Nor does ambition disappear the moment a woman gives birth.
And the low representation of women in leadership positions across corporate Australia can’t be blamed on a lack of ambition in women when starting their careers.
But ambition can take a dive for female employees working in organisations that are behind on gender diversity.
That’s what the findings of a new Boston Consulting Group report suggests, based on a survey of more than 200,000 male and female employees from 189 countries.
The Dispelling Myths of the Gender ‘Ambition Gap’ report finds no difference in the ambition levels of men and women when starting their careers — but that can shift as they progress.
At organisations deemed to be behind on gender diversity, 83% of men aged 30 to 40 were found to be seeking promotions compared with just 66% of women. That 17 point ambition gap dropped to just 2 at firms where gender diversity was believed to be improving (with 85% of women seeking promotions compared with 87% of men).
Our own research on women’s ambition backs these findings, although it’s not all about promotions when it comes to ambition. Earning more money was found to be the leading ambition over the next two years in our survey of 2000 Australian women, followed be getting a promotion, and getting a new role.
But 51% of those surveyed suggested a ‘lack of confidence in my abilities’ could prevent them from achieving such ambitions. While we don’t have the data, one wonders how such confidence levels would shift amongst female employees who believe their employer is actively improving on gender diversity.
Meanwhile, the increasing rate of women starting businesses after having children also doesn’t indicate a lack of ambition at that point in their lives, but it could suggest they’ve become disillusioned with what a corporate environment can offer.
The Boston report author Matt Krentz noted that ambition is not a fixed trait, but rather something that can be nurtured or damaged according to our daily experiences and the opportunities we have at work.
The report also found that having children does not affect a woman’s ambition. As the report stats: “The ambition levels of women with children and women without track each other almost exactly over time.”
So what can be done to close the gap? Boston Consulting proposes four steps including getting more women into leadership teams; promoting flexible working and other structural changes that better support outside commitments; seeking to change the informal context and daily interactions workers experience; and getting everybody involved in tracking progress.
It’s ultimately about getting the culture right. If they do, organisations will benefit from a wider pool of female talent who want to get ahead.