Dispelling the Myths
of the Gender
“Ambition Gap”
By Katie Abouzahr, Matt Krentz, Frances Taplett, Claire Tracey, and Miki Tsusaka
W hen it comes to careers, there is a
stubborn theory that women are less
ambitious than men. With age and mother-
it hinges on the day-to-day experiences of
women at work. Ambition is not a fixed at-
tribute but is nurtured—or damaged—by
hood, the story goes, women lower their the daily interactions, conversations, and
career goals. They miss out on the top roles opportunities that women face over time.
at companies not because they can’t do
them, or because the opportunity is not The good news is that these factors are en-
there, but because they don’t really want tirely within a company’s control. Our re-
them. Our research demonstrates, however, search points to four steps that CEOs can
that this is simply not true. The issue is take to make leadership more inclusive and
more nuanced—and more solvable—than more aspirational—thus improving the di-
most CEOs think. versity of their senior teams, and ultimate-
ly the bottom line.
We recently analyzed employee survey
data from two global BCG data sources,
comprising more than 200,000 respon- Key Findings
dents.1 Our findings show clearly that The data points to several key findings that
women start their careers with just as collectively demolish many myths about
much ambition as men. Women’s ambition the ambition levels of women.
levels do vary, but they vary by company,
not by family status. When companies cre- Women start their careers with as much
ate a positive culture and attitude regard- ambition as men—or more. First and
ing gender diversity, all women—mothers foremost, our data shows that, on average,
included—are eager to advance. women enter the workforce with the
same—or higher—levels of ambition as
In other words, the problem is neither in- men, in terms of their desire to hold
herent nor related to motherhood; instead, leadership positions or be promoted.
For more on this topic, go to bcgperspectives.com
Having children does not make women not put men at a disadvantage. Among the
less ambitious. Our data regarding wom- best companies—those showing the most
en’s ambition and motherhood may be progress on gender equality—both women
surprising, but it is also unequivocal: and men are more ambitious. There are
having children does not affect women’s clearly many factors at work, but our data
desire to lead. The ambition levels of shows that the gains of women do not
women with children and women without come at the expense of men.
children track each other almost exactly
over time. For example, when asked to In short, when women work at companies
score the importance of leadership oppor- where leadership looks achievable and en-
tunities as a job attribute, the average joyable, they will strive to get there. Con-
responses from women with children were versely, when the struggle to reach the top
within 1% of those from women without doesn’t seem worth it, women are more
children, across all age groups. likely to make the entirely rational decision
to step off the leadership track.
Ambition is influenced by company culture.
When both male and female employees As a woman commented on InHerSight, a
feel that gender diversity at their organiza- US-based independent career website that
tion is improving, there is no ambition gap collects data and feedback on employees’
between genders. In other words, women experiences in the corporate world, “Most
aspire to leadership roles in companies that women leave the company if they are am-
have positive work environments and value bitious, and management uses [their de-
diversity. Conversely, at organizations parture] as an excuse, instead of [recogniz-
where employees of both genders report ing it as] a symptom of the problems.”
the least progress on diversity—where
women see an uphill battle to reach an The good news for CEOs is that they can
unattractive summit—an ambition gap reinforce ambition in women by creating
opens up between men and women. Both the right culture. Organizational culture
men and women become less ambitious as shapes the day-to-day experience of em-
they age, but the drop-off is faster for ployees in a thousand small and large
women in these organizations, creating a ways—the attitude of managers, the evalua-
gap that is 17 percentage points for people tions and career advice people receive, the
in the 30-to-40 age bracket—pivotal years comments they hear, and many other seem-
in their careers. ingly minor, everyday factors. When women
opt out, they often describe a “moment of
Consider a large company with a predomi- truth” that was the final straw—but that
nantly male workforce that has operations moment is the culmination of a long jour-
in many different locations. At sites where ney full of daily pain points. It need not be
employees reported that the company is that way. Instead, companies can create the
committed to the retention of women, the right culture to foster ambition among
ambition levels of women in middle man- aspiring female leaders. (See the exhibit.)
agement were, on average, over 20 percent-
age points higher than at other sites.
