Coworking Has Special Draw for Women
In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, let’s celebrate all the wonderful women who cowork everywhere, including at My Space Downtown in Panama City, Florida.
International Women’s Day is a global day honoring the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The goal of this special day is to support a diverse, equitable and inclusive world that drives toward gender parity.
Women are nearing equity in terms of overall labor force numbers. About 46% of the labor force in the United States are women! Unfortunately, the gender pay gap persists: women of all education levels earn about 82% of what men earn in comparable jobs. Regarding coworking, women are also playing just a little catch up. Zippia says that 46% of coworkers are women.
What we know about women coworkers
Although coworking is relatively new, taking off in the past 10 to 15 years, workplace experts already are studying women at coworking sites. Here are some of the things we’ve learned about women coworkers:
Women shop around for their coworking site. To pick a coworking site, women do a lot of research. A seminal study back in 2011 reported in DeskMag found that women read reviews, talk to other coworkers and seek the recommendations of friends.
Overall, women value interacting with others and like a feeling of community. The same DeskMag study concluded that women coworkers prefer a coworking space with a mixture of open and private settings. They make use of meeting rooms or private offices to facilitate collaboration.
Women appreciate coworking site amenities. According to Work Design Magazine, women are more likely to select a coworking site that has high-end toiletries, in-house cafes and even lactation rooms. Around the world, there is even a trend toward all-women coworking sites. A coworking space for women in Switzerland, founded by mothers, offers flexible childcare.
Women use coworking sites to develop networking opportunities. Women tend to network with each other in small groups with deep connections, which can be facilitated in a coworking environment where the connection is personal and developed over time.
The coworking concept continues its strong appeal to women
Because coworking offers amenities and work collaboration that women value, 78% of women in traditional job settings say they want coworking options, according to a Convene survey.
Women also benefit from the inherent benefits of coworking: a reduced commute, relief from distractions at the office or home, enhanced productivity and more flexibility.
In part because of the strong appeal of coworking among women, coworking in general is expected to grow 17% annually to a $30 billion industry by 2026. Happy International Women’s Day!