More men will work from home. That’s what a recent study by the LinkedIn professional social network team found.
Lately, remote work has become the norm in the professional environment. However, women do not have as much access to it as their male counterparts. This is what the latest research conducted by the big data experts of the LinkedIn social network shows, the results of which were published in March 2024 on the LinkedIn news page.
To arrive at these results, the LinkedIn teams studied the profiles of 29 million French users registered on the social network, and then kept those who added their location in 2023 by specifying “local”, “hybrid” (ie shared: their home and office) or “distant”. For these last two categories, telecommuting was considered such if it was a benefit that was accepted and validated by the company, not if it was requested exceptionally and at the last minute.
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“All industries, all age groups, all job levels”
Results? “Men are much more likely to engage in remote or hybrid work” than women, the study explains. More specifically, we learn that in 2023, “79% of women on LinkedIn said they were in a face-to-face position, compared to 68% of men.” If the numbers clearly vary from one sector of activity to another, the barometer is clear: it points to “a gap in favor of men in all sectors, all age groups and all levels of work”.
This data is amazing. Previous studies actually suggested the opposite trend. A December 2023 Labor Observatory survey found that “the typical telecommuter profile is actually a telecommuter aged 30 to 39 who works in the private sector as a manager or engineer”. Moreover, the work of sociologist Gabriel Schuetz published in the book Remote work. challenges, problems and limitations »they emphasize that women are “more demanding” in relation to remote work,” we learn from the LinkedIn article.
“They’re going to get their nails done”
This gap can be explained by the type of position held. “According to our data, two-thirds (66%) of professionals holding responsible positions in France (managers, directors, directors, etc.) are men,” the author of the article notes. However, the professionals who dominate the organizational chart are also the ones who have the easiest access to telecommuting.”
To go further, the study brings forward the testimony of several users. “Some people imagine that if they work remotely, they will take care of the children at the same time,” confides Christine Courad, HR Director of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. “I met several CEOs who refused to do remote work for women, under the pretext that they would use the opportunity to take care of housework and children, or even take care of their nails,” the HR consultant also assures, on condition of anonymity. Prejudices that women still struggle to get rid of.
Added to this is the sense of illegitimacy that many women still suffer from in the workplace. Victims of impostor syndrome, when they occupy an important position, some feel obliged to prove their worth and sometimes for this reason they are deprived of remote work. This is illustrated by the testimony of Isabelle Bize, a recruitment manager at a digital services company. “When a woman takes on responsibilities or leads a team, she feels obligated to be physically present at her workplace.” Unconscious biases die hard…
Source: Le Figaro
