According to our soon-to-be-released RecruitMyMom Working Women Report 2025, financial stability remains the most significant factor when it comes to women’s primary motivation to work. Once salary expectations are met, purpose becomes the next deciding factor, and understanding this is important as employers consider their attraction strategies for female talent.
Paying Market-Related Salaries is Still Number One
Market-related compensation is a foundational need for working women, particularly for those balancing careers with caregiving, often being the only income earner for themselves and their families. Our recent study shows that 41% of working women in South Africa are the sole earners in their households, carrying the full financial burden alone. Companies that underpay, regardless of purpose, risk losing great talent.
Company Purpose Matters
Finding and keeping high-quality female talent is a central concern for business leaders. And, when the focus shifts to women in senior and executive roles, the conversation takes on added weight. These professionals offer valuable experience, strategic insight, and strength in leadership. Yet, many companies still fail to recognise what motivates them to join – and stay – in an organisation. This is where company purpose matters.
Purpose doesn’t have to mean working in a non-profit or social sector. It can exist in any industry as long as the link between the organisation’s mission and each employee’s work is made clear.
For example, a financial analyst may feel motivated by enabling access to funding for small businesses. A logistics manager might take pride in ensuring essential goods reach rural areas. What matters is that employees can see how their role contributes to something beyond internal metrics.
As part of effective attraction strategies for female talent, businesses should ensure that company purpose is more than a statement - it must be communicated consistently and reflected in everyday operations.
Attraction Strategies for Female Talent
When hiring, clearly communicating the purpose of a role makes a difference. Job descriptions and interviews are opportunities to highlight how the work connects to the company’s greater purpose.
Here are ways in which to instill the why behind a role as well as how to support purpose in company culture:
Embedding Purpose into Recruitment and Onboarding
Strong attraction strategies for female talent should include purpose from the outset. This means:
- Discussing purpose early. Highlight your organisation’s mission and values in job adverts, interviews, and onboarding. Be clear about what the company stands for.
- Sharing real examples. Candidates want to see how purpose shows up in actual decisions, projects, or policies. Use examples to demonstrate this.
- Linking purpose to roles. Ensure that each job description includes responsibilities, but also how the role contributes to the wider impact of the business.
- Training managers. Equip hiring managers and team leads to speak about company purpose authentically and consistently during the hiring process.
- Reviewing culture and alignment. Make sure internal culture reflects the values you’re communicating. Misalignment here can undermine retention.
Supporting Purpose in Daily Culture
Purpose isn’t just a recruitment tool - it must be sustained through company culture. This means:
- Recognising contributions that support the company’s mission.
- Encouraging collaboration on work that benefits others, not just the bottom line.
- Providing space for employees to engage with projects that have a social or community impact.
These practices support retention, and they also reinforce the company’s standing in the eyes of prospective candidates.
Attracting the Right Women for the Right Roles
Purpose-driven women are discerning. They don’t just want to fill a role - they want to make a difference. Employers who want to attract this talent should ensure that their recruitment process and company culture reflect purpose, authenticity, clarity of mission, and a clear line of sight between the role and its impact.
At RecruitMyMom, we see this trend daily. Whether it’s a returning mom, a career shifter, or a woman in leadership, there’s a strong appetite for fulfilling meaningful work, aligned values, and being part of something bigger. Contact us to place your next purposeful position.
