What are Women Missing in Our Careers?

Aretha said it: R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Several recent studies conclude that women are less satisfied in the workplace than men. As women try to move up the company ladder, early optimism turns to disappointment with the narrowing of opportunity to advance. The surprise: it’s not mainly because of anything women do or don’t do (as asserted in the recent bestseller, ‘Lean In’); it’s primarily due to plain old gender bias — neither men (nor many women) seem to want to give a talented, ambitious working woman the benefit of the doubt. The doubt that she really IS as good as a man, and will produce comparable results. A 2011 McKinsey report found that men are promoted on potential, and women on past accomplishments. So what’s up with that?

NUGGETS of TRUTH: We still hold a cultural bias against women. Women have been looked down on as second-class citizens in every area of life for so long, that both men and women have grown more critical of women (and ourselves!) than we are of men. Even today we uphold the stereotype of successful men as likeable but successful women as unlikeable (1); and “this influences how we view performance — we raise our assessment of men while lowering our assessment of women” (2). As most workplace cultures are currently male-based, women are branded inferior to some degree, regardless of performance. And the status quo is sticky; patriarchy and gender inequality are alive and well. You can either decide to play with the rules or influence to change them. (See Blog 2: HERSTORY on how women got into this bind in the first place).

Ironically, surveys also show that feminine leadership qualities are exactly what is needed to increase team productivity in today’s workplace! Recent studies show women make better leaders because we listen, communicate, check our egos, collaborate, and nurture; we have emotional intelligence, ethics, and empathy; we are flexible, handle crises, lead by example, value work/life balance, and continue to defy the odds. (2015 Saba – Harris Poll https://www.replicon.com/17-reasons-women-make-great-leaders/ ). So what are we waiting for?

CALLS TO ACTION:
1. Systemic Change is the major bottleneck. Experts agree that proactively securing more women in higher levels of management is the most effective means of dismantling habitual gender bias in firms. Also critical are programs that promote diversity and counter gender bias by increasing managers’ self-awareness and equitable behavior, and championing organizational change. It will always be harder, and perhaps impossible, for a woman to get equal treatment if her organization’s policies and culture do not change.

2. Individual Change is the second barrier. Beyond professional competence, the deciding factor for recognition and advancement is often your ability to specifically improve your communication and leadership skills to counter gender bias. If you want management to give you the benefit of the doubt, you will need to convincingly demonstrate your value, advocate for your needs, exercise superior management skills, and yes, courageously raise gender bias awareness without shooting your career in the foot. A corequisite is personal development work on your own self-confidence; relaxing your overcompensating Superwoman or Saint Joan of Arc complex, and focusing on your personal vision or legacy.

What do you really want from work that you’re not getting? What would you need to do to pull your own seat up to the table?

WE ARE THE TIPPING POINT – In the 1850’s, our foremothers laid the groundwork that initially broke through gender bias to give us our current civil rights laws. Yet these laws have little teeth or meaning in our daily lives, if we do not hold our workplace and ourselves accountable to their underlying principles of equality. If you wait for someone else to do it for you, your chance will pass — empower yourself now to be the Queen in your own life. This is it. We are it. You are it. Let’s tip the scales in our favor! You make your contribution to the cause by realizing your own dreams, whatever they may be.

BUT HOW? Remember the poem, “Serenity Prayer”:

“Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.”
Reinhold Niebuhr

Here’s the Caveat: Anything can change for the better if we try:

Manage the aspects of your life that you have some control over
Adjust your personal perspective on situations that you cannot control, to minimize needless worry and suffering
Get to the core of the problem and nip it in the bud, FAST
Explore innovative solutions to challenging situations
Press for positive change in your relationships — with yourself, at work, at home
Step into it — claim your due!

Let’s do it together!

Our mission at Power to the Queen! is to provide the perfect space for professional women to realize their dreams. Let us help you power through your “buts and barriers” for better, faster, easier results. Guaranteed. Get the compassionate support you need (and deserve) from our Blog site, Webinars, Workshops, and 1-on-1 Leadership Coaching. We can’t wait to hear from you! Click Here

Sample SURVEY FINDINGS:

A 2017 study of 5,000 employees from a variety of companies concluded that, “As women gain experience, they become significantly less satisfied with everything from their representation in senior management to overall leadership opportunities for women…Women see other women who are as qualified as their male counterparts get passed over for promotions, have maternity leaves change their career trajectories, get left out of important conversations, and be pushed into support roles instead of leadership ones.” (Kununu and InHerSights Survey 2017)

The Corporate Ladder: The Ladies Vanish
Data from McKinsey’s 2017 Women in the Workplace survey of 222 firms with 12 million employees, and surveys of 70,000 workers show that the percentage of women fall off dramatically in the higher ranks. Women of color are most underrepresented in the corporate pipeline, lagging behind white men, men of color, and white women. (https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/gender-equality/women-in-the-workplace-2017)

USA Today 2017 Gender Wage Gap Survey: Women are paid an average of 80 percent what their male peers are paid. (https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/04/10/equal-pay-day-how-does-your-state-stack-up-pay-equity-women/500016002/

March 2017. A study of 3,000 managers led by Professor Øyvind L. Martinsen, head of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at the BI Norwegian Business School stated, “Women outperform men in four of the five categories studied: initiative and clear communication; openness and ability to innovate; sociability and supportiveness; and methodical management and goal-setting. However men did appear to be better than women at dealing with work-related stress and they had higher levels of emotional stability.”

Harvard Business Review, March 2012. Zenger Folkman consultancy collected 360° feedback data for 16,000 managers from leading organizations in a variety of industries worldwide. The studies confirm women actually scored higher than men on 12 of the 16 competencies, with 10 statistically significant. What we regularly heard from women was that, “In order to get the same recognition and rewards, I need to do twice as much, never make a mistake and constantly demonstrate my competence.” https://hbr.org/2012/03/a-study-in-leadership-women-do

(1) 2003 Heidi/Howard Test Columbia/NYU.
(2) Sandberg, Sheryl. Lean In. Knopf. 2013. p. 152.