First comes career, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage. For nearly three quarters of women (74%) worldwide, this is the order in which they measure accomplishment. Over the years, however, the female mindset is changing from housewife to boardroom member, as women in the workplace seek to have it all in life—continuing to climb the corporate ladder with family in tow.
In a recent survey, LinkedIn and Cross-Tab market research company explored the ways today’s women work to achieve what they consider the perfect balance between professional and family life, without losing their sanity in the process. The survey reported that 77% of women worldwide consider their careers successful, despite notable obstacles along the way. Chief among these hurdles to success were inequality in pay (44%), difficulties in balancing work and personal life (44%), and a lack of female mentors and role models (33%) showing them how it’s done.
As for starting families, 43% declared they preferred to keep the business attire for a while longer, while 25% planned to go back to work after having children and 22% anticipated becoming stay-at-home moms instead. Perhaps the most interesting findings, however, related to pay, as more women prefer better work/life balance to higher salaries. Ghirardelli’s infographic below offers a closer look into the working woman’s definition of success:
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