Flexible work options and work schedule ranked ahead of salary as top factors when mothers evaluate job prospects

Boulder, CO, August 26, 2019 - According to a July 2019 FlexJobs survey of more than 2,000 women with children 18 and younger living at home, 31% of women who took a break in their career after having kids wanted to keep working, but reported that their jobs were too inflexible to remain in the workforce. Forty-two percent said it was either extremely difficult or difficult to restart their career after taking a break. The labor force participation rate for all women with children under age 18 was 71.5% in 2018, up slightly from the prior year.

“According to BLS data, mothers with young children are less likely to be in the labor force than those with older children, and, as our findings support, part of this is due to lack of flexible work options,” said Sara Sutton, founder, and CEO of FlexJobs. “Flexible work arrangements, like working from home or with a flexible schedule, can help not only working moms remain in the workforce, but also other groups that are balancing many personal and professional responsibilities as well, such as military spouses, caregivers, people with health issues, working dads, semi-retirees, and more,” Sutton concluded.

Additional survey findings include: 

Career paths and challenges:

31% of women with children 18 and under who took a break in their career after having kids wanted to keep working, but their jobs were too inflexible to stay in the workforce
70% who off-ramped their career after having kids said it was difficult to re-enter the workforce
71% have left or considered leaving a job because it lacked flexibility
40% are concerned that having flexible work arrangements will hurt their career progression

The importance of work flexibility: 

Work-life balance (82%), flexible work options (78%) and work schedule (77%) were ranked ahead of salary (76%) as the top factors they use to evaluate potential job prospects
Over half (56%) have tried to negotiate flexible work arrangements with their employers but only 32% have been successful
Just 13% are extremely confident in their ability to negotiate a flexible work arrangement 
86% said having kids living at home has affected their interest in a flexible job

Employer relationships:

31% would consider taking a pay cut in exchange for the option to telecommute as much as they wanted 
85% would be more loyal to their employers if they had a flexible work arrangement, compared to 80% of general workers who say the same thing
64% think they are more productive working from home than in a traditional workplace.
Nearly half (48%) have felt discriminated against in the workplace because of their gender

Mothers are confident in their dual parent/employee roles:

The majority report “needing” to work, but 73%—more than two out of three parents—also report “wanting” to work
84% are entirely sure that they can simultaneously be both great employees and great mothers
91% also indicated that flexible work arrangements would increase their volunteerism at their children’s schools or organized activities

The mothers who responded to FlexJobs’ survey were highly educated, with 70% having at least a bachelor’s degree and 28% having a graduate degree.

Earlier, FlexJobs released the full results of its 2019 Annual Flexible and Remote Work Survey with more than 7,000 professionals weighing in on work and life. To help moms (and anyone who's taken a career break) return to work through remote and flexible work, FlexJobs has also created A Mom's Guide for Returning to Work, a comprehensive downloadable guide. For more information please visit https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/survey-flexible-work-moms/ or contact Kathy Gardner at kgardner@flexjobs.com. 

About FlexJobs
FlexJobs is committed to helping people find a better way to work. As the leading online service for professionals seeking remote, flexible schedule, part-time, and freelance jobs, FlexJobs offers opportunities in over 50 career categories, ranging from entry-level to executive and freelance to full-time. FlexJobs also sets itself apart by providing job seekers with a better, safer, and more efficient way to find professional and legitimate flexible jobs. Having helped nearly four million people in their job searches, FlexJobs has appeared in CNN, CNBC, TIME, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and hundreds of other trusted media outlets. To further assist people in bettering their lives through flexible and remote work, FlexJobs' Founder & CEO Sara Sutton has also launched two additional partner sites, Remote.co and 1 Million for Work Flexibility, to help provide education and awareness about the viability and benefits of remote working and work flexibility. Sutton is also the creator of The TRaD* Works Forum (*Telecommuting, Remote, & Distributed), dedicated to helping companies leverage the benefits of telecommuting, remote and distributed teams.