Over the last fifty years or so, women have been entering the workplace at increasing rates. It is no longer a “Man’s World”, as the famous song by the talented Mr. James Brown suggests, but a world that is steadfast edging towards equality. While women have been taking one small step for woman and one large step for womankind consistently over the past few decades, the sentiment of perceived gender bias in certain public spaces has not been altogether eradicated.
The recent Bayt.com Working Women in the Middle East and North Africa Survey revealed that 6 in 10 women believe both men and women are treated equally in the workplace and nearly 7 in 10 believe that appreciation is based on performance alone and not on gender. However, there are still 1 in 4 women who believe women are treated less favorably when it comes to career progression, salary and benefits.
The professional challenges faced by women in the Middle East and North Africa also come in the form of “less opportunity for promotions” as one of the key challenges faced by 44% of the women surveyed. This is interesting because the majority (85%) of women claim they work an equal or greater amount of hours as their male counterparts. These numbers provide a backbone for the dissatisfaction that may be felt with regards to compensation and opportunities for promotions and career progression and point to the so-called ‘glass ceiling’.
If you are unfamiliar with the term ‘glass ceiling’, it’s a common term referring to an acknowledged barrier to career advancement that affects a group of people. This term is widely used when discussing the challenges faced by working women and other minorities worldwide. To paint a picture, imagine steadily climbing the career ladder only to hit a glass ceiling preventing you from ascending to the top.
It is easy to get caught up in despair and victimhood when the odds seem stacked up against women, however bemoaning a perceived gender inequality and discrimination will only get you so far. While women should certainly be aware of the unique challenges faced in the workplace that are outside of their control, they must not be complacent. It is important to have an action plan that focuses on dodging and overcoming any common obstacles to advancing their careers and, eventually, breaking that glass ceiling.
As such, Bayt.com has prepared a list of five top tips for working women aspiring to advance their careers.
1. Betting on Education
Education is one of the most powerful secret weapons to stock in your arsenal. And this doesn’t mean simply putting all your money on a university degree and throwing in the towel after its attainment. No, the true secret to turning education into a weapon is to take on the role of a lifelong student. Certainly, you should aim as high as possible when it comes to your degree, but university education is not the be-all, end-all. In fact, it is after university and once you have entered the working world that a good chunk of the learning process takes place. Not only are you constantly being exposed to new challenges, new tasks, and new skills you have to develop and master, but, as you grow, you will also discover fresh topics that interest you.
For example, you could have attained a degree in Business Management, but later discover that you have a love for the culinary arts and that your passion exceeds that of something felt for a hobby or pastime. In this situation, the best thing for you would be to explore and educate yourself on this topic further so it can eventually contribute to your career path and success. Don’t let yourself be dissuaded by time or money. There are many courses online that you can take for free and from your desk. As they say, when there is a will, there is a way. So long as you are passionate and dedicated, you will find a way to learn more that is convenient for you.
There are many courses on Bayt.com that you can look through in order to improve your existing skills or develop new ones.
2. Communication is Key
Communication is crucial to many aspects of our lives, be it personal, social or professional. There are certain aspects of workplace communication that women generally thrive in. Known to be empathetic, interpersonal skills such as being a team-player can come naturally to some women. However, there are other areas in which some women may fall short. This normally stems from a lack of confidence and the undesirable habit of second-guessing oneself. Whatever the case may be, it is difficult, if not extremely unlikely, to break the glass ceiling and reach the top with poor communication skills.
One of the main shortcomings takes place in the meeting room, where some women may be hesitant to speak up and share their opinion. If these women do share during meetings, it tends to be toward the end of the meeting after everyone has already spoken or their statement is prefaced by a qualifier such as, “I’m not sure if this is a good idea, but”. This might seem like humility or active listening, but the truth is the people who speak up at meetings tend to come across as more engaged and creative than those who do not. Additionally, many of these qualifiers involve shedding doubt on your idea before you have even shared it. If you aren’t sure what you are about to say is worth sharing, then why should anyone listen? In these situations, it is always better to use direct communication. If you don’t want to sound too pushy or cocky, ensure that you do not speak over anyone and listen to any criticism. There is no need to sound self-deprecating.
Another critical situation you will need to handle appropriately is the matter of accepting credit and accountability for your work. When receiving praise for their work, some women tend to react shyly or attribute the success of the task or project to someone else. While it is definitely great to acknowledge other people’s contributions to your work, you should also be able to take the compliment. If you are constantly giving the credit for your work to other people, it just gives other people the opportunity not to acknowledge your work either. Accepting accountability is just as important as taking credit. When something goes wrong, it is definitely tempting to “explain away” or shift the blame, but you need to be self-aware and acknowledge your mistakes as well as provide a solution to avoiding them in the future.
3. Walk the Talk
I knew a successful lady who is now the CEO of a local branch of a multinational country. For many years she had to settle for her salary increase being equal to that of a male colleague who does less work and handles lesser tasks. Her story remains a success story. With hard work, calculated moves and risks and communication, you, too, can reach top management eventually. However, another thing I have noticed in multiple professional women I have made the acquaintance with is that some of them have troublesome perceptions of other working women.
For example, I have heard past colleagues bemoan their coworkers complaining that managers who are women tend to be “bossier” than managers who are men. The results of the Bayt.com Working Women in the Middle East and North Africa Survey demonstrated that the majority of women (73%) do not have a gender preference when it comes to their managers. That said, of those who did have a preference, 24% prefer having a manager who is a man. It is also not uncommon to hear the success of women dismissed as being due to their looks, connections, family name and other external factors rather than being based on merit.
How we view other women could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If someone, at their core, believes that all women who are successful have not become successful due to their hard work, then this will reflect in everything they do and say.
It is important, therefore, that we examine our own perceptions about working women in order to prevent ourselves from becoming the obstacle to our own success.
4. An Ace up Your Sleeve
Career planning is important for any professional, irrespective of gender. For women, however, it can be almost doubly important when laying out realistic career goals. This is because there are many twists and turns to navigate on the road to career success, especially when women feel, as mentioned earlier, that they do not have as many opportunities for career success and advancement.
Additionally, sometimes life throws a wrench into your plans and you are less likely to become derailed if you have a flexible career layout. Think about what you want to do in five, ten, and fifteen years from now then lay out all the action steps between where you are right now and your destination. You should also have some flexibility in your plans to allow for big changes, such as relocating with your spouse, having a baby or caring for an aging parent. A fun exercise to undertake is to write your own personal mission statement and vision. It will give you something to think back to whenever you find yourself stumped.
5. Network and Network More
Networking is essential and with the present advancement of technology, spread of social media and internet penetration, there is really no excuse not to build a professional network. Even the company social gatherings you might feel reluctant about or the weekend hangouts between coworkers can help you immensely when it comes to moving your career along. In order to be noticed, you need to be present. This means taking any and every opportunity to spend time with your manager, colleagues, and other professionals in an environment where you can share your ideas and aspirations more comfortably.
Additionally, you should dedicate some time toward finding professional contacts outside your work bubble. For all you know, your next big job opportunity is shopping in the bakery section of your local supermarket. Do not be afraid to strike conversations and practice your elevator pitch. If, by chance, you do happen to bump into a prospective employer while looking for wholegrain toast, you will need to sell yourself in about 30 seconds.
If you follow these steps, breaking the glass ceiling will cease to be a pipe dream and soon become a reality. Remember that if you found this blog helpful, or know someone it could be helpful to, sharing is caring. Send it to the strong, working women in your life and hopefully it can help them, too. If you have your own insight or opinion, don’t hesitate to share it in the comments. Your thoughts, feelings and feedback are what we want to hear the most.
