When women withdraw – a symptom of a dangerous work culture
Young women are not leaving the workforce because they’re lazy. They’re leaving because it hurts.
The rise of the soft girl trend – where femininity, beauty, slow living and emotional openness are glorified – is often seen as a harmless aesthetic. In reality, it is a quiet cry for safety. A cultural backlash against toxic workplace dynamics that are still ruled by invisible power games, subtle threats and normalised sexual harassment.
According to a recent report by Prevent (2024), 34% of young women aged 16–29 have experienced sexual harassment at work. That’s more than one in three – a figure that has remained alarmingly high for years, despite the #MeToo movement, internal policy documents and corporate codes of conduct.
But the data goes even further: over half – 54% – say they do not believe they will be able to continue working in their current profession until retirement age. This is not just a short-term well-being crisis. It is a warning of long-term structural failure in how we build and sustain careers for women.
At the same time, trust in employers is at an all-time low. On social media, videos with the viral phrase “HR is not your friend” are trending – a kind of digital self-defence. This online mantra reflects a deeper truth: HR is no longer viewed as a neutral actor, but rather as an extension of corporate risk management, protecting the company – not the employee.
Even with the introduction of new whistleblower protection laws in December 2023 – requiring all employers in the EU with more than 50 employees to implement internal reporting mechanisms – true safety remains out of reach.
Because what good is a reporting channel when the culture itself is the problem? When silence, loyalty and fear are rewarded more than courage?
A growing problem – for everyone
The consequences are serious. Women stop speaking. Then they stop performing. Eventually, they stop showing up. What we face is not just individual burnout – it’s a structural loss of talent and potential. An erosion of psychological safety across industries.
And men are affected too – in the form of increased tension, second-guessing and a workplace culture where openness is replaced by defence. This is not just a “women’s issue” – it is a societal issue with long-term costs.
When young women dream more of taking care of themselves than climbing the corporate ladder, that’s not liberation. It’s survival. It is a clear indicator that the current labour market continues to sacrifice female wellbeing on the altar of efficiency and performance.
It’s time to listen to the signals
We need to start treating the soft girl trend and the “HR is not your friend” movement not as online quirks – but as flashing warning signs from a generation no longer willing to endure in silence.
If we ignore these cultural signals, we risk building workplaces that function without women – and function poorly as a result.
