The latest TODAY’S
PROFESSIONAL WOMAN REPORT from LinkedIn + Citi looks at
the people who’ve shaped our careers, what we want
from our lives and how we work toward our goals.���
an astronaut?
a marine ���biologist?
a superhero?
a dancer?
an explorer?
It turns out, the people
most likely to have
followed their
childhooddreams���now work in the medical,
high-tech and legal fields.
And when it comes to fulfilling childhood
dreams, men are more likely than women to have the career they wanted growing up.
Women in STEM has been a hot topic recently, but the percentage of women who dreamed of working in technology has stayed the same from one generation to the next - a tiny 2%.
“I have been in technology for 25 years. I was hired by a woman who became my mentor, and I have hired as many women as possible so they could have the same opportunity. Confidence is key. Be strong, passionate and self-educate.” WENDY PETTY, Vice President of Distribution and Member Partners
SO WHO INFLUENCED OUR CAREER PATHS?
For women, it varies by generation: MILLENNIALS: Mom GEN X: Dad
BABY BOOMERS: Teacher, Coach or Counselor
Men, regardless ���of their generation, said their father had the biggest role in shaping their careers.
HOW IMPORTANT IS WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN OUR CAREERS?
Both men and women feel the pressures of achieving career success while managing family
responsibilities, but men are less likely to discuss it with women.
Every single person who interviewed me asked, How do you balance work and family.” No one ever asks her husband, Ben Affleck ���-actress Jennifer Garner on sexism in Hollywood
“Every single person who interviewed me asked, How do you balance work and family?”
ACTRESS JENNIFER GARNER
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
WHO ASK HER HUSBAND,
BEN AFFLECK, THE SAME
QUESTION?
ZERO.
78% of women say they’ve never
heard a successful man talk about the
struggles of having a career
and a family, but more than half of
men (52%) say they have.
“When I was in my 30s and a busy professional and mom of two young children, I occasionally mentioned how difficult it was to always want to be with my family when working. What amazed me was how many older men—of the generation where stay-at-home dads were just not a thing—said they had always felt the same way.” -PERI DWYER, Instructor
Women think hiring more help at home would help them have a better work/life balance.
While men were more likely to think hiring more help at work would improve their work/life balance.
AND NEARLY 3 OUT OF 4 PROFESSIONALS DON’T THINK THEY’RE PAID ENOUGH.
BUT THE ART OF PROMOTING YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT WORK IS TRICKY.���
EVEN THOUGH WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO
SHARE PROFESSIONAL ���ACCOMPLISHMENTS ���
���
AT WORK…
Only 40% of women feel like they’re adequately promoting their work to executives.
While 50% of men feel that they’re doing a good job of self-promotion.
“It took years to evolve to the place where I could say, I DID THIS.
If you don’t toot your own horn, no
one else will. I am proud of my accomplishments,
and I am excited to share each success with colleagues.” LORIA RICHARDSON, Lead Project Specialist
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION! Connect: Professional Women’s Network, Powered by Citi, is an online community with more than 370,000 members on LinkedIn that helps women achieve the careers they want and discuss the issues relevant to their success. Visit linkedin.com/womenconnect for more information and to join the group!
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES
LinkedIn + Citi’s Today’s Professional Women’s Report is inspired by the the conversations in Connect. Read the full report here.
To learn more about the report, contact: [Edelman] Shaina Lamb: 212-704-8281 [email protected] [Citi] Andrew Brent: 212-559-1299 [email protected]
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