Does Doing
All the Right Things Really Get Women Ahead?
Catalyst's longitudinal project, The
Promise of Future Leadership: A Research Program on Highly Talented Employees
in the Pipeline, develops timely reports on the retention and advancement
of high potential women and men. The project surveys graduates of leading
business schools in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, with the
intent of assessing their career values, goals, and expectations, the
developmental opportunities afforded them, and their strategies for managing
work and family life.
The fourth report ( Nancy M Carter
& Christine Silva)The Myth of the Ideal Worker: Does Doing All the
Right Things Really Get Women Ahead?, tackles persistent myths about the
gender gap. Career advancement strategies used by women and men were compared
to determine if using the same strategies ultimately leads to the same career
outcomes.
Common wisdom about
advancing in the workplace is straightforward: let your boss know you are ready
for that challenging assignment. Make your career ambitions and willingness to
put in the requisite time and effort clear. Do not just build a relationship
with your boss; make sure to build one with your boss’ boss as well.
Sounds like good advice.
But according to Catalyst’s latest report, The Myth of the Ideal Worker: Does Doing All the Right Things Really Get
Women Ahead?, men benefit from these strategies far more than women.
In fact, this report,
which studied high potentials in the executive pipeline, reveals that while
“doing all the right things” to get ahead works well for men, being proactive
did not provide as great an advantage for women.
Regardless of chosen
career strategy, the study shows that men outpace women in rate of advancement
and compensation growth—starting with a $4,600 gap in their first post-MBA jobs
which widens to $31,258 mid-career.
The same strategies do
not work equally well for men and women. Women must adopt strategies different
from their male colleagues’ to advance their careers. When women were proactive
in making their achievements known, they advanced further, increased their
compensation growth, and were more satisfied with their careers. They also
advanced further when they proactively networked with influential others.
Making their achievements known did not impact men’s careers. Rather, gaining
access to influential others also helped men advance, and indicating a
willingness to work long hours and conducting external scans for other
opportunities helped men increase their salaries.
Catalyst suggests that
corporate leaders ask: To what extent are employees in our organizations
advanced and compensated based on strategic career tactics versus skills and
performance? How are people being coached to get ahead? Are assumptions being
made that what worked for men in the past will work for women? And when women
and men apply the same career strategies, are they being reacted to and
evaluated differently?
Deepali Bagati, , Senior Advisor, Catalyst.is engaged in developing
knowledge products on women's status in India
Diplomacy, tact ,efficiency and
effective PR? How much do these factors help women?
All of the above help
women (and men), but our study shows that regardless of the career strategy
adopted, women lagged men in advancement. That is, even when women do all the
same things as men, their careers continue to lag. The larger message here is
for leaders and individuals to recognize that the gender gap does not exist solely
because of choices women are making. The study reveals it is not about what
women do or do not do. It is about barriers, challenges, and unconscious biases
in the workplace. And it is in the best interest of organizations to develop
talent – regardless of gender.
Yes, “women do ask" but they don’t
get what they want viz-a-viz men....Is it because they are seen more as
home-makers than intelligent career-oriented women?
Catalyst research has
found that gender stereotypes are widely prevalent in the workplaces across the
world. In India
Career strategy without efficiency and
skill is certainly not a way to forge ahead...then why are women discriminated
against?
In an ideal workplace,
meritocracy will ensure the best candidate advances—regardless of gender and
other dimensions of diversity. However, numbers tells us a different story. In India
What changes can women make in their career
strategy?
It is in the best
interest of organizations to develop talent – regardless of gender. The
business case for gender diversity is pretty clear. There are strategies
that women can adopt, but the larger message for leaders and individuals is to
recognize that the gender gap does not exist solely because of choices women are making.
The study reveals it is
not about what women do or don’t do. According to Catalyst research on sponsorship,
high performers (women and men) can adopt the following:
• Be
reliable, collegial, perform above expectations
• Become a ‘known entity’
• Ask for and act on feedback
• Craft an elevator speech and be ready to use
it
• Cultivate multiple sponsors, if possible specifically
for women, cultivating relationships with influential others in the company and
getting yourself and your work known/visible (so influential others will notice
you) are important strategies.
How different /same are problems faced by women in the West?
According to Catalyst
research on Leadership Gender Gap in India Inc., the following advancement
barriers are faced by women relatively more than men, across regions and
industries:·
* Lack of key
relationships
* Lack of role models.
* In India
According to Ms. Ilene H. Lang, President
& CEO, Catalyst. “Just as individuals need to manage their
careers effectively or risk lagging behind their peers, organizations must
learn how to attract, develop, and retain high-potential women—or risk losing
out to their competitors.”
• Women seem to be paid
for proven performance—women who changed jobs two or more times post-MBA earned
$53,472 less than women who rose through the ranks at their first job.
• In contrast, men seem
to be paid for potential—men who had moved on from their first post-MBA job
earned $13,743 more than those who stayed with their first employer.
• Across all career
profiles, men were more likely to reach senior executive/CEO positions than
women; in the most proactive category, 21 per cent of men advanced to
leadership compared with 11 per cent of women.
The report effectively
explodes persistent gender gap myths that continue to hold women back:
• Women DO “ask,” but
asking does not close the gender pay or position gap. After their first
post-MBA jobs, there were no gender differences in whether or not high
potentials negotiated for greater compensation (63% of women vs. 54% of men) or
for a higher position when beginning their current job (19% of women vs. 17% of
men). Even though these women negotiate for more when they change jobs, our
research shows that women’s compensation growth was faster when they remained
with the same employer, where they had proven performance, than when they
started with a new employer, who paid based on potential.
• Women are not seeking
out slower career tracks. According to the study findings, women are less
satisfied than men with their career growth. If women were intentionally
seeking slower tracks, we would expect them to be as satisfied as men despite
their slower advancement.
“This study busts the
myth that ‘Women don't ask.’ In fact, they do! But it doesn't get them very
far. Men, by contrast, don't have to ask. What's wrong with this picture?” said
Lang,
According to the report,
which studied commonly used career strategies, the strategies adopted by
high-potential women had little bearing on the rate at which they advanced to
leadership. Conversely, men who applied the most proactive career strategies
advanced further than other men.
Catalyst's
longitudinal project, The Promise of Future Leadership: A Research Program on Highly Talented
Employees in the Pipeline, develops timely reports on the retention and
advancement of high potential women and men. The project surveys graduates of
leading business schools in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, with
the intent of assessing their career values, goals, and expectations, the developmental
opportunities afforded them, and their strategies for managing work and family
life. The reports highlight the differences in women's and men's career
experiences and satisfaction; some feature perspectives from global leaders and
other experts.
The
fourth report, The Myth of the Ideal Worker: Does Doing All the Right
Things
Really Get Women Ahead?, tackles persistent myths about the gender
gap. Career advancement strategies used by women and men were compared to
determine if using the same strategies ultimately leads to the same career
outcomes. Findings revealed that:
* Men
benefited more from adopting proactive strategies.
* When
women did all the things they have been told will help them get ahead—using the
same tactics as men—they still advanced less than their male counterparts and
had slower pay growth.
The
report includes a series of questions for the reader to reflect upon about why
disparities in career advancement may exist and persist. The goal is to help
identify opportunities for effecting change in your career and
organization.
