Women’s Career Progression: Where Do We Stand?4 min read

In April 2017, gender equality at work is still a matter of current concern. It is true that the situation has positively evolved in the last ten years. However, there are still unsurprisingly inequalities. In fact, according to an article of Recruitment Buzz, it seems that one of the reasons why women leave their job is because they lack career progression opportunities. All women aspire to have a great and amazing career but some of them, not to say all of them, lack opportunities to build one. In this article, we will see why there is this lack of opportunities and from where it comes from. We will try to understand why sometimes women don’t dare to talk about their ambitions to men. Finally, we will see how women can break this unbreakable glass ceiling that prevents them to reach the heights.

Lack of career progression opportunities is the number 1 reason why women leave jobs.

Around 66% of women want to leave their job because they don’t have any career opportunity. The era of women wanting only a job and nothing else is over. When a women decides to start studying, she definitely knows that she doesn’t be at the same position for ever, especially because nowadays, it is rare to stay in the same company until retirement. Before committing to a company, women now make sure that they will have the opportunity to flourish in their workplace, to be as considered as men and to especially have the same opportunity to evolve professionally, accompanied with a competitive salary and flexible working hours (in this order). This study, conducted by a professional recruiter of Robert Walters in the UK revealed that this lack of career progression opportunity is the main reason why women leave a company. This reason comes first and it is followed by the unbearable CEO, inflexible working hours and bad corporate culture (environment, lack of recognition, etc.).

Some women all explain that companies are often “Women Unfriendly”, because they don’t have any leadership opportunities or career evolution opportunities. And this is what prevents companies to attract talented female employees. Women now make sure that they can all reconcile for their career. Companies have to offer opportunities to women when they recruit them, to make sure that they will stay in their companies, and this will guarantee productivity and equality. According to an article of the India Times, the possibility to evolve professionally is what attracts first the candidates all around the world (studies were conducted in Brazil, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and the UAE).

Women often have to hide their ambition to men

According to an article of Madame Figaro, some women explain that they are sometimes compelled to lie about their profession with respect to their social status and men’s inferiority complex. A study of Slate showed that women sometimes decide not to evolve professionally because of their relationships with men. They are a factor that influence their lack of ambition. “American researchers have found that women lower their salary range ambition when they know it will be known by everybody”. Too much female ambition would affect their personal relationships with men. This is what can explain why women are more and more single and decide not to found a family and choose a career. We live in world where some businessmen say that women don’t have the willingness to become a leader, but they often forget that they should give them more possibilities to do so, because we are sure that they could go higher. Women have to stop drop out by themselves, especially because they often study more and have more skills.

Break the glass ceiling.

In order to break the glass ceiling that prevents women to evolve professionally, women have to first stop feeling underrated. They are as capable as men. They have to keep believing and continue the work of their mothers and grand-mothers, which is unfortunately far from finished. Men have to realize that a female worker is more that useful for a company than they believe. They bring other skills, as well as other experiences and perspectives that can only make the companies grow. They can manage to do it on their own, but we have to keep on changing the habits of men executives by forgetting their clichés and believing in women. In 2017, I should not have to be writing on that subject. Let’s not despair and let’s say that one day, we will all be equal. We are on the right path.

Author: Anne-Marie