Women in Egypt Report Lower Employee Engagement than Men

Women in Egypt engage with their work less than men do, according to the recent employee engagement survey by Engagesoft. The survey compared employee engagement in Egypt across more than 30 engagement drivers and among several employee groups, including women and men.

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Female employees are less engaged than their male counterparts

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Overall engagement of female employees is lower than that of male employees in Egypt. Females scored 7.3 out of 10 in terms of general engagement compared to 7.5 by males.

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Women’s lower levels of engagement reflect the structural challenges facing women in the workforce. While education level is relatively even between genders in Egypt, women face significant obstacles in terms of labor force participation and career growth and advancement. The lower rate of engagement of women revealed by the survey is a clear reflection of the obstacles they face. 

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With this in mind, let's have a deep dive into some of the specific engagement drivers behind the gender engagement divide and what HR professionals and organizational leaders could do to help close the gap. 

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What drives the engagement gap between the genders

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Engagesoft's employee engagement survey shows that females in Egypt reported lower scores across a wide range of engagement drivers. 

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We will highlight in this article a few of these drivers.

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Autonomy and independence:

Women in Egypt feel that they have less control over their work, with a score of 8.2 compared to 8.6 by men. Women feel that they have less freedom to make decisions about their work compared to men.

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Sense of contribution:

Women also feel that their work is not as valued as men’s, with a score of 8.0 compared to 8.5 by men. Women feel that their work is not as impactful as men’s.

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Workload and stress:

Women feel that their workload is heavier than men’s, with a score of 7.66 compared to 8.0 by men. Women feel that they are under more pressure than men and that their employers are not as accommodating of their circumstances.

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Relationship with management:

Women reported lower scores both in terms of their relationship with immediate managers as well as senior management. Women feel that they don't connect as well with their managers as men do.

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What organizations could do to improve employee engagement of women

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to addressing the engagement gap between women and men. Organizations should tailor their engagement initiatives to the specific needs of their female employees. 

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Some general recommendations include:

Creating a more supportive and collaborative environment: Organizations should create an environment that is more supportive of women and their needs. This may include things like flexible work arrangements, better work-life balance policies, and more opportunities for mentorship and career development.

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Improving communication and feedback:

Organizations should improve communication with female employees and make sure that their feedback is heard and acted upon.

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Fostering a sense of belonging:

Organizations should make sure that female employees feel like they belong and are valued members of the team. This may include things like ensuring that women are represented in leadership positions, creating employee resource groups for women, and increasing diversity and inclusion initiatives.

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Next steps

While the Egypt employee engagement survey offers a clear call to action for organizations to address the engagement challenges of their female employees, it is important that each organization tailor its engagement initiatives to the specific needs of its workforce. 

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Organizations should consider conducting their own employee engagement surveys and launch their employee engagement initiatives to get a better understanding of the needs of their employees and where there may be engagement gaps. Employee engagement surveys can help organizations to identify the root causes of engagement issues and to design targeted engagement initiatives that can make a real impact.