Why Are Women Leaders Quitting?

Have you heard of the Great Breakup??

The post-pandemic job scenario has seen plenty of upheavals through the years, with many quitting their jobs in droves to many being fired in droves.?

One of the recent trends that is being observed is that women leaders are quitting their positions for better opportunities elsewhere.?

A recent study on the topic by McKinsey shed some light on the subject.?

In fact, the study found that 1 in 4 women are considering leaving the workforce altogether. The reasons for this trend are varied, but many women cite a lack of support, gender bias, and unequal pay as major factors.

Despite the progress that has been made in recent years to promote gender equality in the workplace, there is still a long way to go. Until we address these systemic issues and provide women with the support and opportunities they deserve, we will continue to see talented women leaders leave their jobs in droves.

• Women Leaders Face More Challenges Than Men, Duh!

Ambition alone is often not enough to move forward within the workforce.?

While women leaders might have the same ambition and drive that men leaders have, they often face more challenges that prevent them from going forward.?

Challenges such as harassment, micro-aggressions, and personal problems are unique to women leaders, challenges that often lead them to quit. Research suggests that many women leaders are often mistaken by men to be in a junior position or be considered unqualified for their position.?

Women leaders are also more likely to have a co-worker take credit for their work in comparison to men leaders. Moreover, in many parts of the world, women leaders often hit roadblocks due to their personal life causing hindrances, impacting their ability to advance. Societal barriers and discriminatory behaviour are still major issues that women face around the world and are holding them back in the workplace.

• Women Leaders Feel Underrepresented and Underrecognized

From co-workers taking credit for their work to being humiliated by having their official positions undermined, women leaders often have to face challenges that make them feel underrecognized, despite putting in the work. Women are also significantly underrepresented in executive positions, which often leads to workplace culture that is detrimental to the advancement of women leaders. Many women leaders are quitting their positions and moving to other companies, where they will feel that their work is valued.?

• Women Leaders Are Being Burned Out

Women leaders are often expected to take on roles that support diversity initiatives.?

Women leaders are often spending more time supporting employees through DEI initiatives, while simultaneously not being acknowledged for their performance in such roles.?

Overworking and being under-recognized with little to no prospects of advancing professionally leads to burnout and mental health challenges in women leaders. Moreover, many women leaders also have to be responsible for their family’s housework, which takes an even larger toll on women mentally.?

• Women Seek Flexible Working Conditions

More companies are offering remote and work flexibility now than ever. The choice of work flexibility is especially important for women leaders. Women leaders have stated that they feel mentally more at peace when working from home or having the power to choose where to work from.?

have also reported to have experienced lesser workplace toxicity and microaggressions. Women leaders are moving to companies that offer them the flexibility they want. ?

• Women Leaders Are Demanding Better Work Culture

One of the biggest reasons why women leaders are quitting are because they are seeking better work culture.?

Women leaders are more than likely to look for a workplace that that prioritizes DEI.?

Moreover, as mentioned before, flexibility is also a top priority for nearly 50% of women in the workforce. All of this, combined with wanting to be valued for their work is leading to women leaders quitting more often.?

What Can Companies Do To Make Women Leaders Stay?

As it is, women are already underrepresented at the top. More women leaving is detrimental to a company in many ways. Also, with women in senior positions quitting, young women are also seeing similar ceilings and challenges, especially with no one to watch over them. It is up to each company to determine why their women leaders are quitting and come up with compromises and solutions that cater to them. Here are some of the things that companies can do:

• Address workspace toxicity and root out the bad actors
• Support the advancement of women in all positions
• Offer flexibility as needed regardless of gender
• Hold managers and men leaders accountable for aggressions and discriminations
• Identify areas that need work and bring in experts to find solutions

Here Are My Concluding Thoughts

Changes that need to be brought about to ensure that women leaders don’t quit won’t happen overnight. From addressing workspace toxicity to identifying areas that need to be worked on, businesses that are experiencing the so-called “great breakup” have a lot of work ahead of them.?

This does, however, prove that women leaders are willing to bet on themselves and rely on their own skills rather than put up with an unsupportive and discriminatory workplace.?

As more and more women leaders leave their positions, it is becoming clear that traditional workplace structures and cultures are not conducive to the success and advancement of women.?

• To ensure that women leaders don't quit, businesses need to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and create a work environment that is welcoming, respectful, and supportive of all employees, regardless of their gender. Only then can we expect to see real progress towards gender equality and the retention of talented women leaders in the workforce.