Gender equality in the workplace continues to be a hot topic of conversation, with more companies asking what they can do in 2024 to attract, retain, and support female employees. Many companies talk about the benefits of new perks to attract and retain women specifically. But are they practicing what they preach?
We’ve taken a look at our job ad data to analyze what perks for women are actually out there, how many companies are supporting women through benefit schemes, and whether this is really a growing trend.
Fertility benefits
Number of vacancies offering perk: 5,011
Year on year trend: Up +98.4%
First, a bright spot. The number of job postings advertising fertility benefits has nearly doubled compared to January 2023, climbing from 2,525 to 5,011. These perks may include egg-freezing, contributions or paying for IVF, surrogacy support, and support for any medical costs related to fertility diagnosis or treatments.
Many of these perks were pioneered by large tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple. At Tesla, every employee can access fertility services including IVF, IUI, and egg or sperm freezing services under their fertility benefits package. With widespread layoffs affecting big tech, it’s great to see fertility benefits bucking the trend and growing as benefits in US job ads, even if overall numbers remain quite small.
Childcare support
Number of vacancies offering perk: 3,666
Year on year trend: -71.0%
Balancing childcare with returning to work is often the primary reason cited for moms leaving the workforce. With childcare costs well in excess of $4,800 per child (and as much as $15,000) and accounting for between 8% and 19% of a median US family income, it is hardly surprising that some parents simply cannot afford to continue working when they have a child.
Companies are getting around this by offering emergency childcare, onsite day care, or full time childcare support. But sadly, this looks to be one of the perks being cut back as employers tighten their belts, with the number of job postings advertising childcare support 71% lower than a year ago.
Adoption leave
Number of vacancies offering perk: 3,714
Year on year trend: Down -31.1%
Adoption leave can include taking time off to have a child through surrogacy, or to adopt a child. The number of job postings citing this perk has fallen slightly, down from 5,392 a year ago, but there are still thousands of openings available.
Enhanced maternity leave
Number of vacancies offering perk: 293,582
Year on year trend: Down -9.2%
The US is the only high-income country without mandatory paid parental leave or any national family caregiving or medical leave policy. But demand for a national policy is growing, as the proportion of working moms continues to rise. 72% of moms are now working either full time or part time according to the Pew Research Center.
While some states including Michigan and Minnesota have their own policies of mandatory paid parental leave, many companies offer this perk as standard. Our data shows over 290,000 job postings cited enhanced maternity, paternity or parental leave in January 2024 – though it’s worth noting that with over 8 million US job ads on offer, this is still a minority.
Pregnancy loss leave
Number of vacancies offering perk: 52
Year on year trend: Up +490.9%
Losing a baby is traumatic for parents, so we’re pleased to see companies are starting to offer paid time off after a miscarriage.
Pinterest, Goldman Sachs, and Monzo are all examples of companies that have policies supporting their employees through pregnancy loss. With between 10% and 20% of known pregnancies resulting in miscarriage according to the Mayo Clinic, it is a positive step forward that employers are starting to create policies to care for staff going through this trauma. However, with only 52 job postings citing pregnancy loss leave as a benefit in January 2024, there is a lot of room for improvement.
Menopause support
Number of vacancies offering perk: 18
Year on year trend: N/A
Despite recent evidence showing 1 in 10 women aged 45-55 leave the workforce due to symptoms of the menopause, only 18 US job postings mentioned menopause support in January.
Furthermore, a survey from Biote found 40% of women said menopause interfered with their work performance at least weekly.
Period leave
Number of vacancies offering perk: 7
Year on year trend: N/A
Research from the BMJ shows the connection between menstruation and loss of productivity at work, but only 7 US job postings currently offer period leave to women.
This is despite research by ResumeBuilder which has found 78% of Americans are in favor of the introduction of menstrual leave legislation, with 79% of women under 45 saying they would use such a policy.
It’s great to see companies starting to tailor benefits to support women in the workplace, but there is still a long way to go. For jobseekers, we would advise scrutinizing the perks being offered by a potential employer, as these benefits could save you thousands. They also show a commitment from employers to helping women thrive at work.
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