The research found that women are challenging themselves: more than eight in 10 (81 percent) who consider themselves “very successful” said they take on additional responsibilities and complexity to advance their careers, and 75 percent reported that they regularly stretch themselves beyond their comfort zone.
They are also learning new skills that can help them move to the next level, are willing to consider a new position or role, are willing to travel globally to conduct business or build relationships and regularly ask for new challenges (reported by 78 percent, 76 percent, 68 percent and 65 percent, respectively).
Figure 1: Successful women are more likely to stretch themselves.
Technology may be one enabler of success: respondents who described themselves as “very successful” are significantly more likely than their counterparts to rely on technology. More than three-quarters (79 percent) of respondents who identified themselves as “very successful” said they rely on technology, compared with just 56 percent of respondents who did not identify themselves as “very successful.” Overall, men are more likely than women to identify themselves as “innovators” or “early adopters” of technology (70 percent vs. 58 percent, respectively).
Figure 2: Respondents who say they are very successful are significantly more likely to rely on technology.
For women, one highly touted but largely untapped resource is mentoring programs. When asked to whom they turn for career advice, just 14 percent of women cited a formal mentor at work, compared with more than 50 percent of women who cited either family, friends and current or former colleagues (cited by 57 percent, 51 percent and 50 percent, respectively).
Yet women acknowledge the value of a mentor: they report that their mentors help them think differently about certain situations, help with their current roles and help them see more opportunities and possibilities (reported by 43 percent, 41 percent and 37 percent, respectively). They also acknowledged other benefits of mentors, including help with identifying their skills and capabilities, increasing their confidence and encouraging them to stretch themselves (reported by 34 percent, 34 percent and 32 percent, respectively).
Figure 3: Mentors/advisors add value in a variety of ways.
Among the survey’s other key findings:
- The challenging economy has led some respondents—particularly in emerging markets—to expand their skills and stretch their roles in order to remain competitive. For example, the majority of respondents in Brazil, China and India (86 percent, 79 percent and 70, respectively) said they have done so, compared with just 22 percent of respondents in the Netherlands and 35 percent in both Austria and Norway. One anomaly among more-developed economies is Italy, where 74 percent of the respondents said they have expanded their skills and roles to remain competitive.
- In several countries—the United States, Spain, Russia, the United Kingdom and Austria—women were more likely than men to report that they regularly ask their superiors for new challenges. The disparity was greatest in the United States (70 percent of women vs. 48 percent of men) and Russia (57 percent of women vs. 44 percent of men).
- Men overall were more likely than women to say they have asked for pay raises (56 percent vs. 48 percent) and promotions (42 percent vs. 37 percent).
- Generational status does not appear to determine optimism about future job prospects. In the current economic climate, 50 percent of Baby Boomer respondents (those born before 1964) feel secure about their future career prospects, compared with 45 percent of Generation X respondents (those born between 1965 and 1978) and 48 percent of Generation Y respondents (those born after 1979).