Nowadays, the pursuit of gender equality and justice in the workplace is one of the relevant social themes. A recent study by McKinsey, which examines the past nine years, sheds new light on the conventional wisdom about women's loss of ambition. These studies not only challenge the entrenched myth, but also show the strengthened determination and increasing ambition of women in the professional sphere — especially after the pandemic period. In this article, we will take a closer look at how women's ambitions are dynamically evolving, what drives their pursuit of professional careers, and what factors influence this growing trend.
“80% of women express a desire for promotion — exactly the same as men”
McKinsey's analysis of recent years shows that not only has the pandemic not dampened women's ambition, it has actually increased it. According to the data, 80% of women express a desire for promotion - exactly the same as men. Surprising is the fact that this rate has increased by 10% compared to the pre-pandemic period.
The results of the study show that as many as 96% of women consider their careers to be important, which is impressive evidence of the maintenance of strong motivation among the female sex. It is particularly interesting that women under 30 are proving to be extremely ambitious — nine out of ten women want to advance to the next career level and three out of four are aiming for the highest possible level in their company.
It is worth considering why the pandemic period not only did not slow down, but even strengthened women's ambition. One of the key factors is the introduction of greater flexibility in the work model, which has become a necessity during the pandemic. This flexibility, now one of the main expectations of the workplace, has made women feel that they have the opportunity to achieve much more.
“96% of women affirm that they consider their career important”
It should be emphasized that the analyses carried out have been carried out for nine years, which allows us to capture long-term trends in the expression of ambition by women. An interesting issue is the regular confirmation in research that women show a persistent and positive tendency to embrace the role of leader in their organizations. These observations indicate the existence of a trend that can have a significant impact on the social image of the role of women in the sphere of leadership.
An interesting aspect to consider is also the prospect of women expressing ambition. Have women become less self-conscious about expressing their ambition? The authors of the analysis point out the possibility that the observed changes may reflect transformations in social beliefs, where previously the ambitions shown by women were perceived in a negative way. Nevertheless, it should be emphasized that at present both the ambitions of men and women are identical.
Analysis of the McKinsey data challenges the myth of women losing ambition, showing that the pandemic not only did not negatively affect women's motivation, but also contributed to its growth. The increase in “flexibility” in the workplace has proven to be a key factor in stimulating women's ambition to pursue promotion. In the context of the pursuit of gender equality and fairness in the workplace, these results provide an important voice, inspiring further action.
Source:
The article was based on an interview conducted by Lucia Rahilly with McKinsey partners Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee on the 2023 “Women in the Workplace” study.
