Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Working from home boosts career progress, say half of women

Working from home boosts career progress, say half of women

When Elena Gorman got the opportunity to switch jobs and work from home, she jumped at the chance.

Her former employer couldn't give her the flexibility she needed after her child was born, she says.

Elena, who is based in Durham, is now in a job that she loves at another organisation.

"My new role is brilliant, I had to follow my heart," she told the BBC.

"My take on working from home is really positive. I can't find childcare for my six-year-old son, so I need to work from home to take him to school and back most days.

"Without this, I'm not sure if I could have gone back to work after maternity leave."

According to a survey for the BBC, just over half (56%) of women said they thought working from home would help them progress at work, as childcare and caring duties become less of a hindrance to working full-time.

In all, 65% of managers felt that working from home helps advance women's careers.

However, a quarter of the women polled by YouGov said homeworking was unlikely to advance their careers.

And Elena reveals that she is paid less in her new, flexible role than she was in her previous job.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed women were carrying out on average two-thirds more of the childcare duties per day than men during the first pandemic lockdown.

Between 13 January and 7 February 2021, women with a school-aged child (67%) were more likely than men (52%) to say they had personally home-schooled a child in their home in the past week.

 Not for everyone: Manual or elementary occupations are less likely to provide workers with homeworking opportunities than jobs requiring higher qualifications

Of the 1,684 women polled by YouGov, the greatest believers in the career benefits of homeworking were those aged between 18 and 24 (65%) and women in London (61%). Fewer than half of the women polled in Scotland agreed (49%).

Meanwhile, slightly more women (57%) in the ABC1 demographic - which equates to those with middle-class or "white collar" jobs - believed working from home would help their career prospects as opposed to 53% in the lower socio-economic, C2DE group.

Women aged 18-24 and Londoners saw the career benefits of working from home more so than other groups, according to the survey

The highest rates of homeworking during the pandemic have been among those with professional occupations. According to the ONS, jobs requiring higher qualifications and more experience have been more likely to provide homeworking opportunities than manual occupations.

In September, the government announced proposals to allow all UK employees to request a flexible working arrangement from their first day at a new employer.

Claire McCartney, senior policy advisor at human resources body the CIPD, told there could be "real advantages" to working from home.

"I think there are real benefits for women who often take on more childcare and caring responsibilities," she said.

"Flexible working in all its forms should be normalised for all employees regardless of gender, as not everyone can work from home"

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
×