The study of 2,000 adults commissioned by Oxford Open Learning Trust finds that many women are willing to retrain in order to get a foot in the door of a new job.
Almost a quarter of female workers (24 per cent) would consider training or retraining up to a year for their new role, while around one in ten (12 per cent) would train for up to two years for a new career.
Female workers are considering a career change
The results show that moving into a different job role may be on the cards for many women, as more than a quarter of female workers are considering a career change in the next ten years (27 per cent). Around 11 per cent of workers are planning to move within the next year.
Among female workers, most respondents say working hours (57 per cent) followed by location (49 per cent) are important factors when choosing their current job role.
However, when it comes to choosing a new career or job role, two thirds (66 per cent) of female workers choose salary as an important factor, suggesting that monetary incentives are key for choosing a new career.
Top five priorities for female workers in their current job role are working hours (57 per cent), location (49 per cent), salary (47 per cent), personal interest/enjoyment (42 per cent), and job security (34 per cent).
Top five priorities for female workers considering a career change are salary (66 per cent), working hours (64 per cent), personal interest/enjoyment (52 per cent), location (52 per cent), and job security (38 per cent).
The desire for a better salary seems to pay off for those who decide to take the leap into a new career, with more than a third of female workers who have ever had a career change (34 per cent) saying their salary increased within a year of making the move.
Some 14 per cent of female workers who changed career say their salary increased between £1,000 and £4,999 a year after changing careers, compared to 12 per cent of men reporting the same increase in income.
Dr Nick Smith, courses director and founder of Oxford Open Learning Trust, at Oxford Open Learning Trust says, ‘Women are considering moving careers for an enhanced salary and to do something they have a personal interest in.
‘More women see job security and better working hours as a key factor in a new job role and they are willing to retrain in order to get their foot in the door.’
Further reading on women in business
