Here are just a few of them:

Women may have fewer opportunities to progress

In many organisations, it is still harder for women to progress to more senior roles. “This means that most women will reach a ceiling or a locked door that prevents them from progressing or extending their careers,” says Murdoch. “The result of this is fewer opportunities being available, leading to a sense of feeling stuck or trapped.”

Family

Families affect women and men, but in many cases, women are, as Murdoch describes, the “default parent” when it comes to caring responsibilities.

“Having a family naturally creates stage gates in women’s careers – they go on maternity leave, their children begin school, they leave the nest and so on,” she says. “Each of these stage gates often creates a natural point where life and priorities get reassessed. I often see women questioning their career and future at these pivotal life stages – I know I did!”

Lack of recognition

When we aren’t recognised for our achievements at work, we may find ourselves losing our passion for the careers we have built.

“This oversight is caused by both the organisation and by the women themselves – we are often less accustomed to talking about our strengths, our leadership capabilities, and our promotability,” Murdoch says. “Add to this the reality that many organisations have traditionally been led by men, then the chance to be heard and promoted is reduced, creating yet more ‘stuck-ness’.”

Career ennui: the three Cs to follow when your job is feeling like one big snooze