Approximately 1 in 2 Women Give Up Their Careers Due to Life Events | Survey on Women's Career Awareness
A survey by Rimo Labo involving 778 women revealed that 52.7% have given up or postponed their careers due to life events, and over one in three feel they lack free career choices. The study highlights "invisible brakes" such as unconscious bias and workplace atmosphere, which have a greater impact than formal systems.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 11:42 (10 min after Collected)
Towards realizing "seamless careers for women," Rimo Labo Co., Ltd. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director Masakuni Saeki, hereinafter referred to as "the Company"), which operates "RemoLabo," a practical remote work school that supports work styles adapted to changes in life stages, conducted a "Survey on Women's Career Awareness" targeting 778 female members* of RemoLabo.
*Recipients of the remote work practical school "RemoLabo"
Survey Summary
- 36.2% of women (more than 1 in 3) do not feel they have free career choices. Despite progress in system development, the reality is that a "sense of choice" is not accompanied.
- 52.7% of women have experienced giving up or postponing their careers due to life events. The most common reason was "I judged it should be so from the surrounding atmosphere" (40.1%), about three times higher than being "directly told" (14.1%). The existence of "invisible brakes" in society has been highlighted.
- The top reason why women's career options do not expand is "lack of their own skills or confidence" (72.9%). This significantly surpasses external factors such as workplace environment and evaluation systems, indicating that internal brakes are the biggest obstacle.
- 74.0% of women have experienced unconscious bias. Furthermore, 69.9% responded that "the workplace atmosphere influences career choices more than systems." The "wall of atmosphere" that hollows out systems remains strong.
- Approximately 40% of women responded that fundamental changes in Japanese society would take "20 years or more" or "will not change within my lifetime." A strong sense of stagnation felt by those involved has become clear.
Survey Overview
- Target audience
- RemoLabo members
- 778 female members (only women) of the remote work practical school "RemoLabo"
- Approximately 80-90% are freelancers
- Survey period
- February 12, 2026 – February 16, 2026
- Survey institution
- For RemoLabo members: In-house survey
- Survey and aggregation method
- Internet
- Valid responses
- For RemoLabo members: 778 people
*When using the survey results and images from this release, please specify "Surveyed by Rimo Labo Co., Ltd." as the source.
One in three women do not feel they have free career choices.
Despite systems, the reality is a lack of "sense of choice."
When asked whether they "feel they have free career choices in their current career," a total of more than one in three (36.2%) women responded "not much" (30.8%) or "not at all" (5.4%), indicating they do not feel they have career choices. (Figure 1)
Despite progress in work style reforms and the development of legal systems, a "discrepancy between systems and perception" has emerged, where the psychological fulfillment of those involved is left behind.
52.7% gave up their careers due to life events.
The "wall" to expanding career choices is a lack of confidence in "oneself" rather than external environment.
When asked about the relationship between life events (marriage, childbirth, caregiving, etc.) and their own careers, 52.7% of women responded that they "gave up (or postponed) their careers due to life events," a result exceeding half. (Figure 2)
Therefore, when those who responded "gave up (or postponed) their careers due to life events" or "are anxious about having to limit their careers due to future life events" were asked the reason for choosing that path (or planning to choose it), the most common response was "I judged it should be so myself from the surrounding circumstances and societal atmosphere" (40.1%).
This is about twice the response of "I purely wished to choose it myself" (21.5%). Furthermore, it is particularly noteworthy that the case of "self-applying the brakes" by reading the surrounding atmosphere is overwhelmingly more common than cases where they were "directly told" by a partner or superior (14.1%). (Figure 3)
Even though no one was forced, internalizing the societal atmosphere of "how it should be" and limiting one's own potential. This is presumed to be the true nature of the "invisible brakes" that many women face.
Furthermore, when obstacles to expanding career choices were investigated, the most common was "lack of own skills or confidence" (72.9%), significantly surpassing "imbalance of household chores, childcare, and caregiving burden" (56.2%) and "risk of failure" (41.5%). It is clear that "lack of confidence in oneself" is the biggest wall, even more so than external factors like "lack of understanding in the workplace" or "problems with the evaluation system." (Figure 4)
Unconscious bias that hollows out work style systems.
Over 70% of women face it.
Regarding unconscious assumptions such as "because she is a woman" or "because she is a mother" (unconscious bias), 74.0% of women responded that they "have experienced it." This "unconscious bias" is a workplace decision.
*Recipients of the remote work practical school "RemoLabo"
Survey Summary
- 36.2% of women (more than 1 in 3) do not feel they have free career choices. Despite progress in system development, the reality is that a "sense of choice" is not accompanied.
- 52.7% of women have experienced giving up or postponing their careers due to life events. The most common reason was "I judged it should be so from the surrounding atmosphere" (40.1%), about three times higher than being "directly told" (14.1%). The existence of "invisible brakes" in society has been highlighted.
- The top reason why women's career options do not expand is "lack of their own skills or confidence" (72.9%). This significantly surpasses external factors such as workplace environment and evaluation systems, indicating that internal brakes are the biggest obstacle.
- 74.0% of women have experienced unconscious bias. Furthermore, 69.9% responded that "the workplace atmosphere influences career choices more than systems." The "wall of atmosphere" that hollows out systems remains strong.
- Approximately 40% of women responded that fundamental changes in Japanese society would take "20 years or more" or "will not change within my lifetime." A strong sense of stagnation felt by those involved has become clear.
Survey Overview
- Target audience
- RemoLabo members
- 778 female members (only women) of the remote work practical school "RemoLabo"
- Approximately 80-90% are freelancers
- Survey period
- February 12, 2026 – February 16, 2026
- Survey institution
- For RemoLabo members: In-house survey
- Survey and aggregation method
- Internet
- Valid responses
- For RemoLabo members: 778 people
*When using the survey results and images from this release, please specify "Surveyed by Rimo Labo Co., Ltd." as the source.
One in three women do not feel they have free career choices.
Despite systems, the reality is a lack of "sense of choice."
When asked whether they "feel they have free career choices in their current career," a total of more than one in three (36.2%) women responded "not much" (30.8%) or "not at all" (5.4%), indicating they do not feel they have career choices. (Figure 1)
Despite progress in work style reforms and the development of legal systems, a "discrepancy between systems and perception" has emerged, where the psychological fulfillment of those involved is left behind.
52.7% gave up their careers due to life events.
The "wall" to expanding career choices is a lack of confidence in "oneself" rather than external environment.
When asked about the relationship between life events (marriage, childbirth, caregiving, etc.) and their own careers, 52.7% of women responded that they "gave up (or postponed) their careers due to life events," a result exceeding half. (Figure 2)
Therefore, when those who responded "gave up (or postponed) their careers due to life events" or "are anxious about having to limit their careers due to future life events" were asked the reason for choosing that path (or planning to choose it), the most common response was "I judged it should be so myself from the surrounding circumstances and societal atmosphere" (40.1%).
This is about twice the response of "I purely wished to choose it myself" (21.5%). Furthermore, it is particularly noteworthy that the case of "self-applying the brakes" by reading the surrounding atmosphere is overwhelmingly more common than cases where they were "directly told" by a partner or superior (14.1%). (Figure 3)
Even though no one was forced, internalizing the societal atmosphere of "how it should be" and limiting one's own potential. This is presumed to be the true nature of the "invisible brakes" that many women face.
Furthermore, when obstacles to expanding career choices were investigated, the most common was "lack of own skills or confidence" (72.9%), significantly surpassing "imbalance of household chores, childcare, and caregiving burden" (56.2%) and "risk of failure" (41.5%). It is clear that "lack of confidence in oneself" is the biggest wall, even more so than external factors like "lack of understanding in the workplace" or "problems with the evaluation system." (Figure 4)
Unconscious bias that hollows out work style systems.
Over 70% of women face it.
Regarding unconscious assumptions such as "because she is a woman" or "because she is a mother" (unconscious bias), 74.0% of women responded that they "have experienced it." This "unconscious bias" is a workplace decision.