[International Women's Day] Why career breaks must stop being career penalties

Over the course of my career, I have seen talent strategies evolve, diversity move from the margins to the mainstream, and organisations rethink what effective leadership truly looks like. Yet one perception has remained surprisingly persistent: the belief that only linear careers signal commitment and capability.

Career breaks, particularly for women, continue to be viewed through a deficit lens. They are treated as interruptions rather than investments, disengagement rather than development. That perception is not only outdated. It is strategically flawed.

Renowned anthropologist Jane Goodall once said, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” For organisations, the difference lies in whether we perpetuate bias through inertia or build systems that recognise the full spectrum of human potential.

The business case we continue to overlook

Despite measurable progress in gender representation, structural bias remains embedded in hiring and advancement frameworks. A 2024 study by the Indian Statistical Institute, Restart: Women, Career Breaks and Employer Response, found that women with career breaks receive 49% fewer callbacks than equally qualified women without breaks. The capability gap is assumed; the opportunity gap is real.

Data from the World Economic Forum shows that mid-career attrition significantly widens leadership gender gaps. Research by McKinsey & Company further highlights that early- and mid-career transitions are critical inflection points at which women disproportionately exit corporate pipelines.

From a business standpoint, this is inefficient. Organisations invest deeply in developing high-potential talent. When women step away temporarily, often at peak professional capability, and struggle to re-enter meaningfully, companies incur rehiring costs, lose institutional knowledge, and weaken succession pipelines. The question is no longer whether organisations can support returners. It is whether they can afford not to. 

Reframing career breaks as capability builders

Throughout my career, I have collaborated with women who returned after pauses, taken for caregiving, advanced education, entrepreneurial pursuits, or personal recalibration. What stood out was not diminished ambition, but sharpened clarity and resilience.

Career breaks often strengthen the capabilities modern enterprises seek, including adaptability in uncertainty, disciplined prioritisation, emotional intelligence, and nuanced stakeholder management.

In a business environment defined by volatility, these are not secondary skills; rather, these are leadership differentiators.

When organisations evaluate careers purely on continuity, they risk overlooking depth. When pauses are penalised, loyalty erodes. When experienced professionals cannot re-enter effectively, the leadership pipeline narrows. Forward-looking companies increasingly recognise that nonlinear careers are not anomalies; they reflect how modern life unfolds.

From rhetoric to structural change

Elevating this conversation requires more than intent; it requires system redesign.

Redesign hiring filters

Screening mechanisms that automatically disadvantage candidates with employment gaps must be recalibrated to assess capability and outcomes, not chronology.

Institutionalise returner pathways

Structured returner program, offering mentorship, skill refresh opportunities, and integration support, is a strategic workforce intervention, not an accommodation.

Align leadership accountability

Inclusive hiring and retention must move beyond policy statements to measurable leadership metrics. The 2025 Global Leadership Development Study by Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning underscores that embedding inclusive practices into leadership evaluation strengthens long-term organisational resilience. Cultural shifts become sustainable when inclusion is measurable.

Give to gain: A strategic imperative

This year’s International Women’s Day theme, Give to Gain, captures a pragmatic truth.

When organisations provide trust, opportunities, and structured re-entry pathways, they gain diverse thinking, institutional loyalty, and stronger leadership pipelines. When stigma around career breaks is dismantled, access to experienced talent expands, particularly at a time when talent scarcity is a global concern. When nonlinear careers are normalised, talent philosophy aligns with the realities of modern work and life.

For women, the message is clear: continuity alone does not define capability. Depth of experience, including professional and personal, is an asset. For organisations, the imperative is equally clear: rethinking career breaks is not a social gesture. It is a leadership decision that directly influences competitiveness, innovation, and long-term value creation. 

Subverting outdated perceptions is not simply about fairness. It is about building stronger, more resilient, and future-ready institutions. And that is the difference leadership must choose to make.

(Shilpa Sinha Harsh, Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Communications, CSR, DEI and ESG, HGS)

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)