For International Women’s Day 2023 we teamed up with The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) to conduct a landmark survey of more than 4,100 adults in Britain. We found that two thirds of women with childcare responsibilities feel they have missed out on career progression.

The survey also looks at the perceived impact childcare, general caring responsibilities and menopause have on a person’s career, as well as the support available to those impacted by these issues.

Childcare

Two-thirds (67%) of female respondents who have had childcare responsibilities in the last 10 years felt they missed out on career progression as a result. This includes career development, pay rises and/or promotions. For male respondents who have had childcare responsibilities, the figure is 35%.

Almost two-thirds (62%) of female respondents said they would prefer to take time from paid work for childcare responsibilities, compared to 55% of male respondents.

General caring responsibilities

86% of female respondents believe there is not sufficient support available for people with non-paid caring responsibilities for elderly or disabled relatives or friends. For men, this figure is 86%.

For those who have had caring responsibilities in the last 10 years, an equal proportion (52%) of male and female respondents felt they missed out on career progression as a result of their duties.

Menopause

Almost three quarters (74%) of female respondents feel there is not sufficient support for those experiencing menopause.

One in three (34%) female respondents who have gone through menopause felt that it impacted their career negatively.

However, there is a higher level of concern about the potential impact of menopause on a woman’s career amongst those who are yet to experience it. Almost half (43%) of female respondents believe they will miss out on career opportunities due to menopause.

Full data tables can be downloaded here

About the survey

Find Out Now interviewed 4,102 adults across England, Wales, and Scotland between 11 and 21 February with a gender split of 34% male and 64% female.

The dataset was weighted by the number of females and males in each UK region and age band based on the 2011 UK census.

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash