How do you make the difference with your (female) talent?
We all know that men and women are different. That is also true whenmaking professional choices. Men and women clearly make different considerations regarding work.
Women regularly have thoughts such as:
- How will I organize it at home if I work (more hours)?
- I think I shouldn’t go for this promotion, because I do not fully fit the profile and then I will fail.
- I can combine my job well with children, but it no longer gives me satisfaction. Actually, I would rather do something else.
- I like my job, but I don’t have enough ‘quality time’ with my family let alone doing sports. I am too busy and want to regain control over my life.
- I am pregnant and I want to hold on to my career, but is it the right thing to do?
Do you recognize this?
And have you ever met a man with these thoughts ;-)?
Better results with gender diversity
Interestingly, research has shown that companies that have gender diversity high on the agenda achieve better results[1]. SHE DOES IT!
Nevertheless, female talent on the labour market is not yet fully utilized[2].
For The Netherlands, for example:
- 29% of women do not do paid work (19% of men).
- 73% of working women have part-time jobs (21% of men). The Dutchies are also the leaders in the European Union. Austria and Germany follow at a considerable distance with a part-time percentage of 47%.
- A woman works 27 hours per week averagely (a man on average 38 hours).
- If there are children, women work 24 hours a week (men are building up to 40 hours a week).
Support women in setting and pursuing their goals
It appears that women who do not work have less satisfaction in their lives[3], are less healthy[4] and are financially more dependent [5]than women who do work.
Women who have a smaller part-time job also underestimate the financial dependence in the long run. In fact, part-time work can be detrimental to career development.
Those who have worked part-time have less chance of a successful transfer to a full-time job later[6].
And what does this mean for a family if the income of the partner falls away for whatever reason (sickness, divorce, death, etc.)?
It is therefore important that we encourage and support women in setting and pursuing their own professional goals.
What do you think about that? Isn’t it high time for you, too to take steps in your work or in the field of your ‘work-life balance’?
Keep focusing on your own professional challenges
I myself have experienced how much satisfaction it gives to keep focusing on your own professional challenges, after cancelling my full-time job in the Netherlands (because of a new job for my husband abroad).
As a franchisee I set up Mom in Balance in Linz (Austria), built up a solid company and, because of our removal to Great Britain, sold my company to two Austrian women. During this time I was able to guide powerful developments in women and here I want to take a next step.
That is why I started the ‘Co-Active Coaching’ course at the internationally certified Coaching Training Institute (CTI) in London. The foundation has been laid and in the coming months I will gain more in-depth knowledge to become a professional coach.
Do you want to take steps in your work or in the area of your ‘work-life balance’ and would you like support?
Please contact me via eefke@shedoesitcoaching.com or
+44 7498 558006. Coaching is possible via Skype, telephone or face to face.
I look forward to taking those steps together!
Eefke Jansen
She does it
[1] McKinsey & Company (2015), Diversity Matters
Credit Suisse Research Institute (2012), Gender Diversity and Corporate Performance
Harvard Business Review (2016), Why diverse teams are smarter
[2] SCP | CBS (2016), Emancipatiemonitor 2016
[3] Jol, C (1999), Tevreden Moeders, van https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/1999/42/tevreden-moeders
[4] Buehler, C & O’Brien, M. (2011), Mothers’ Part-Time Employment: Associations With Mother and Family Well-Being, Journal of Family Psychology 25, nr 6
[5] Bennetts, L. (2017),The Feminine Mistake: Are we giving up too much? New York: Hyperion
[6] WageIndicator – Loonwijzer.nl (2018), Werken in deeltijd, van https://loonwijzer.nl/home/vrouwenloonwijzer/deeltijd/deeltijd#de-negatieve-effecten-van-deeltijdwerk