9 Out of 10 Women Hesitate to Ask for a Raise at Work: Study
While 99% of women professionals believe it to be important for them to build networks and alliances, only 47% of women actively pursue opportunities for their professional growth and learning. What’s more, across the survey sample set, a staggering 90% of female respondents stated that they hesitate to ask for a raise at work. That’s according to a recently released report by Harappa Education, These are the findings from the survey ‘What Women in Leadership Need’ by Harappa Education, the online educational institution on what women in leadership need.
The institution conducted an extensive survey to understand the prejudices and differentiated behavior towards women professionals and to incorporate their unique perspectives within curriculum designed to help empower women leaders and leaders-in-making. It released its findings on May 1, International Labour Day, to commemorate the labor movement. While new reforms may have swept the role of women in the workplace, the survey is also aimed at looking at the gaps in our workplaces from a gender lens.
The survey also uncovered some interesting insights regarding skills that women professionals perceive to be most important in their professional journeys. According to the data, close to 72% of women consider communication to be the top skill that continues to help them in their professional journey, followed by confidence (65%) and self-awareness (41%).
“The research allows us to better understand the challenges women professionals face and co-build our Women’s Leadership Program, capturing what matters the most to current and aspiring women leaders,” said Shreyasi Singh, Founder & CEO, Harappa Education.
Over 8 out of 10 women professionals feel that at least once in their career, they have been perceived as ‘bossy’ or ‘dominating’ when they were just being assertive. 97% of the women consider it to be important for women professionals to cultivate a personal brand for themselves, while close to 74% of the women affirm calling themselves a perfectionist.
From women professionals with less than 20 years of work experience, 52% stated that they feel inadequate or under qualified for their positions, despite their multiple years of experience. This figure displayed a gradual decrease for women with more than 20 years of corporate experience (37%). Surprisingly, a mere 21% of women felt continuously supported by their male peers at workplaces.
The outlook for women at workplaces looks bright however as 87% of women respondents believe that the future for women in leadership looks promising in the coming 3 years.
