Millennial women are independent, confident and have grown up in a vastly different and changing world than previous generations.
For Millennials — those born between 1980 and the mid-nineties — the workplace has become a source of a cultural shift as they are more hopeful and ambitious than previous generations, basing their success on achievement and not hierarchy.
But it seems they’re not universally focused on climbing the professional ladder, with nearly 50% of Millennial women saying the sacrifices for female leaders aren’t worth it.
A survey of 1,000 Millennial women has revealed that they are charting their own career paths and they don’t all involve aspiring to the top ranks, with 87% agreeing that female leaders have to make more sacrifices than male leaders.
This does not mean these women across the demographic do not work hard or have no ambition at all, but just 18% of the women surveyed said they want to be the #1 leader of a prominent organization or start-up. Meanwhile, 86% of those who are working mums said they are on track to achieving their professional goals.
Also in the survey, working mums were asked about the challenges they face when juggling their work life and home life, with 91% of them saying they can juggle work and family life and 84% said they can over the long haul.
This should not be surprising. Women have always worked hard, no matter what challenges they face. But this does not mean that women do not struggle, with 24% of the women surveyed said they are unable to balance professional goals with being a parent.
Additionally, other challenges that millennial women say they often face in the workplace are that 19% lack self-confidence, 10% do not have role models or mentors in the workplace and 10% say they lack the skills or education to perform their job.
Being and becoming a leader is never easy and women will always strive to be the best they can be, no matter what their circumstances or position. It’s unfortunate to see such a large ratio of millennial women consider the climb to the top too hard and sacrificial. But we applaud the high ratio who see finding the right work/family balance as an achievable priority.
Women and leading:
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- 38% of women want great, rewarding, interesting work but don’t care about leading others;
- Almost one-in-ten women care about being a creative person working on their own or on a small team of like-minded people;
- 54% of women are willing to sacrifice aspects of their personal life to achieve professional goals;
- 42% of women agree that the sacrifices female leaders have to make aren’t worth it;
- Less than ¼ of working mums aspire to be the #1 leader of a large or prominent organization or start-up;
- 74% of Millennial women are concerned about achieving the right balance between personal and professional goals.
