Throughout the pandemic, women have been quitting their jobs at significantly higher rates than men, largely exacerbated by the levels of burnout in women across the workforce, according to Bain & Company. As part of its recent study, The Fabric of Belonging: How to Weave an Inclusive Culture, the firm surveyed more than 4,500 women—in seven different countries and across all levels of their organizations—to learn about how they think and feel about inclusion in the workplace. The firm found that, on average, only 25 percent of women feely fully included in the workplace.
A focus on inclusion is necessary to creating a meaningful difference in attracting and retaining women workers across industries. According to Bain's research, women who feel fully included are 11 times more likely than those who do not to be promoters of their companies, a key indicator of employee engagement and company results.
On the flip side, women who feel excluded at work are three times more likely to quit than those who feel included in the workplace. Additionally, the firm found that inclusion is an integral part of successfully recruiting women, with more than 60 percent of the women in Bain's sample citing an inclusive environment as important in a new job—as well as for retaining them.
"Inclusion is one of the most important factors in hiring, engaging, and retaining women in the workplace," said Bianca Bax, partner in Bain & Company's diversity, equity, and inclusion practice, in a statement. "To weather the impacts of the Great Resignation, it is critical for employers to get a deep understanding of their organization's talent—in this case women—by listening to their stories and incorporating the nuances to increase their feelings of inclusion and, in turn, enabling them to thrive.”
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