22
March
2010
|
06:08 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Anita Borg Institute: The 6 Attributes Of High Ranking Women In Tech

The Anita Borg Institute today released the results of a survey that seeks to understand why there are so few senior level technical women. Women represented only four percent out of 1,795 surveyed for the report.

Here are some extracts from the report that highlights the six attributes held by senior ranking women:

- Analytical: The majority of senior technical women perceive themselves as analytical. Indeed, all technical employees tend to see themselves as high on this attribute, as technical careers tend to first and foremost look for analytical and problem-solving skills.

- Unafraid to Question/Desire to Learn: A majority consider themselves as questioning - having the ability to ask the right questions, which is critical to problem-solving.

- Risk-Takers: A majority of senior technical women view themselves as risk-takers, which was identified by technical employees as one of the top four attributes of success. Moderate amounts of risk-taking are an important part of leadership, and senior women and men are equally as likely to perceive themselves as risk takers. This research shatters the stereotype that men are more likely to be risk takers than women are.

- Collaborative: Senior technical women are collaborators. A collaborative work style is perceived as a critical success factor in high-technology by both technical men and women, and is consistent with a culture that values innovation, which cannot be achieved without extensive collaboration. Collaboration is both a critical source of success but also a great source of career satisfaction.

- Hard-working/Long Hours: Advancement for senior women comes with long working hours. This finding is consistent with the culture of technology where advancement is tied to increased responsibility and significant availability. This can be a barrier for women who seek advancement while juggling family responsibilities in dual-career couples. 72 percent of the senior technical women surveyed reported cutting back on sleep to advance their careers and nearly a third have delayed having children.

- Assertive: A majority of senior technical women describe themselves as assertive - significantly more so than women at the entry and mid levels. In a professional culture that rewards speaking up, self-promotion, and ambition, senior women interviewed uniformly said they had to learn to be assertive and promote themselves in order to advance. However, research also shows that women have less freedom than men in assertive behavior. Because women's assertiveness defy long-standing gender stereotypes, women often experience a "likeability penalty" when they are assertive.

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