Age, lack of role models, motherhood and qualifications and experience are the four key barriers affecting a woman’s career progression, according to new Ernst & Young research out of the UK.
Out of the four major barriers, age was identified as the biggest obstacle in women’s careers. Thirty-two per cent of women said age – the perception that they were too young or too old – had impacted their career progression at some point, while another 27% said that they expect age to inhibit their career progression down the track.
Not surprisingly, motherhood was highlighted as a major barrier to career progression, with 19% of women admitting it had impacted their career and another 25% saying it was the second biggest barrier in their career, after age.
The study found that it’s not just a matter of women tackling one barrier after another as they’re not chronological and several of them can be experienced at once. Two thirds of the 1000 women surveyed claimed they’ve faced multiple barriers throughout their careers.
What do you think? Has Ernst & Young got the four key barriers right?