I’m a woman. A lot of you Come Recommended readers are women. The president and founder of Come Recommended (hi Heather!) is a woman. And we’re all either in the workplace or hoping to be in the workplace in the future — so what does the workplace look like for women? 
We all know the typical “glass ceiling” example, where woman can only rise so high in a corporation, or the fact that women make less than men for doing the same job. Men are often encouraged and expected to make it to the upper-levels of a company, while this is not always true for women. A recent study by LinkedIn reveals that 19%, or about one in five women, has never had a mentor. This study was based on a survey of almost 1,000 female professionals in the United States. More than half (52%) said they hadn’t had a mentor because they had “never encountered someone appropriate.”
But, on a positive note, 51% of Gen Y women are being or have been mentored by women (as apposed to 43% for Gen X and 34% for Baby Boomers). This signifies an upward trend that will benefit Gen Y and generations to come. The LinkedIn survey says that women depend on their professional network for the following:
- Professional guidance
- Recommendations
- Career advancement
- Collaboration
These four factors are essential in anyone’s professional life. Put your network to use by finding a mentor and, eventually, being a mentor. Pass on the knowledge! Here’s a great infographic of the data:
These statistics showing that we have a slow but steady growth in female mentoring, which can do nothing but help women in the workplace. Another big milestone for professional women? IBM, typically a male-dominated corporation in a male-dominated industry, has named its first female CEO in the 100-year history of the company.
Virginia Rommetty’s selection as IBM CEO shows the growing influence of females in upper and executive-levels in the workplace. Last month, another big technology company, Hewlett-Packard, named a female CEO — Meg Whitman. These selections not only set a precedent of major corporations promoting women, but sets a great example for aspiring female professionals.
Many women, despite the low rate of mentorship among them, are breaking through the glass ceiling and reaching higher and higher levels in the professional space. This is great news for current and future women in the workplace — keep it up!
What do you think of these statistics and the new IBM CEO? Do you think women’s roles in the workplace are changing?
