Recent trends suggest that women account for the next biggest trend in business start-ups as well as representing a significant percentage of the mainstream business sector workforce. More and more women are choosing to turn their backs on corporate life and go alone. It is not entirely clear whether this is a drive to move away from the constraints and disappointments of being an employee or a direct result of a need to become their own boss.
From a personal perspective I believe the answer is a mixture of the two perspectives but also encompasses other aspects like a desire for an enhanced work life balance, greater flexibility of work and increased personal autonomy, fulfillment and job satisfaction and respect. Whilst the world of work has changed significantly over the years with the introduction of more family friendly policies and a larger proportion of part-time flexible work there are still many problems. It is well recognised that you have to be a consistently good performer to get greater flexibility and lifestyle choice as an employee. Essentially you get leverage when you become indispensable to your company but in doing so you have had to make sacrifices in terms of time with the family.
This is hardly clever and arguably sets women up to fail in terms of their remit at home. Many part-time roles in existence are poorly paid reinforcing the pay inequality gap between men and women. Despite many initiatives to promote women to main board positions there has been little movement over the last decade reaffirming the clear existence of the glass ceiling. Smart accomplished women are no longer talking about climbing the corporate ladder.
For years this was seen as the clear path to success for all employees and women bought into that belief. The female baby boomer generation aspired to be and have what their mothers could not and they sought freedom from the shackles of the home in business and professional life. These social changes have given rise to a highly educated, accomplished and independently wealthy group of women who have significant clout as consumers and opinion formers in their own right. Many studies have highlighted the significant differences of the sexes when leading and motivating others.
It is generally well accepted that men are more overtly competitive, take more risks and don’t hold back on self promotion. Women by comparison are the relationship builders, with highly developed empathy and intuitive qualities. They will be more cautious to risk-taking and can often get over looked in promotion terms because they fail to find their voice, push themselves forward, hoping instead, to be recognised for their hard work and efforts. Without a strong mentor and sponsor it is easy to see how women end up feeling over-worked, over stressed and under-valued.
There are many exceptions to this rule and notable examples of high profile women who have managed to break through to the top. The interesting factor here is that most of them have had to mimic male traits and conform to the dominant culture to get on, compromising their feminine traits and arguably their overall happiness and well-being. Many women do not want to become male clones.
Many conclude that it is just not worth the effort or the struggle and they choose to leave for a job that allows them to be more of who they want to be or increasingly with a vision to start their own business. Becoming your own boss enables;
- Greater flexibility to juggle work and home responsibilities without the guilt trip especially important for working mums. This is very evident within the sphere of home based businesses and online business opportunities which are exploding due to the growth of social media. This plays to women’s core relationship building capabilities.
- The chance to increase your overall earnings with no cap whilst minimising child-care and ancillary costs of being away from the home.
- The opportunity to be truly authentic and play to your strengths.
- The chance to grow and evolve and ultimately increase your overall job satisfaction as work becomes more meaningful to your values and purpose.
- The chance to really make a difference as you become the employer and grow new talent.
- To lead your way and to enjoy the freedom and independence that comes with this.
There is now a prolific amount of women’s networks that support aspiring female entrepreneurs and provide collaborative ventures, sponsorship and mentoring that makes the transitionary step to self employment easier than ever before. Ironically there has never been a greater time of need for women to step into their power within the workplace.
Recent economic chaos and the break-up of out-dated power structures and models only serve to reinforce the need for a more feminine leadership style to begin to really transform businesses. One thing is clear though, companies need to rethink how they bring about the much needed work life balance for all their employees, males and females alike if they are to reduce executive burnout.
