New Catalyst research finds Canadian women want flexible work, but lack access to it

As return-to-office mandates intensify across Canada, women face widening gaps in access to hybrid and remote work

Toronto, ON, March 31, 2026 — As Canadian employers accelerate return-to-office (RTO) mandates, a new national survey from Catalyst Canada reveals a growing disconnect between what employees want and what workplaces are offering. The findings show that most Canadian employees (64%) prefer hybrid or fully remote work, but women are less likely than men to have access to it, putting their participation and progression in the workforce at risk.

The research comes as federal government and corporate RTO mandates and policies intensify across Canada. These mandates have sparked national debate about the future of work, with growing concern related to how RTO policies affect women, caregivers, and people living outside major urban centres.

Just one third of survey respondents (34%; 33% of women and 35% of men) say their organization allows hybrid work and nearly 1 in 5 (18%) say they do not have access to flexible arrangements of any kind.

Although women (67%) are more likely than men (60%) to prefer to work in a hybrid or fully remote work environment, 22% of women compared to 15% of men say their employer does not have any flexible working arrangements available.

“These findings show a clear and troubling gap,” said Julie Cafley, Executive Director of Catalyst Canada. “Women are more likely to want flexible work, and less likely to have access to it. That has real consequences for women’s workforce participation, retention, and long-term economic security.”

Flexible working arrangements benefit all employees and are essential for women’s full participation in the workforce. Previous Catalyst research shows that a lack of flexibility is linked to women leaving the workforce. Additional research by other organizations has found that women are less likely to experience everyday gender discrimination and gender-based hostility when they work remotely (26%) compared to when they work on site (58%).

“Flexible work is one of the most effective tools we have to reduce gender discrimination and support women’s advancement,” said Cafley. “Without it, we risk reversing hard-won progress.”

Our research shows that when employees have the flex supports they need, they are more likely to stay put and experience inclusion. Specifically, they are:

• Half as likely to plan to leave their job in the next six months.
• Twice as likely to experience inclusion at work.

These findings align with Catalyst’s previous global research showing that remote work options can curb burnout and boost productivity, innovation, engagement, and organizational commitment. Inclusive work environments are linked to a host of important business outcomes, such as increased job satisfaction, engagement, commitment, innovation, team performance, company reputation, and success recruiting and retaining talent.

“Inclusive workplaces are not just good for people, they are good for business,” said Cafley. “Flexible work options are a proven driver of inclusion, retention and performance.”

As RTO mandates expand across the corporate and public sector in Canada, employers have an opportunity to listen to employees, especially women, who are emphasizing the importance of flexible work. Doing so can unlock the positive business outcomes that come with stronger participation, retention and inclusion. Providing flexible work arrangements where possible gives employees a range of options to navigate their work and life responsibilities across different roles, industries and life stages. But to be successful, these models must be adopted and implemented strategically and with fairness at the center.

Catalyst’s research underscores several actions organizations can take to anchor flexible work options in long-term business strategy and inclusion practices:

• Embrace schedule flexibility. Allowing flexibility with working hours can help meet both employees’ calls for flexibility as well as employers’ RTO needs.
• Consider incorporating hybrid arrangements into your RTO plan. Don’t fall into the trap of binary thinking about RTO. If possible, build in location flexibility by allowing employees to work remotely some of the time.
• Open avenues for employee voice. Enable employees to share their needs around working arrangements. This can go a long way to building workplaces that work for everyone by allowing employees to feel seen and heard and helping organizations retain valuable talent.

“Despite a lack of access, our findings show that Canadian employees want the option of flexible work arrangements. Canadian employers have an opportunity to strengthen workplace culture, employee satisfaction and key business outcomes by embracing flexibility.”

These data were collected from October 29 - November 14, 2025, as part of a broader survey of 955 Canadian adults ages 18 and older working in a variety of industries. Most participants were full-time employees (87%), and the sample contained 48% women, 52% men, and 1% trans and nonbinary participants. A significantly greater proportion of women than men preferred to work in a hybrid or fully remote environment, χ²(1) = 4.98, p = .026. A significantly greater proportion of women than men said that their organization did not offer flexible work options, χ²(1) = 8.04, p = .005. People who feel that their organization’s flexible work offerings are supportive of their needs are 1.5x less likely to report planning to leave their job in the next six months, χ²(1) = 18.32, p < .001, Nagelkerke R² = .04 and 2x more likely to report experiencing inclusion at work, χ²(1) = 47.72, p < .001, Nagelkerke R² = .11.

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About Catalyst

Catalyst is a global nonprofit that has been the recognized expert at the forefront of women’s advancement and inclusion since the 1960s. Today, Catalyst accelerates organizational performance and women's progress through research-backed insights, high-impact convenings, proven solutions, and unparalleled support that fuel organizations to make inclusion a business practice at scale. 

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Media Contacts

Canada:

Julie Vaux, Vox Strategies

[email protected]

Global:

Mariana Vanin, Director, Global Communications, Catalyst

[email protected]