Here's why more women want work-life balance than men

More than 6 in 10 women demand work-life balance.

It seems women have higher expectations from their employers than men as 65% of women workers said work-life balance is their top factor in looking for an ideal employer whilst 55% of men shared the same belief, recruitment firm, Randstad, said.

In its Employer Brand Research in 2022, Randstad also found that gender inequality is amongst the reasons why women have higher expectations. Maternity penalty, gender pay gap, and glass ceilings were amongst the issues needed to be addressed to promote a safer and inclusive environment for women workers.

“Companies that offer flexible work arrangements and childcare benefits, as well as job sharing and contract work, would appeal to female workers, who comprise an untapped talent pool,” Randstad Hong Kong Regional Director Benjamin Elms said in a statement.

Meanwhile, at least eight in 10 workers said they took actions to improve work-life balance with one in three respondents said they worked fewer overtime hours and 29% said they decided to work flexible hours.

Reacting to this, Elms said generation Z and millennial workers value time as they want to have sufficient time for activities they enjoy.

He also suggested that companies must hire more people to share workload than expect their employees to work beyond the required time.

Commissioned by Randstad and conducted by marketing company, Kantar TNS, polled 163,000 respondents in 31 markets, including 3,027 people in Hong Kong last January.