Seventy-Six Percent Of Mothers Surveyed Believe Digital Is Important For Career Advancement
Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership & Human Resources Officer
(Washington, D.C., Friday, May 12, 2017) – Does motherhood diminish career ambition? The answer is absolutely not, according to new research from Accenture. It is often assumed that when a woman becomes a mother, her professional ambitions shift − gone is the drive for that next big promotion or exciting new opportunity. The research debunks this myth, and shows that working mothers actually return to the workplace just as likely to aspire to a senior leadership position as their female colleagues without children … and, they are more likely to change jobs for a promotion or for higher pay.
The findings come from the report, “Getting to Equal 2017,” which identifies three powerful equalizers to help women advance at work and close the gender pay gap – and digital is key for working moms.
Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership & Human Resources Officer, discusses the findings
SOUNDBITE #1:
THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT WORKING MOMS FACE TRADEOFFS IN THEIR CAREERS, BUT THEIR AMBITION SHOULDN’T BE ONE OF THEM. AND TO ACHIEVE THEIR AMBITIONS, MOTHERS ARE USING DIGITAL TOOLS TO DO THINGS LIKE JUGGLE COMMITMENTS AND INCREASE THEIR FLEXIBILITY. IN FACT, SEVENTY-SIX PERCENT OF MOTHERS SURVEYED BELIEVE DIGITAL IS IMPORTANT FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT, AND SEVENTY-FOUR PERCENT ARE REGULARLY LEARNING NEW DIGITAL SKILLS.
SOUNDBITE #2:
IN OUR SURVEY, WE FOUND THAT SEVENTY PERCENT OF WORKING MOTHERS THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO WORK FOR A COMPANY THAT HAS A GOOD REPUTATION FOR HELPING WOMEN ADVANCE. SO TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN WORKING MOMS, BUSINESSES REALLY NEED TO CREATE THAT ENVIRONMENT THAT’S CONDUCIVE TO THEIR NEEDS. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND GROW BOTH AT WORK AND AT HOME OR CONTINUING EDUCATION AND MENTORING PROGRAMS. AND OF COURSE, FLEXIBLE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS ARE CRITICAL. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT COMPANIES REALLY NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO BUILD THEIR REPUTATION FOR HELPING WOMEN ADVANCE.
For more information, visit www.accenture.com