Why do women look for freelance, gig jobs? Avoiding the 'old boys network' at the office.

Jean-Paul Sartre once said, “Hell is other people.”

The French philosopher wouldn’t get much of an argument from many working women.

There’s a reason lots of women are freelancing, doing contract or gig jobs and saying goodbye to the traditional workplace − and it’s not just about flexible hours.

They don’t want to deal with co-workers.

Seventy-seven percent of women say one reason gig work is more attractive than returning to the office is that they don’t want to go back to dealing with colleagues, according to a survey by Jitjatjo. Gig work refers to a temporary, freelance or a contract job, either remote or in-person. Jitjatjo places workers in those types of jobs and provides related scheduling software.

The online survey of 1,012 adults, split about evenly between men and women, was conducted Dec. 11-13, 2023, by Propeller Insights, a market research company, for Jitjatjo.

The respondents could choose multiple reasons they find gig work more attractive than working in an office, but not having to deal with colleagues was the factor cited by most women.

Why is gig work popular?

For example, 60% of women cited flexibility; 58%, setting their own hours; and 46%, avoiding time-wasting commutes.

Just 23% of men pointed to not dealing with co-workers as an appealing aspect of gig jobs. Fifty-five percent cited doing away with commutes and 41% setting their own hours.

Jitjatjo CEO Tim Chatfield suggested that some women may have had negative experiences with colleagues at a previous workplace or simply prefer to work independently.

Jasmine Tucker, vice president of research for the National Women's Law Center, suggested there are deeper issues.

“The traditional workplace does not work for women for a number of reasons,” says Tucker, whose research includes women and the economy and wage gaps in the workplace.

What is the 'old boys' network?

“It’s the 'old boys' network” that leaves women at a disadvantage when it comes to promotions and raises, especially in male-dominated environments such as factory floors and executive suites, says Tucker, who was asked by a USA TODAY reporter to comment on the survey results. “Women don’t always feel empowered and don’t feel comfortable” in settings where men of similar backgrounds form tightly knit cliques.

A feeling of uneasiness with colleagues probably also relates to a need for flexibility and work-life balance, she says. If a female employee has to pick up a child at school, she may find it awkward to approach a boss to ask for permission, Tucker says.

Is gig work growing?

During the coronavirus pandemic, women and men alike enjoyed the freedom to work remotely and care for children who were distance-learning. Now that many companies are requiring employees to return to the office, at least part-time, some women are choosing other career paths.

Thirty-eight percent of men and 17% of women describe themselves as flexible or gig workers, according to the Jitjatjo survey. About 14% of men and 17% of women said they were flexible workers in the past.

In 2022, 36% of U.S. workers, or 58 million Americans, identified as independent workers toiling as tutors, ride-sharing service drivers, food deliverers and substitute teachers, among other occupations, either as full-time jobs or side hustles, according to a McKinsey report. That was up from 27% in 2016.

Jitjatjo's Chatfield says the ranks of women shifting to gig work are growing much faster than men.

“What we see driving the gig workforce is a burning desire for work to flex around your lifestyle choice versus work dictating what lifestyle you choose,” Chatfield says.

Despite the growing popularity of gig jobs, many workers aren’t eager to talk about it.

Sixty percent of men and 44% of women said that, at some point in their lives, they chose not to tell friends or family about their participation in the gig economy.

Thirty-one percent of men and 44% of women said it was just a side hustle and they preferred that others didn’t know. Thirty-two percent of men and 27% of women said it was easier not to discuss because friends and family didn’t understand the gig economy.

And about 15% of all survey respondents said they kept their gig work to themselves because they felt like a failure.

Paul Davidson covers the economy and job market for USA TODAY.