10 barriers for women's promotion

What is it that a woman needs to be able to find the so desired - and necessary - balance in her professional and personal life? And to promote in their careers? These are some of the many questions that are asked-and answer-Nuria Chinchilla YConsuelo Leon, authors ofFemale ambition How to reconcile work and family.

According to the authors, women need to be allowed to be, favoring and respecting their motherhood, when appropriate, and then - as in the case of men - respecting their time after work, essential and necessary to recover and face a new working day, to meet their family obligations and their personal life.

Thanks to your studyFemale values, more human companies?, made with various Spanish directives, Chinchilla and Leon ensure to be able to determine with knowledge of what are the ten barriers that have to overcome to achieve it.

10 barriers that a woman must overcome

1. Difficulties to reconcile family and work life. When asked "What criteria are important for you when making decisions about your professional career?", Two thirds of the women said that they achieve a balance between personal / family and professional life. The level of interest of the new work that gives behind the family at the time of deciding in more than half of the cases. Only for a third party the possibilities of promotion are very important.

2. Absence of labor flexibility. Women, in general, feel that they give more than they receive in the professional world. There is no lack of professional ambition or security in themselves, but there is a certain implicit reproach to the absence of aid from the State, the company and the hierarchical superior in his role as mentor.

3. Stress. 80% of Spaniards suffer stress for work reasons; that is, because of the stresses produced at work. The first group affected by it are women. In addition, in Spain, women suffer more depression than men (9.2% of them versus 3.7% of them).

4. Long days and double days. Almost all the women surveyed work outside the home for 8 hours or more. Although they value their private life, this attitude is not always accompanied by a proportionate dedication in terms of time. Work ranks third in its table of priorities and, nevertheless, in practice comes first. There is more to see the number of daily hours dedicated to work in relation to the family.

5. Poor access to information and male contact network. As the American researcher Mary Ann Devann points out, "in moving around in a world run by men, women are still excluded from informal networks of power, deprived of privileged information, ill-prepared for games and strategies of company policies. , which condition access to management positions ".

6. Shortage of supports. It is clear that the woman lives her trajectory and her ascent as a solo task. Although in general, they recognize that there are few company policies and that the support of the bosses is scarce in these matters.

7. Differences in remuneration. Far from diminishing, the wage gap between men and women has increased in Spain. They earn 22.55% less than average per year for work of equal value. Or what is the same: 5,744 euros less, compared to 5,500 euros less than a year before, according to El País.

8. Scarce training in time management. Only 30% of respondents give importance to this competence, despite one of the most relevant when it comes to successfully face the work-family conflict from the individual point of view. The feeling of not reaching everything is usual.

9. Difficulties in finding logistical support in the home. Although things change, women continue to feel the weight and responsibility of the home in a stronger way. And although emotionally yes, logistically men do not just assume their role. Only 32% of couples in Spain share equally the domestic tasks.

10. Geographic mobility: extreme situation of conciliation. Many times the promotion involves more trips or even a change of city or country. Faced with this reality, in general, the woman thinks of her husband, of the children's schools, of their parents, of their friends, etc.

Marisol New