Work Status
Introduction
This section includes survey results on respondents’ current work status including various demographic or contextual questions about their workplace and role in it. Topics include their current employment status, their primary position, primary work location (e.g., on-site or remote), the hours they work per week, and their annual wages among others. In order to account for women who have more than one job, respondents were instructed to answer within the context of the paid job where they spend the most time. Respondents who were not employed at the time of the survey were instructed to answer questions based on their most recent paid position.
Key Findings
- Most women were full-time employees at one job, working 35 to 50 hours per week (83%).
- More than half of women reported working in their current field for 10 years or more (62%) and on-site / at their employer’s location (55%).
- While there was a good mix of women by annual wages captured in the sample, about 1 in 4 (27%) reported annual wages between $50,000 and $74,999.
- One in 5 (20%) of women reported they had never received a job promotion.
- A little over half (53%) of women said that their employer had at least 250 employees; 21% of respondents reported working for organizations with fewer than 20 employees.
- Women working in healthcare or education (23%), and as a mid-level associate (26%) were the most common primary positions represented in the sample. The third most common was senior managers / women in leadership positions with direct reports (22%).
- More than 1 in 4 (27%) respondents reported that men and women are equally represented in leadership positions at their company, but 41% said that, at least to some extent, more men than women were in those positions.
Current Work Status
Most women (83%) were full-time employees at one job.
Functional Role
| Which of the following BEST describes your functional role? |
Count of Respondents |
Percentage of Respondents |
| Accounting / Finance / Financial Services |
56 |
8% |
| Administrative Services |
25 |
4% |
| Architecture / Engineering / Construction |
1 |
0% |
| Artist / Entertainer / Author / Speaker |
2 |
0% |
| Cleaning / Maintenance Services |
1 |
0% |
| Community / Social Services / Nonprofit |
111 |
16% |
| Consultant / Business Coach / Project Manager |
23 |
3% |
| Educator / Teacher / Professor |
85 |
12% |
| Executive Leadership / General Management |
54 |
8% |
| Food Service / Bartender |
3 |
0% |
| Government / Military / Law Enforcement / Politics |
20 |
3% |
| Health Care / Therapy |
55 |
8% |
| Human Resources / Training |
15 |
2% |
| Information Technology |
13 |
2% |
| Legal |
19 |
3% |
| Manufacturing |
4 |
1% |
| Marketing / Creative Services |
53 |
8% |
| Operations (Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Logistics) |
12 |
2% |
| Personal Care |
2 |
0% |
| Real Estate / Interior Design |
11 |
2% |
| Research & Development |
11 |
2% |
| Retail |
3 |
0% |
| Sales and related occupations |
27 |
4% |
| Transportation |
1 |
0% |
| Other |
12 |
2% |
| Did not answer |
68 |
10% |
| Source: REACH Community Survey of Women in the Workplace |
The sector representation of respondents was diverse. The two largest functional roles or occupation types were community-based social services or nonprofits (16%) and educators or teachers (12%). Twelve respondents (2%) selected the ‘Other’ category for their functional role, with open-response entries including copy editor and news media representative.
Primary Position
The primary position / level representation of respondents was diverse. The 3 largest primary positions selected from respondents included mid-level associates (26%), healthcare / education (23%), and senior managers (22%). Less than 4% of respondents were freelancers, gig workers, manual laborers, or service industry workers. Four respondents (1%) selected the ‘Other’ category for their primary position, with open-response entries including firefighter, elected official, and research fellow.
Years Worked in Field
Most of the women in the survey report having worked in their current field between 10 and 20 years (34%); another 17% were in their field for less than 5 years.
Working Location
More than half of respondents (55%) work on-site, while 15% said they work at home / remotely.
Hours per Week Paid
As reported earlier in Current Work Status, most women (83%) said they work full-time and most women (83%) report working between 35 and 50 hours per week.
Wage Income in the Last Twelve Months
The reported salary of respondents was quite diverse, following a bell curve. About 1 in 4 women (27%) reported total annual wages between $50,000 and $74,999.
Number of Employees
More than half of women (53%) report that their workplace had 250 or more employees across all locations of their workplace. More than 1 in 5 (21%) of respondents reported working for organizations with fewer than 20 employees.
Leadership Roles by Gender
27% of respondents reported that, in their workplace, leadership roles are held generally equally by men and women; 41% reported a higher percentage of men in leadership roles, and 31% reported a higher percentage of women in leadership roles.
According to a report from Bloomberg.com, about 41% of management roles in the U.S. are held by women. Additionally, according to McKinsey’s ‘Women in the Workplace’ study the higher the level within an organization, the lower the representation of women. For example, only about 1 in 4 (or 27%) of women are in corporate C-Suite roles (e.g., Chief Executive Officers).