You would think the problem would be solved by now.
Business and government leaders have been talking for decades about advancing more women to top leadership and professional roles. Young women today are entering the workforce better prepared and more ambitious than ever, with more education and higher career aspirations than men.
In the executive suite, the idea is no longer even controversial. When McKinsey & Co. asked senior executives at 60 big companies recently why they are trying to advance women, "they laughed at us," says Dominic Barton, McKinsey's global managing director. The common response, he says: "Are you kidding?" Almost nine in 10 CEOs agree that tapping female talent is important to "getting the best brains" and competing in markets where women now make most of the purchasing decisions, the McKinsey study says.
So why are we still talking about this?
Barriers to women "are deeply intertwined, making them even harder to eliminate than we had thought," McKinsey says, based on detailed data from more than 50 companies that opened up their records for a deep look at the pipeline. Women lack sponsors to advocate for them, and leaders often assume they won't want tough assignments. About half the women surveyed by McKinsey are both primary breadwinners and primary caregivers to their families, and many tend to avoid jobs that bring greater pressure.
The McKinsey study shows women in general opt at far higher rates than men for staff jobs, sometimes labeled "the pink ghetto." Some 50% to 65% of women at the vice-president level and higher are in staff jobs, compared with only 41% to 48% of men.
High-ranking female role models are scarce, and they are tough acts to follow. Among senior managers, "the women who made it through are Olympians," Mr. Barton says: "83% of them had families, and they were doing line roles" in management. "Many of them said, 'I was the one who turned the lights off every night.' " Only 17 of Fortune 500 CEOs are female, up from 12 last year.
Many diversity programs offer only mentoring or networking among women who all face the same tough odds. This has bred cynicism. Even when CEOs promote diversity, only 54% of employees believe it, McKinsey says.
Engaging the C-Suite means: Have senior vice presidents and other top leaders nominate diverse talent for leadership development and visible roles.
Choosing to take the appropriate measures to advance our careers is a significant decision. Ultimately, the right decision for one woman may be entirely wrong for another. The choice belongs to each of us. Industry asks and expects a lot. But the demands will only change when women push through changes so no one will be expected to sacrifice family for success in business.
Successful corporate women manage the home front as well, if not better, than their careers. How they and their partners decide to tackle chores and responsibilities will be up to them.
After spending time in the corporate world, many women choose to open their own businesses so they have more control over their time. Remember, opportunities routinely surface for those who are prepared. However, true opportunities need to be the right fit in terms of our personal visions and goals.
Potential in the Pipeline: Offer coaching to high-potential women training in "executive presence" starting at midcareer, helping them to be seen as "leadership material."
John Agno: Decoding the Executive Woman's Dress Code
Aspiring women deserve a solid “heads-up.”
Women who ascend the corporate ladder are expected to give up, to go up. This is a critical consideration for woman with children. Whoever first noticed that we get what we wish for was right. We need to make sure that our career goals coincide with our personal goals—and if, at present, they don’t appear to, we should think long and hard about how to make them harmonious.
It was Gloria Steinem who said, “I’ve yet to hear a man ask for advice about how to combine marriage and a career.”
Work/Life Integration: True work-life flexibility should be an inclusive part of company strategy and culture, for every employee. Fathers tend to get more ambitious as their families grow, but women's desire to advance drops after having a second child, the McKinsey study shows. True flexibility in managing work time should be allowed all employees, male and female, parents and non-parents.
Personal Strategies: Do self-assessments. Regularly consider, "How do people experience me? Am I a game changer and value creator who builds trusting relationships?
John G Agno: Women, Know Thyself: The most important knowledge is self-knowledge.
Cultivate relationships. Don't just network; bond with key peers, male and female, who know you and support your ambitions. Ask for and accept help.
John Agno: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women
Barbara A. McEwen: When Doing It All Won't Do: A Self-Coaching Guide for Career Women--Workbook Edition
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2012 and The New Yorker, February 14, 2011