Catalyst has just released The Myth of the Ideal Worker: does doing all the right things really get women ahead?, a new report to continue the organization’s ongoing study of women’s upward mobility in the management pipeline. The survey set out to test the validity of the widely accepted premise that anyone who uses certain tactics for getting ahead professionally will succeed in proportion to their efforts, no matter what their gender. The conclusions of this research were that this premise is not valid: overall, when women and men employed the same methods for success, men achieved better results. Contrary to popular belief, women actually do ask for what they want as much as men, and even proactively seek training opportunities, feedback, and promotions.
The research, conducted by Christine Silva and Dr. Nancy Carter, is an extension of previous research begun in 1981 and continued throughout the years since. As with other Catalyst reports, it offers statistics which contradict many commonly held assumptions about the gender gap in the workplace. The researchers have been able to track large populations of business school graduates over a long period of time using very specific questions and data, leading to detailed conclusions and allowing varying factors to be taken into account. For this most recent study, researchers distributed questionnaires to 3,345 “high potentials”: MBA graduates following a traditional career path by working consistent full-time jobs in companies or firms, without periods of self-employment or part-time work, and without extended breaks for education, travel, or family.
The researchers asked respondents about the methods they used to try to advance their careers and, based on these responses, classified each participant into a category of career advancement strategy: “climbers” focus their efforts on internally getting ahead in a company, “scanners” are more focused on methods external to their current job and company, “hedgers” make internal and external efforts to get ahead, and “coasters” are inactive and complacent towards their careers. The results show that women and men used the same methods of advancement at the same rate, but that men were still overall more successful at gaining raises and promotions. Moreover, as time passed for the subjects of the study, the pay gap between women and men grew.
Despite women’s lag in salary and promotions, they were more successful when they used certain methods. For example, when women “climbers” made known their accomplishments, they were more likely to be recognized and rewarded for their efforts. In addition, women who changed companies were less likely to advance in their careers and were more likely to benefit by staying in the same company, in comparison to men, who benefitted more from changing companies and scanning for better career opportunities outside of their current employment. Women were also less satisfied with their careers. Men were rewarded in particular for blurring the work-life boundary by working more hours, although they did this at roughly the same rate as women. One area where men and women were equally successful was in gaining access to more powerful people around them as they networked and worked on high-profile projects. All of this information leads to the conclusion that, simply put, “similar approaches to career management yield different outcomes for women and men”.
Each Catalyst study provides more information but also opens up more questions. This study in particular poses specific questions for companies and women at the end of each section. The main conclusion of all of this research is that companies need to rethink their systems of hiring and promotion, and that women need to rethink their methods of aiming for promotions. The workplace is entering a new era and organizations will most likely need to accommodate. Companies have been proactive in assuring that salaries are commensurate with positions and consistent between genders, but have not been so proactive in assuring that the most qualified person is chosen for the job.
Catalyst, founded in 1962, is a non-profit which works to expand opportunities for women and business. It has offices in the United States, Canada, and Europe, and members in companies, firms, schools, and associations. It researches issues, informs the public, and advises on best practices for advancing women in the workplace. Catalyst's previous research has debunked many myths of gender in the workplace, first by proving that women's equal qualifications have not led to more even gender representation in corporate hierarchy, second by showing that even for motivated women disinterested in having children, management roles are less easily obtained, and third by demonstrating that mentors do not always prepare women more for success, because women's mentors are often less senior and thus less capable of opening up new opportunities.
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