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Women @ Work 2024: A Global Outlook

Now in its fourth year, Deloitte’s Women @ Work: A Global Outlook examines some of the critical workplace and societal factors that can profoundly impact women’s careers. The findings are thought-provoking. They give us insight into the challenges, both in and out of the workplace, faced by the world’s working women today—and how far employers around the world still have to go to create workplaces where women thrive.

Download the Deloitte Women @ Work Report

Representing the views of 5,000 women from workplaces across 10 countries, Women @ Work: A Global Outlook seeks to understand the lived experiences of women at work—and the ways in which aspects of their lives outside of work can impact these experiences.

Listen: Women @ Work 2024 Podcast

Deloitte's Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Emma Codd discusses key findings from the report

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48% of women in this year’s survey say they are concerned or very concerned about their mental health

Stress levels are rising and workplace mental health stigma persist

Half of women say their stress levels are higher than they were a year ago, and a similar percentage say they’re concerned or very concerned about their mental health. Yet, many women aren’t receiving adequate mental health support from their employers and don’t feel comfortable talking about their mental health in the workplace.

Stress and mental health year-over-year

Menstrual disorders, menopause, and fertility challenges are impacting women, yet many feel unable to take time off or seek support

More than a quarter of women experience challenges related to menstruation, menopause, or fertility. Many of them work through pain and discomfort without taking time off work—a worsening reality for those experiencing menopause. This year, fewer women feel comfortable discussing these health challenges with their managers as compared to 2023, and more say their careers have been negatively affected by discussing these issues at work.

Why do you not feel comfortable speaking to your manager about health challenges related to menstruation, menopause, or fertility?

Women still hold the biggest responsibility for household tasks and—increasingly—care of other adults

Even if they’re the primary earner—which is the case for two in 10 women living with a partner—women bear the most responsibility for childcare or care for other adults, and other domestic tasks. Women with more domestic responsibilities report lower mental well-being—and are less able to focus on their careers.

In your household, who has the greatest responsibility for each of the following tasks?

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Download the Deloitte Women @ Work Report

Lack of flexibility and poor work/life balance are among the top reasons women changed jobs in the past year

Organizations aren’t making enough progress on gender equality and work/life balance

Only around one in 10 women think their employer is taking concrete steps to fulfill its commitment to gender equality. Less than two in 10 say their employer has communicated gender diversity targets. About half of women don’t think their employer’s commitment to supporting women has increased over the past year, and less than half feel supported by their employer to balance their work responsibilities with commitments outside work. A quarter of women do not want to progress into a senior leadership position in their organization. The top cited reason? Company culture.

Many women don’t feel supported by their employer, particularly on work/life balance.

95%

95% of women believe that requesting or taking advantage of flexible work opportunities will negatively affect their career progression.

93%

93% don’t expect that their workload would be adjusted if they move to a flexible work arrangement.

Hybrid work experiences have improved, but some women say they have made adjustments following return-to-office policies

This year has seen an improvement in women’s experiences with hybrid working. However, many still experience exclusion from meetings, a lack of predictability in their working pattern, and a lack of flexibility. And some women say they have needed to make adjustments following return-to-office policies.

Top experiences or concerns about working in a hybrid environment

Women are worried about their safety at work, while many still face harassment and microaggressions

Nearly half of women are concerned about their personal safety in the workplace or while commuting or traveling for work. And women are still experiencing non-inclusive behaviors at work: 43% have experienced such behaviors in the workplace over the last 12 months. These experiences often go unreported.

Non-inclusive behaviors in the workplace

31%

31% of women experienced microaggressions at work in the past year

58% of them were reported

4%

4% of women experienced sexual harassment at work in the past year

66% of them were reported

8%

8% of women experienced other types of harassment at work in the past year

71% of them were reported

Download the Deloitte Women @ Work Report

The Gender Equality Leaders are getting it right, but there aren’t enough of them

As with previous years, Deloitte’s research has identified a group of “Gender Equality Leaders", organizations that, according to the women surveyed, have created genuinely inclusive cultures that support their careers, work/life balance, and foster inclusion. Only 6% of the women in our survey work for one of these organizations.

These women feel safer, are more comfortable talking about their mental health at work and are more comfortable that they can work flexibly without it damaging their career. They also report higher levels of loyalty, productivity, and motivation.

Women working for Gender Equality Leaders are also:

More optimistic about their career prospects and twice as likely to recommend their organization to other women
Less likely to have experienced non-inclusive behaviors, experience lower stress levels and are less likely to have taken time off for mental health challenges.
Significantly more likely to plan to stay with their employer for longer and to see it as somewhere they want to progress

It’s clear that organizations have work to do to drive progress on their commitments to gender equality. Women @ Work: A Global Outlook provides a unique insight into the experiences of women in the workplace and what they want and need their employers to do to move forward. What actions will you take?

Download the 2024 Women @ Work report

4 MB PDF

View the Women @ Work press release