Women More Often Choose Remote Work Than Men

Women work from home more often than men, and employees today prefer working from home to avoid commuting, with almost everyone expecting their employers to provide at least some form of flexible work, according to a survey by the portal MojPosao.

Remote work is currently utilized more by women (50 percent) than by men (41 percent). At the same time, a smaller percentage of women (16 percent) have no experience with working from home, while among men, that figure is 22%. These data suggest that women more frequently take advantage of flexible work options – either due to greater need or more accessible opportunities, as stated in the survey results commentary.

At least 5 days a month are worked outside the office

When it comes to the frequency of remote work, most employees, regardless of gender, work up to five days a month outside the office. However, the differences become more pronounced with longer periods of working from home: nearly one-third of women (28 percent) work 11 or more days a month remotely compared to just 15 percent of men. This indicates that women are more likely to utilize extended forms of flexible work.

The desires of employees further emphasize this trend. While only one in ten women does not want to work from home, among men, that figure is one-third. Additionally, women show a greater willingness to work from home in both scenarios – both for daily work (18 percent of women compared to nine percent of men) and for occasional remote work (71 percent of women compared to 60 percent of men).

The research data show that most employees, regardless of parental status, want the option to work from home or remotely at least occasionally. However, a certain difference is noted when comparing parents and employees without children, with 72 percent of parents wanting such a work arrangement, while among those without children, that percentage is slightly lower at 68 percent.

Advantages: time savings and better balance

As advantages of working from home, respondents of both genders most often highlight avoiding commuting and easier alignment of work and private life. Women, however, emphasize these aspects slightly more often (77 percent and 52 percent) compared to men (71 percent and 44 percent). Among the advantages, greater time flexibility is also noted, cited by 43 percent of women and 29 percent of men, while spatial flexibility is considered less important but is still mentioned more frequently by women (nine percent) than by men (four percent).

Moreover, the comfort of working from home is important for both groups, with men valuing it slightly more (40 percent) than women (36 percent). Women, on the other hand, more frequently point out that remote work helps them maintain concentration and higher productivity (35 percent compared to 29 percent of men).

Challenges of working from home differ by gender

Among the most frequently mentioned drawbacks of working from home are isolation from colleagues and disrupted work-life balance. While women slightly more often highlight feelings of isolation (57 percent compared to 54 percent of men), men more frequently emphasize difficulties in maintaining balance (50 percent compared to 39 percent of women). The lack of appropriate space and/or equipment for work is a common issue for both genders (35 percent of men and 34 percent of women).

Men have reported more disruptions in work due to other household members (44 percent compared to 35 percent). Women, on the other hand, slightly more often perceive a negative impact of working from home on their chances for advancement and raises (18 percent compared to 15 percent of men). Distance and disrupted relationships with colleagues are seen as challenges by both genders, although men mention them slightly more often (19 percent compared to 14 percent of women).

Interestingly, a portion of respondents does not see any drawbacks to remote work – 15 percent of women and 13 percent of men hold this view.

More than 300 respondents

The survey involved more than 300 respondents, with the majority being women (85 percent), while men make up 15 percent. The most represented age group is 41+ years, and most respondents have a higher education level, with a higher percentage of women than men. Almost all participants are employed, mostly in private companies, with the highest number of respondents from Zagreb and its surroundings.

The majority of respondents work in large companies or institutions, while a smaller percentage work in medium and small organizations. Most have children, with an average age of 11 years, and the percentage of women with children is slightly higher than that of men.