On September 28 The Wall Street Journal ran a 10 page supplement called Women in the Workplace. It is based on a large study of 34,000 men and women, and offers useful analyses and take-aways for working women — and the men who are their husbands, colleagues, and bosses.
No surprise: women see the workplace differently and experience different challenges.
Take-away tips for women include:
- If your ideas are being ignored at meetings, consider selling them before the meeting to a more powerful person. I’d add: and check the language you typically use at meetings to be sure that you are avoiding any words that sound tentative or apologetic.
- Consider leaving the corporate world and launching your own business. Also try to work out a 50-50 home responsibility arrangement with your spouse or partner.
- Think about finding a position at a company where there are a good number of women in management. As one article headlined it “The more women in power, the more women in power.”
- Negotiate. You may be seen as aggressive. Do it anyway. The good news from the survey is that women are now negotiating as much as their male peers, though they are still less likely to get promoted.
- Get a sponsor. Someone who will advocate for you — for your ideas and for your promotions (I’m still waiting for a good article that gives pointers on how to get busy execs to take you on.)
To my male readers who are wondering if this WSJ special report is worth a look: Yes. Gender equality is good for business. And for relationships.