Is Your Company Paying Attention to the Female Millennial?

It’s no secret that millennials have become major players in the job market and are reshaping the workforce. Diversity and the gender gap have also become key factors, making the female millennial a very important segment of the talent pool for companies to focus on when recruiting.

PwC explored this important talent segment in a recent report, The Female Millennial: A New Era Of Female Talent. The report explored their key characteristics and what is important to this new generation of female talent.

“Organisations looking to address the gender leadership gap must drive parallel efforts that tackle enhanced leadership diversity in conjunction with systemic change efforts targeting their workforce from day one. But to get this right, first, organisations must better understand how to attract, develop, engage and retain female millennial talent,” says the report.

Why Are Female Millennials So Important?

As with males, female millennials have a unique perspective on what constitutes an attractive employer and organizational culture. Now more than ever, women are positioned to make huge strides forward in the workplace.

“Female millennials matter because they are more highly educated and entering the workforce in larger numbers than any of their previous generations. The female millennial is also more confident than any female generation before her and considers opportunities for career progression the most attractive employer trait,” says the report.

Six Things to Know About Female Millennials

The report identified a number of key traits that recruiters and hiring managers need to be aware of when trying to attract this increasingly powerful group of talent.

1. Diversity is at the front of their mind: Female millennials want to work for companies that champion diversity. 85% said an employer’s policy on diversity was an important consideration when choosing to work for a company, and 71% believe that while companies talk about it, opportunities are not equal.

2. They are confident: 49% believe they have the ability to reach top level positions, making them more confident than generations past.

3. Work-life balance is essential: 97% said work-life balance and flexibility are important factors when choosing an employer.

4. They want, and expect feedback: Female millennials welcome regular feedback about job performance, and value face-to-face conversations to do so.

5. They want to work abroad: 71% of female millennials want to work outside of their home country at some point in their career.

6. Female millennials are financially empowered: Two-thirds earn equal to or more than their partner, and they will seek equal pay and opportunities.