It’s easy to get caught up in all the stereotypes and misconceptions about what it means to be a powerful woman. Here we are in 2017 and some women must still deal with deep-rooted double standards when it comes to equality at the office. In today’s complex world, where real change is happening in real time, companies are grappling with the challenge.
The good news is, we have made progress … unfortunately, we still have room for improvement.
Good news is…
Today, women make up half of the work force, and half of the enrollment at medical and law schools.
Today’s young women are starting their careers better educated than their male counterparts.
Companies with women in leadership positions outperform those that do not.
Room for Improvement …
1. These dramatic gains among young working women haven’t translated to an increased optimism about their career paths.
2. Young women today are more likely than young men to say women are paid less for doing the same job and men have easier access to top executive jobs.
Good news is…
Women are now negotiating for raises and promotions as often as their male peers—defying the conventional wisdom that women don’t ask.
Women who ask for a promotion are far more likely to get one than women who don’t. This is a great step in the right direction.
Room for Improvement …
Women who negotiate are 67% more likely to receive feedback that their personal style is “intimidating,” “too aggressive,” or “bossy,” and they are more likely to receive that kind of feedback than men who negotiate.
Good news is…
Young working women today are making more money, relative to men their age, than their mothers and grandmothers did.
Room for Improvement …
The more recent groups of young women have also seen their wages fall, relative to men during their work lives.
Good news is…
While a significant share of Americans (45%) still think society favors men over women, attitudes have changed considerably in this regard over the past 20 years.
Room for Improvement …
*Women are much more likely than men to say more change is needed to achieve gender equality in the workplace. The gap is especially wide among Millennial women and men.
Good news is…
More women than men say being a working parent has been challenging when advancing their career. Even so, about nine-in-ten mothers and fathers say they are glad they did it.
Room for Improvement …
Among parents, women are much more likely than men to experience family-related career interruptions.
Among mothers and fathers who have taken a significant amount of time off from work to care for a family member, women are much more likely than men to say it hurt their career overall.
We have come a long way, but we are not there yet.
It’s no secret the business world is in a time of transformation. But, too many business leaders are still naive to the gender gap and see the lack of women in senior positions as a “women’s’ issue”. Granted the “bench” of women in business is not as deep as men, because men have been in the game much longer. Most CEO jobs go to people who have been working in managerial positions, growing up through the company ranks for many years. To make progress, we need to have opportunities for women to get into the business world, manage their careers in a way that makes them indispensable to a company’s success and be empowered to present themselves for leadership roles, and to know when they are not being appreciated where they are and make an uncomfortable move. Gender, like ethnicity, should be irrelevant in the business world- Good businesses are run by good leaders, whatever their gender.
Contact Phil Blair at pblair@manpowersd.com and at www.manpowersandiego.com