Working Women: Back to the Future?
New productivity pushes from leaders can hit the workforce unevenly.
September 26, 2025
For working women, 2025 may end up being a “back to the future” year—and not in a good way.
The phrase, which refers to recycling an old way of doing things, perfectly describes how specific changes in the culture of work—among them return-to-office mandates, a pullback on inclusion, and the rise of AI—may be causing a disturbing exodus of women from the workplace. “The business world in the US in 2025 is no more hospitable to women than it has historically been for them,” says Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Since the start of the year, women have been leaving the workforce at nearly double the rate at which men have been entering it. The trend mirrors other data showing that efforts to advance women, after rising significantly earlier in the decade, have slowed down considerably. The percentage of newly appointed women directors has fallen since 2023, for instance, and only 17 percent of new CEOs of S&P 500 companies appointed last year—11 out of 64—were women. Other figures show promotions being handed out disproportionately, with just 85 women being promoted per 100 men.
Systemic issues like lower pay and high childcare costs are, of course, partly responsible: Studies show women are often paid less for the same job, and handle more of the childcare at home. “I can’t tell you the number of HR professionals who have told me that the lack of affordable childcare is having a significant impact on hiring and retaining women,” says Brad Bell, director of the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. But evidence is mounting that return-to-office mandates are also playing a major role, with surveys showing more men than women have returned to the office. Anecdotally, experts say AI is having the most impact on traditionally female-dominated roles and functions, like back-office, retail, and human-resources positions.
Flo Falayi, a senior client partner in the Leadership and Executive Development practice at Korn Ferry Advisory, sees a correlation between culture and the exodus of women from the workforce. He says return-to-office mandates and reduced flexibility are signals to women that they won’t get the support they need from their firms and leaders. “Companies need a structural redesign of work and jobs to provide flexible hybrid-work support systems for women,” says Falayi.
The hope for the rest of the year is that the return-to-office push will level out and that the labor market will strengthen enough to compel women back to the workforce. But the outcome many analysts are predicting is that neither will happen. If those fears are realized, women are likely to keep leaving the corporate world, says Kim Waller, a senior client partner in the Organizational Strategy and DEI practices at Korn Ferry. “As opportunities to advance are less forthcoming, women are less likely to be patient with their corporate roles and may look to put their talent to work in other ways,” says Waller.
Photo credits: Jorgenmac/Getty Images
