Recently, we looked at women in the workplace and how many professional women have never had a mentor (see here for the article and infographic). The LinkedIn study examined showed that women depend on their network for professional guidance, recommendations, career advancement, and collaboration. But are women’s networks giving them what they need?
A new study by More Magazine shows that overall, women are less ambitious than they were 10 years ago. More’s third annual workplace report surveyed U.S. women about their attitudes toward their jobs.
- A whopping 43% of women said they were less ambitious than a decade prior
- A mere 15% reported feeling more ambitious
- 73% say they wouldn’t apply for their boss’s job
- 38% say they don’t want the politics, pressure and responsibility of a high-power position
This decline in ambition, More says, is not new — the findings cite data from several nationwide studies by the Families and Work Institute that show that the percentage of women ages 35 to 44 that wanted a job with more responsibility fell from 40% to 35% between the years of 1992 and 2008.
Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, says that career flexibility may be the key to revving up women’s ambition (for more on the importance of workplace flexibility, see here and here.)
“Flexibility means that you have rights and responsibilities,” Galinsky said. “You have some right to decide how or when you’re going to work. At the same time, you are also accountable for doing your work.”
Women need more flexible careers that won’t require them to choose between a job and the life they may want as wives, mothers, and individuals. Women are often seen as having to choose between these needs, and under pressure to be able to “do it all,” we lose steam.
At a time when women are finally gaining traction in the workplace, we should not be losing out ambition but increasing it. That being said, we need the tools to succeed — flexibility in the workplace, support from our colleagues and network, and opportunities to succeed.
What do you think of these results? Do you think women are becoming less ambitious?
