Why Women Are Leaving Public Service Careers Mid-Track

Episode 18 of Women at Work with Fexingo examines a quiet but costly trend: professional women in their late 30s and 40s leaving government and public-sector careers at higher rates than men. Lucas and Luna dig into a 2025 Partnership for Public Service study that found female mid-career employees in federal agencies exit at a rate 1.6 times higher than male peers, often citing opaque promotion paths, political whiplash, and a lack of flexible leadership tracks. The conversation uses the case of 'Elena,' a former EPA senior policy advisor who left after a decade for a corporate sustainability role with a 30 percent pay bump and clearer advancement. They contrast the stability narrative with the hidden costs of institutional inertia, and close on what agencies could learn from private-sector mid-career retention tactics. A focused look at a less-discussed career crossroads. #WomenAtWork #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Careers #PublicService #GovernmentCareers #MidCareer #Retention #GenderGap #Leadership #CareerChange #LucasAndLuna #WomenInGovernment #CareerDecisions #WorkplaceCulture #PartnershipForPublicService #EPA #CareerTransitions Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo