TORONTO — A new survey suggests many Canadians prefer hybrid or fully remote work, but women are less likely than men to work at places that offer such flexibility.

The research from women’s advancement nonprofit Catalyst Canada found 33 per cent of women respondents and 35 per cent of men who participated in the survey said they had access to hybrid work arrangements.

About one in five participants did not have access to flexible work of any kind.

While the women surveyed said they were more likely than male participants to prefer hybrid or fully remote work, 22 per cent of women said their employer does not offer flexible work at all.

About 15 per cent of men said employers don’t have flexible work arrangements.

The research was based on an online survey of 955 Canadians between Oct. 29 and Nov. 14, 2025 and comes as many workplaces are mandating staff to return to the office for increasing numbers of days each week.

The polling industry’s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2026.

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press