In 2023, new data revealed that women took more sick leave than men for childcare.
The Sick Leave Reasoning Report, by Access People (part of The Access Group), gathered absence data for over 1,775 small- and medium-sized companies to track the rising causes of sickness absence.
In 2023, childcare as a dependent was the leading reason for a sick leave in Britain. This increased by 183% among parents and caregivers. This could be due to the fact that staff will return to office-based jobs in 2024, limiting their ability to stay at home.
The data shows that between 2022 and 2023, women used 334% more sick leaves for childcare reasons than men.
The disparity continued in the two previous years. However, the difference was not as obvious. Women took 10.34% (or 4.35%) more sick leaves for childcare in 2021 than men, and in 2022, it was 4.35%.
Women take % more sick days for childcare and dependency than men. | |||
Sick leave as a reason | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Childcare & dependency | 10.34% | 4.35% | 334.62% |
Men and women took sick leave for childcare and dependency in equal numbers from 2022-2023. However, women took on more, with a 371% increase compared to 13% for men.
This time off may be necessary for parents or carers to care for their dependents, but it could reduce the ability of those individuals to get paid sick leave if they fall ill.
In 2023, this could be a factor in the demand for remote and flexible roles. People want to regain the ability to take care of their dependents at home while still enjoying the benefits of paid leave.
The importance of flexible work and its impact on the balance between work and life is highlighted. The figures show that many companies are inviting their employees to return to work full-time in the office until 2024. This could lead them towards a more inclusive, equal and diverse workforce.
Charles Butterworth comments on the research.
The data shows that there is a gender gap in the use of sick leave for childcare. It also provides an opportunity for employers to create a supportive, inclusive and caring workplace culture which will reduce this stress on parents and caregivers.
“Flexibility, fairness and equality are the cornerstones of an thriving workplace. This is evident from the recent surge in demand for flexible work and new legislation that promotes equal rights for employees. Introduce policies that allow employees to take care of dependents and still pursue their career goals. This will help retain top talent.
This type of supportive culture allows employees to feel confident that the organisation is adapting to and beyond upcoming legislation changes, such as enhanced flexibility working policies. It is also an important quality to attract talent.
The original version of this article Study shows women take 334% extra sick leave than men appeared first on HR News.
