This is a really interesting nuance in the dissatisfaction of women who--by all accounts--should be happily employed. You're right that power without respect is unsatisfying in a way that is hard to parse out in the numbers, but it is definitley a thing. I tend to believe it's more complex than this alone, however. For one thing, the study you quote was published in 2022 based on 2021 data, in the thick of the COVID debacle. Women were leaving in droves during the pandemic in large part to bear the caregiving burden when school closures forced families to accommodate that burden, which (surprise! not.) fell largely on mothers. Also, everyone (not just women) was rethinking priorities at that time, and corporate drone existence was looking less and less like a worthwhile sacrifice. Women's participation in the workforce rebounded after pandemic restrictions were lifted. AND this year (2025), we've seen women's participation in the workforce diminish again. I don't think this is a coincidence that it's coming at the time when return-to-work mandates are making work less flexible than it's been since pre-pandemic. All that is to say that I believe your observations are valid AND when you're not feeling respected and the care burden becomes too heavy, bailing on your corporate drone job becomes much more attractive. It's a "both and" thing.
Very thought-provoking. I hadn’t thought of it this way, thank you for continuing to dig below the surface!
Vacuuming sand? I imagine it can be a mindful act.
This is a really interesting nuance in the dissatisfaction of women who--by all accounts--should be happily employed. You're right that power without respect is unsatisfying in a way that is hard to parse out in the numbers, but it is definitley a thing. I tend to believe it's more complex than this alone, however. For one thing, the study you quote was published in 2022 based on 2021 data, in the thick of the COVID debacle. Women were leaving in droves during the pandemic in large part to bear the caregiving burden when school closures forced families to accommodate that burden, which (surprise! not.) fell largely on mothers. Also, everyone (not just women) was rethinking priorities at that time, and corporate drone existence was looking less and less like a worthwhile sacrifice. Women's participation in the workforce rebounded after pandemic restrictions were lifted. AND this year (2025), we've seen women's participation in the workforce diminish again. I don't think this is a coincidence that it's coming at the time when return-to-work mandates are making work less flexible than it's been since pre-pandemic. All that is to say that I believe your observations are valid AND when you're not feeling respected and the care burden becomes too heavy, bailing on your corporate drone job becomes much more attractive. It's a "both and" thing.