The real reasons why women leave their jobs

by Ray Bass

Countless research on the modern workplace has come to the same conclusion: women leave their jobs at a higher rate than men. According to Forbes, the churn rate for working women is 31 percent, compared to men at 24 percent—and the higher up the ladder women are at a company, the more likely they are to leave. 17 percent of women leave their jobs mid-career, and women in C-suite level positions leave their jobs at over three times the rate of their male colleagues. 

Many studies and researchers assume that when women leave their jobs, it’s because they’re leaving the workforce altogether to have children. While this certainly happens, it doesn’t account for all women. Women ages 25 to 54 actually make up 64 percent of the female workforce, and most women in the U.S. have children between the age of 26 and 44. In other words, contrary to belief, women who are in their prime childbearing years make up the majority of the female workforce. 

All of this is to say, there are a number of reasons why a woman would want to leave her job. Below, we dive into the most common ones, according to Forbes, Inc, Harvard Business Review, and other publications producing data on the subject. 

The salary gap

Despite the progress women have made in the working world, we have yet to close the salary gap, especially with regards to non-white women. On average, women in the U.S. are paid 82 cents for every dollar paid to men (white women are paid 79 cents for every dollar a white man makes, while Black and Latina women are paid 62 and 54 cents, respectively). 

Statistically speaking, women also get smaller and less frequent raises than men. In a study done by Harvard Business Review, women who asked for a raise were given a 15 percent pay increase, while men received 20 percent. (That’s a difference of $5,000 for employees paid $100k, which adds up over time, and as salaries increase, so does the difference in dollars.) They also found that women ask for raises just as frequently as men, but they’re less likely to get them. Women are paid less than men for doing the same jobs, and as a result, women feel frustrated and undervalued, so they leave in search of equal treatment and better pay—which job hopping has proven to yield. 

The lack of upward mobility

Even in 2020, women are passed over for promotions more than men. Some believe it’s because men are more likely to promote men (think boys’ club and male-to-male advantage), but others claim it’s because women are still thought of as “riskier” for higher level positions. In other words, women can be stereotyped as being less desirable candidates because they could “get pregnant and drop their careers at any time.” This “risk” bias discourages managers from promoting women, thus hindering their upward mobility. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, “even in ‘female-friendly’ sectors, entry-level women still tend to get hired into jobs with limited upward mobility. In more professional-level roles, women also are less likely to be in jobs that can accelerate careers, such as dealing with high-profile clients or helping build a line of business. More often, they take on or are steered into support roles, such as project management.” 

It’s been shown that the reason someone leaves is consistent with the reason they move to a new job. In this case, when women see there’s no upward mobility, they seek it out elsewhere, and are often able to secure higher-level positions at other companies. Deutsche Bank conducted research to see why women managing directors were leaving the firm, and found that “women were leaving because they were being offered higher ranking jobs by competitors that they weren’t being considered for internally.” The bottom line is that women want to succeed and move up the ladder, and when they can’t do that at their current company, they look for (and accept) better jobs elsewhere.

The lack of work-life balance and flexibility

The inflexibility of the workplace is one of the top reasons why women leave their jobs, especially working mothers (there are 44 million mothers in the U.S., and over 75 percent work full time). For mothers, having flexible work hours, the ability to work from home, and paid maternity leave make all the difference when it comes to balancing work and family. Without these benefits, there is no feasible way for women to manage, unless they have the resources to hire help. Inevitably, their professional and personal lives suffer at the hands of one another.  

As Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter—a wife, mother, dean of Princeton University, Harvard Law professor, CEO of the think tank New America, and director of policy planning at the State Department—phrased it in her piece about balancing work and family for The Atlantic: 

“I still strongly believe that women can ‘have it all’ (and that men can too). I believe that we can ‘have it all at the same time.’ But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured.” 

At present, many companies aren’t willing to budge on work hours, paid time off, and work from home options—all of which would benefit not only working mothers, but all employees. Global Workplace Analytics reported that the vast majority of Americans desire to work from home at least two to three days a week. Also, they found that 35 percent of employees in the U.S. would change jobs for the opportunity to work remotely, and even take a pay cut to do so. By the numbers, a more flexible work arrangement seems to be what everyone wants, not just women. 

At the end of the day, we know why women are leaving their jobs—there are plenty of numbers, statistics, and real women telling us why. Now, the conversation has to shift to what companies can be doing to help retain women and reduce attrition. Losing women not only decreases diversity in the workplace, but it also spells bad news for employers: every person who leaves is another person they have to find, interview, and hire. That’s a lot of extra time and money to spend when they could just keep the same female employees by raising their pay, giving them equal opportunity for career advancement, and by being more flexible. 

As for women currently entrenched in the workplace, we have to keep advocating for ourselves and other women, seeking out female mentors, fighting for equal opportunities, promoting diversity, and supporting inclusion. In the meantime, finding a workplace that suits your needs is a good place to start.