Agoda’s inaugural report on women in the workplace finds that increasing access and transparency regarding opportunities can help companies support a more gender-inclusive workplace.
By Maggie Mancini
Transparent visibility of career advancements, access to opportunities, and flexible work offerings are some of the most pressing actions companies can take to help support and empower a gender-inclusive workplace, according to Agoda’s first Women in the Workplace: Asia study.
The findings indicate that there are bigger differences in opinion among people of different age groups, rather than across genders. Although transparent visibility of opportunities ranks first overall, an analysis across age groups reveals a disparity between 18 to 24 year olds, where only 38% cite it compared to 49% of those over 55 years old.
Priorities vary across genders, with non-binary participants most likely to focus on social inclusion, professional inclusion, and balanced representation with senior leadership than other genders as key to empowerment.
Almost half (46%) of those surveyed believe that a glass ceiling for women still exists in their market, with respondents from Vietnam (63%), Thailand (56%), and Taiwan (53%) more likely to agree and people in the Philippines least likely (27%). The survey also shows a lesser proportion of male and non-binary respondents (41%) believe that the glass ceiling still exists, compared to females (52%). There are also differences in belief among age groups, with a higher proportion of 18 to 24 year olds (53%) believing the glass ceiling still exists compared to those over 45 years old (42%).
Younger workers are more likely to quit or know someone who has quit because of gender discrimination, with 35% of those ages 18 to 24 years old saying they have or know someone who has, compared to 12% of those ages 55 and older.
Nearly seven out of 10 respondents believe that the workplace environment for women has changed for the better in the past five years, with only 8% believing conditions have worsened. Just 32% of men observe significant improvement, contrasting with 25% of women and 24% of non-binary respondents. Nearly half (42%) of women perceive marginal improvement, compared to 39% of men and 37% of non-binary respondents.
The data shows that Japan and South Korea are least likely to have seen improvements in the workplace environment for women with 57% and 40% of respondents, perceiving either no change or worsening work environments. In contrast, significant improvements over the course of the last five years are perceived in the Philippines (44%), India (36%), Indonesia (36%), Vietnam (35%), and Thailand (28%).
With two-thirds (66%) of respondents across markets claiming that balanced representation of gender is important to them, especially among ages 18 to 24 (71%), building gender diversity in leadership teams has become even more critical for organizations. According to Agoda’s survey findings, the top benefits of balanced representation are inclusive work environments (70%), help with attracting and retaining talent (63%), and improved business results (45%).
