WOODCLIFF LAKE, NJ - Only 31% of long-tenured businesswomen think women coming into the business world today are more career-minded than their generation, according to a survey of 134 female human resources executives by global career management services company Lee Hecht Harrison. All those surveyed had begun their careers more than ten years ago, and the majority had done so more than 20 years ago.
Lee Hecht Harrison Executive Vice President Bernadette Kenny said that along the same lines, 62% think the new generation of businesswomen is less willing to work long hours. "There is a sense among experienced female HR executives that most newcomers won't sacrifice other aspects of their lives for work. Not surprisingly, 54% say women coming out of school today are better able to achieve work-life balance. This is partly a function of employers' recent embrace of programs that allow employees flexibility to meet personal needs without jeopardizing their positions. But it's also a result of women recognizing they can have both their life and their career."
While veteran businesswomen don't think today's novices are more driven, Kenny said, they do see them as more self-assured. The majority believes women coming into business today are more confident than the prior generation in their ability to perform (69%), move up the career ladder (59%) and sell themselves (56%). Furthermore, two-thirds of experienced businesswomen think the new generation is more inclined to pursue their own career development. "Of course it's a tribute to the female pioneers that this is the case," Kenny noted.
Nonetheless, Kenny believes that obstacles still exist for women entering the business world, a view shared by those surveyed. "74% say it's their experience that gender is still a barrier to women's professional advancement. However, only 16% think that women coming into the business world today perceive their gender as an impediment. That's a tremendous disconnect, which suggests the perception of progress is gaining much faster than progress itself."
With over 180 offices in 36 countries, Lee Hecht Harrison is the global performance leader in career and leadership consulting, maximizing organizational and individual success through services that connect people to work, increase career effectiveness, and develop superior leaders. Its focus is helping organizations and their employees deal with career transitions, career management and the effect of change on careers, work and employability. Established in 1974, Lee Hecht Harrison's experience includes helping companies of all sizes effectively manage change, downsizing and internal career mobility. Lee Hecht Harrison is the flagship brand of the Adecco Career Services division of Adecco S.A, the world's largest HR solutions company with nearly 6,000 offices in 62 countries. For more information about the company and its recent research on HR topics, please visit Lee Hecht Harrison's website at <http://www.LHH.com>www.LHH.com.
Contact: Bernadette Kenny, Executive Vice President, Lee Hecht Harrison, 201/782-3703 or Laura Morrison, 212/206-0033
