An interesting Ipsos Reid poll of female executives conducted late last year sheds light on what the perceived career holdbacks are for women in the workforce these days.

The results of the online survey, which queried ~500 American women working in managerial or executive roles, suggest that women continue to face obstacles in advancing their careers to upper-level management and executive positions … although the disparities are less today – and hopefully continuing the trend toward parity.

An example of one perception which continues to show a big divide between women and men is this:  While ~37% the survey respondents feel that physical appearance and personal image are factors in career progression for men, nearly all (~90%) believe that they are for women.

On the other hand, the perceived differences are less stark when it comes to opportunities for career progression based on the gender of a female employee’s immediate superior.  When asked how gender affects the chances for women to obtain a managerial position, here’s how the respondents answered:

If the superior is a woman …

• 26% better chance for advancement
• 30% worse chance for advancement
• 44% no difference

If the superior is a man …

• 26% better chance for advancement
• 25% worse chance for advancement
• 49% no difference

… Which translates into trust levels that aren’t so very different at all:

• ~22% would trust a man more for help with career advancement
• ~18% would trust a woman more for help with career advancement
• ~60% express no difference in trust levels

Positive Work Attributes

The Ipsos/Reid survey also found that nearly two-thirds of the respondents consider women to be better leaders than men, primarily for these five reasons:

• Women are better communicators
• They are more organized
• They are more empathetic
• They have a better understanding of the needs of their employees
• They are more open to changing their approach

For the record, two attributes that respondents do not attribute to women over men are:

• Women have better instincts than men
• They are more invested in an organization’s success compared to men.

With a confident self-image and backed by positive work habits, what do these respondents see as the biggest continuing challenges to their career growth?  Here’s what the Ipsos Reid survey found:

• The requirement for women to work harder and put in longer hours to prove themselves: ~77%
• Managing work and family balance: ~61%
• External factors (economic climate/job loss): ~56%
• Being welcomed into an established senior management team:  ~48%
• Dealing with outdated perceptions of women in managerial and executive roles: ~48%
• Lack of female mentors: ~47%

Moreover, ~78% of respondents discern a “noticeable” different in salaries between men and women.

Asked what a company might “fear” about promoting women to senior managerial and executive posts, the respondents cited several probable factors:  the fear that an executive might want to start and maintain a family … and the fear of too many absences from work due to family obligations.

Bottom line, the Ipsos Reid survey reveals some continuing obstacles for women in the executive-level work force.  But there’s positive news, too.  Additional survey findings can be found here.

If you have additional observations or perspectives on this topic, please share them with other readers here.