The pandemic’s impact on the workforce has spawned several “trends,” from the Great Resignation to Quiet Quitting and even Quiet Firing. Now, another one has emerged: the Great Breakup.
The name sums up how women are responding to being passed up for promotions or experiencing unfair treatment—they’re no longer hesitating to pick up and leave their companies, according to a new survey by non-profit organization LeanIn.org and McKinsey. The report finds that women leaders are leaving their workplaces at record rates, hence the Great Breakup. Compared to just nine per of cent of men, a record 10.5 per cent of women leaders at American and Canadian firms quit their jobs in 2021 due to reasons like a lack of flexible work options and support from their managers, along with fewer opportunities to advance. For every 100 men who were promoted from an entry-level role to a managerial one, only 87 women and 82 women of colour received the same opportunity.