A new report to be published by Source Global Research on 8th March 2017, to coincide with International Women’s Day, has found that women are finding themselves trapped in what the report calls, the ‘pinched middle’.
These are women at manager and senior manager grade, in their late 20s and early 30s, who, just as they’re expected to be at full-throttle with their career, are also becoming busier at home too. It’s the point where many reflect on the kind of life they want, the trade-offs they’re willing to make, and what it takes to be successful. For all these reasons, and many more, many women decide that it’s just unsustainable; and their career ends. Those women that find themselves in the ‘pinched middle’ say that striking a work-life balance is difficult – with only half (52 percent) happy with their work-life balance, compared with 65 percent of men. Also, 44 percent describe unpredictable workloads as a “serious issue”.
The barriers to change – these include – an extreme ‘client comes first’ culture – so everything is dropped for whatever demands are made, lack of empathy from the partner group, and revenue chasing is all that matters. Potential solutions for women – continuity of teams who understand their personal circumstances and trust them to deliver; tailored roles for the trickiest times that still contribute towards career development; and clearer, more tailored promotion expectations. Businesses need to make part-time roles and flexible working contribute towards longer-term career goals, rather than narrow, revenue-focused annual goals.
