinsey & Company, which conducted a 2022 Women in the Workplace report with LeanIn.org.
He adds, “setting goals for representation in management and senior leadership, really investing in coaching and sponsorship, and experimenting with effective hybrid working models […] can help companies deliver on the promise of gender equality in their enterprises.”
If you’re looking for a new role with a better work-life balance, make the The London Economic Job Board your first port of call, or explore three job opportunities below.
Checkout.com says it believes in equal opportunities, and is current hiring a Senior Software Engineer – FinCrime, who will be exposed to the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC), working on the specification, design, coding, testing and deployment of various solutions using .NET Core and other technologies. You’ll be passionate and spirited, live and breathe Agile and firmly believe in creating clean, testable code. Interested? Find out more here.
WPP is the leader in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and 8th in the FTSE 100 rankings for Women on Boards. A transformation company, it uses the power of creativity to build better futures for people, planet, clients, and communities. The Internal Auditor role is a key part of WPP Internal Audit in providing operating company assurance and advice on risk mitigation. You’ll be planning and delivering multiple internal audits at operating companies across the WPP Group and will bring your experience to ensure issues are identified throughout the audit cycle. you’ll need relevant business risk and financial audit experience, be generally qualified, but you may have alternative operational experience. Get the full job spec here.
Skyscanner is looking for a principal-level Content Designer/UX Writer to join a growing content design team. You’ll be responsible for bringing a high-quality and sophisticated understanding of content design to the team, as well as managing mid level teammates and acting as a leader. You should be a master of your craft, and know the importance of creating clear flows and consistent experiences while making sure that all user interactions are initiated with the same voice. You use a strong design process, shaping the content around that solution. If this sounds like you, get all the information you need here.
