Study: Women’s Ambition: A Surprising Report (Lesley Jane Seymour, MORE and Polling Company/Women Trend 2011)
Finding: Women’s ambitions towards career advancement is tied to on-the-job flexibility, while women search for balance.
InPower Insight: Women’s top priority at work is flexibility, which beats out a desire to advance.
Summary:
The discussion around career advancement vs work-life balance is an ongoing one. It seems it isn’t only women who want to “have it all”, it’s families as a whole. The questions of whether it’s possible, or worth it, are reflecting on the level of women’s ambitions.
As part of their 3rd annual workplace report, More partnered with the Polling Company/Women Trend to conduct this gender research survey on women nationwide and their attitudes towards their jobs. When asked, 43% percent of women described themselves as less ambitious than a decade before and only 15 % felt they were more ambitious. African American women proved to be the exception, as they were twice as likely as the average to say they were more ambitious.
Further results found that only 15% of women attribute slowing down in their career to having a family and family related needs. Meanwhile, 73% percent of women would not apply for the boss’ job because of politics, pressure, and responsibility. In 2008, 35 percent of women between the ages of 35 and 44 said they wanted a job with more responsibility in contrast to 40% in 1992. The findings were clear that women do want to work, they just do not want to advance.
It was also found that for 92% of women career flexibility was a key characteristic in a job position, bringing the conversation back full circle to the importance of work-life balance.
Career Coaching Tip: If you’re longing for more flexibility at work, you’re not alone. If you don’t want to advance because of what you think you’ll have to deal with up there, you’re also not alone. At the rate women are opting out of a the desire to advance, we’re ensuring that the glass ceiling will be there for some time. If you’re shying away from advancing because of the things you see operating at the next level, ask yourself if you can imagine a way to go to that next level and operate differently. The answer may be no, but ask yourself. Know that when you’re choosing not to advance that it’s really a choice. Your choice is an act of power, no matter what you choose.
Guide to Women in Leadership
Organizations with women in their executive suites regularly out-perform others. Yet rising female executives (and their mentors) are frustrated at how hard it is to break through the glass ceiling. In this extensive guide, Executive Coach Dana Theus shares her tried and true strategies to help women excel into higher levels of leadership and achieve their executive potential.
