Contemplating Women’s Careers

Reflections from Accenture’s Annual International Women’s Day Research

Last week, I was privileged to be a guest at Accenture’s International Women’s Day Conference in San Francisco.  First I need to acknowledge what an awesome practice the Conference itself is.  From my hosts, I learned that some 12,000 Accenture employees from around the world, take a full day off, to reflect on that state of women in the workplace and candidly share advice and ideas to help new and seasoned female professionals meet their career and personal goals. 

Today, I invite you to take a look at the research study, The Path Forward, produced by Accenture in conjunction with International Women’s Day.  Findings are based on the responses of 3,900 business executives from medium to large organizations across 31 countries.  Here are a few of my top picks:

1. Female employees feel more “held back” by lack of opportunity or an unclear career path, than by family responsibilities.  Providing employees with a clear career path diminishes barriers to advancement. 
2. Employees feel like they need to self-manage their career growth.  In today’s go-getter environments, employees feel like they need to take their career advancement into their own hands, taking on new roles, gaining additional education, seeking out mentors, and more.
3. The reasons for career dissatisfaction are universal, not gender-specific.  Men and women employees nearly identically experience certain job factors, like feeling underpaid, feeling like there is no opportunity for growth or advancement, and feeling burned out, as factors causing their dis-engagement.
4. The most staggering difference between the sexes in this survey is the impact becoming a parent has on one’s career growth. 

Take a look at the survey results and let us know what you think.  Do these mirror your experience in the workplace?

Leslie Caccamese serves as Senior Strategic Marketing Manager with Great Place to Work^® Institute.

Leslie Caccamese