How remote work can level the playing field for women in the workplace

This article is part of “Break the Bias,” Tech in Asia’s campaign for International Women’s Day 2022. Through this initiative, we’re shining the spotlight on the women who are breaking barriers and achieving success in Asia’s tech and startup ecosystem.

Since the pandemic upended traditional working arrangements, companies all over the world – from Facebook to LinkedIn – have recognized the importance of enabling people to work remotely.

As much of the business world leaves physical offices behind in favor of better employee productivity and engagement, it’s clear that remote working is here to stay.

But while these benefits for the general workforce are apparent, one demographic could stand to gain even more: women.

The importance of mobility

Remote work and its associated technologies – such as video conferencing – are so powerful for women in particular because these tools can help level the playing field in work arrangements, says Jess Dodge, chief growth officer at global employment platform Globalization Partners.

Jess Dodge, chief growth officer at Globalization Partners / Photo credit: Globalization Partners

This is important because women face several disadvantages in the business world. For instance, even if women are employed, they are still likely to care for household members at the same time, spending more than 1.1 trillion hours doing so each year, while men clock in less than 400 billion hours.

“Women are often called upon first to be caregivers for either elderly parents or their own children,” explains Dodge. “Those women need to be close to their parents [and children] to take care of them, so their ability to move and get jobs in different states or countries becomes even more difficult.”

This leads to labor immobility for women. According to a study by researchers at Dortmund University, male workers are anywhere from 5% to 15% more mobile than women, which means they are more likely to travel frequently for work or take up opportunities that require them to relocate.

While this could be a personal downside for men, it opens up more job options for them. Conversely, the fact that women are less mobile for work also means that career advancement can be trying.

Based on her own experience, Dodge says women with caregiving duties often won’t even bother applying for a job that requires them moving far away.

Solving the core issue will take time – cultural norms will need to shift before such a systemic change can occur. But Dodge acknowledges that remote work can give women opportunities to pursue their career aspirations beyond geographical location, while also allowing them to carry out caregiving duties.

“It’s really opening people’s minds to what they could potentially do,” Dodge adds.

Equal access, equal opportunities

Another major advantage that remote work brings for women is providing them with access to opportunities in companies or countries with practices and environments that have less gender biases.

Within the wider East Asia and Pacific region, a study from the World Economic Forum (WEF) showed that at the current rate of progress, it would still take another 100 years to completely close the workplace gender gap. This stands in contrast to other regions such as Eastern Europe, which according to the WEF will take another 54 years to achieve workplace gender parity.

While regions such as Southeast Asia have made some progress toward greater workplace equality and diversity – 17.1% of board seats in the region were held by women in 2021, a 2.8% increase from three years prior – there is still room for improvement.

In the meantime, remote work opens up more choices for women held back by the social or cultural norms in their locality.

“Companies will be driven to change if they are not attracting top talent. Values, pay, time off, and benefits are the main priorities of candidates who now have more choices to not only work for companies headquartered close to them but also companies anywhere in the world,” says Dodge.

Working remotely can also free women from certain workplace pressures. In an office, for example, women might feel discouraged from doing certain things like speaking up in a meeting.

Photo credit: diego_cervo / 123RF

“With technologies like video conferencing, women are now in the same size box as everybody else on that screen, and so is every person at every level of the organization who happens to be in that meeting,” Dodge shares.

Without a physical representation of the power structures within an organization, remote work conditions can give women the metaphorical space and confidence to speak their minds.

Evolving dynamics

In the coming years, remote work is set to have far-reaching effects in promoting greater equality. For instance, Dodge points out that men who take care of household members will also stand to gain the same advantages from remote working opportunities as women.

The more flexible setup could also create ways for both men and women to take on responsibilities in caregiving and allow companies to offer equal benefits, such as parental leave. With this, men and women can take on an equal share of household tasks without affecting their jobs.

Beyond that, remote setups could also help people with disabilities, especially those who struggle with physical movement.

Ultimately, companies themselves will have to learn to accommodate their workers’ various needs.

Businesses can provide tools for an employee who doesn’t have the right equipment to work from home, for instance, or they could also forgo centralized offices in favor of renting out smaller satellite workspaces, allowing their staff to separate their work and rest environments.

“The reality is, companies are going to have to evolve to accommodate lots of different remote work situations. And those that excel at this will also excel at attracting the best talent to build a successful remote global team,” Dodge foresees.

Globalization Partners enables companies to hire global remote teams in a matter of days with its AI-driven and fully compliant global employment platform.

Learn more about how it can help your global hiring needs by visiting the Globalization Partners website.

This content was produced by Tech in Asia Studios, which connects brands with Asia’s tech community. Learn more about partnering with Tech in Asia Studios.