Study says businesswomen have more confidence

In its survey of 134 female human resources executives, Lee Hecht Harrison found that only 31 percent of long-tenured businesswomen think that women coming into the professional business world are more career-minded than their own generation.

All of the women surveyed began their careers more than 10 years ago, and the majority had done so more than 20 years ago.

Nancy Murnin, senior vice president and general manager of Lee Hecht Harrison’s St. Louis office, said that the survey also found that 62 percent of the women surveyed think the new generation of businesswomen is less willing to work long hours.

“There is a sense among experienced female (human resources) executives that most newcomers won’t sacrifice other aspects of their lives for work,” Murnin said, in a news release.

However, she added, 54 percent of the survey participants indicated that they think women coming out of school now 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,” Murnin said.

Veteran businesswomen don’t think newer businesswomen are more driven, Murnin said, but they do see them as more self-assured. The majority of respondents believe women coming into business now are more confident than the prior generation in their ability to perform (69 percent) and move up the career ladder (59 percent). 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,” Murnin said.

Even so, Murnin thinks that obstacles still exist for women entering the business world – a view shared by those surveyed.

“Seventy-four percent say it’s their experience that gender is still a barrier to women’s professional advancement. However, only 16 percent 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 must faster than progress itself,” Murnin said.

Founded in 1974, Lee Hecht Harrison specializes in providing leadership consulting and career management services. It is a division of Adecco SA, an employment services company with nearly 6,000 offices in 62 countries.

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