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Women in the workforce—are we really still talking about this in 2025? Yes, and here’s why. Employment is not “one size fits all.” Different demographics have different needs, and women are no exception. According to a new study from CNBC and SurveyMonkey, “Women at Work 2025,” retaining women isn’t just about pay or promotions. It’s about creating a flexible work environment that helps them create a healthy work-life balance.

What’s your company’s work environment like?

What Does the Survey Say?

While there are plenty of women in production roles, many hold customer-facing roles such as customer service and account management, production planning, and sales support and estimating.  These roles are often central to the customer experience, and losing women in these positions means losing organizational memory, service continuity, and customer trust.

What does the data reveal? For women, whether in the printing industry or not, flexibility is a major factor in whether they stay or go.

• 34% of working women say work-life balance is one of the top reasons they stay in a job.
• 27% say flexibility is a key factor.
• Among women with children under 18, work-life balance is even more critical.

Printers looking to retain women, especially mid-career professionals, should examine ways to offer hybrid work options, staggered shifts, or more control over scheduling. Even modest improvements in flexibility, such as being able to work from home one day a week, can significantly reduce burnout and turnover.

Burnout Is Real, and Costly

Nearly half (49%) of women say their jobs have negatively impacted their mental health, according to the survey, with stress and lack of flexibility being major contributors. Women are more likely than men to say they feel burned out at work. When women consider quitting, the top drivers include:

• High stress (49%)
• Low pay or stagnant salary (46%)
• Inflexible schedules (27%)
• Lack of career growth (33%)

But as the survey finds, just offering flexibility isn’t enough. While women desire more flexibility in their schedules, they often fear that taking advantage of flexible work arrangements will hurt their long-term career prospects. So if you offer flexibility, ensure that it comes with assurances that it does not equal a dead-end career.

Diversity and Inclusion Matter

Younger generations entering the workforce—like Gen Z—also expect meaningful efforts around diversity and inclusion. Forty-five percent of Gen Z women say diversity efforts have helped their careers. This is even higher among women of color.

However, progress appears to be slowing. In 2025, only 17% of women say their employer has added more initiatives for women, down from 24% in 2020. For an industry like print, where women are still underrepresented in leadership, in particular, it’s important to evaluate your company’s commitment to diversity.

Finding the Right Fit Is Getting Harder

Trying to win women from other jobs? For women considering a job move, the biggest challenge isn’t finding an opening. It’s finding one with the right fit. Ninety percent (90%) say job hunting is difficult right now, and 46% cite the lack of hybrid/remote roles as a key barrier.

How About the Pay?

How much does salary play into all this? More than one in four (41%) women say they are making more now than they were one year ago. However, women are also more likely than men to feel underpaid or overlooked due to skills mismatches.

When it comes to salary increases, there is disparity by race. White women (43%) are more likely than Black (39%) or Hispanic (36%) women to be earning more now than they were one year ago.

When women do stay in their jobs, though, it’s not always about the money. Women are more likely than men to stay for flexibility (27% of women vs. 23% of men) and less likely to stay because the pay is good (20% vs. 27%).

Use Information to Your Advantage

If you’re looking to reduce turnover, one answer is to make your work environment more woman-friendly. If you’re looking to make your workplace more attractive to potential employees, one answer is to  . . . make your workplace more woman-friendly.

Specifically:

• Prioritize flexibility, even in roles that aren’t traditionally remote.
• Invest in career development. Make sure women know they can grow with you.
• Strengthen diversity efforts, especially if they’ve slowed since 2020.
• Create psychological safety around using flexible work options.
• Listen. Understand what’s keeping women on your team and what’s pushing them away.

The printing industry has a unique challenge when it comes to hiring and retaining top talent. So if there are steps you can take to attract and retain women, in particular, do so! What steps are you taking to ensure a balanced workforce?

See the full survey here.