Four Steps to Close the
The results for companies within individu- Ambition Gap
al countries underscore this point. In a giv- We propose four initiatives for CEOs and
en country, there is wide variation among HR leaders.
organizations, showing that CEOs have sig-
nificant influence over ambition levels, re- Build a gender-diverse leadership team
gardless of societal constraints. with the right role models. In hiring, CEOs
need to demand gender-balanced lists of
Positive steps benefit all employees—not candidates for all open positions and make
just women. Finally, creating a culture that objective hiring decisions based on quanti-
enables more women to be ambitious does fiable data. (If companies are using an
| Dispelling the Myths of the Gender “Ambition Gap” 2
The Right Corporate Culture Can Boost Ambition Levels Among Women
COMPANIES MAKING THE LEAST COMPANIES MAKING THE MOST
PROGRESS ON GENDER DIVERSITY PROGRESS ON GENDER DIVERSITY
% of respondents aged 30-40 seeking promotion to a higher leadership position
66% 85%
83% 87%
Source: BCG analysis.
Note: Companies segmented on the basis of responses to the statement “My company has made good progress
in the last one to three years in improving diversity in the top management team.” Total survey respondents:
5,447 (2,713 men and 2,734 women).
executive recruiter who cannot provide a Change the informal context. A person’s
list of strong candidates that shows good experience at work consists of countless
balance by gender, it is time to find a new small interactions, and the leadership
executive recruiter.) Companies also need environment at many companies can feel
to avoid gender-specific terms like “IT like a familiar set of masculine tropes: back-
wizards” in job postings. slapping, high fives (both figurative and
literal), and trips to the cigar bar. As Sallie
Regarding promotions, leaders should re- Krawcheck, a former Wall Street executive
view the company’s evaluation system to and current CEO of Ellevest (a women-
identify—and eliminate—any gender-based focused investment platform), put it in a
bias. In addition, companies should train recent LinkedIn post, “It’s simply exhaust-
managers in how to develop employees and ing to act like something you’re not all of
deliver feedback based on their strengths. the time. I can’t tell you how many women
(See The Rewards of an Engaged Female Work- have told me that this was a contributing
force, BCG Focus, October 2016.) factor to their leaving the workforce,
because every day they had to go into work
The right role models are crucial. Even the and act like someone they’re not.”2
most promising executives should not
reach the leadership team if they do not CEOs should ask their senior managers and
buy into the company’s diversity agenda. executive team members about the occa-
(At most organizations, everyone knows sions when they are having the most fun at
who these executives are. They undermine work—when they feel most connected with
even the most enlightened company’s ap- their senior colleagues and are most relaxed
proach to gender diversity.) in their company. Are there women present
on these occasions? If not, why not? If so,
In addition, CEOs should take some risks in are the women also enjoying themselves?
hiring. Some of the best leaders may have
followed a meandering path to their cur- Make and relentlessly promote structural
rent position. The road to the C-suite is not changes such as flexible work. Data from
a single track, and leaders do not come in one of our surveys tells us that both men
only one flavor. and women view flexible work as the most
| Dispelling the Myths of the Gender “Ambition Gap” 3
effective way to improve diversity. The data
also shows that the main reason both men
and women may be reluctant to advance at
M any companies are taking steps to
create more balanced leadership
teams. For example, they run women-only
their company—cited by nearly 60% of training sessions, send women on leader-
both genders—is the challenge of meeting ship courses, and hire senior women to
increased job responsibilities while manag- serve as role models. These are admirable
ing outside commitments. steps, but they are ultimately not enough.
Likewise, telling women simply to try hard-
Companies should address this concern er at a game in which the rules are stacked
head-on by offering parental leave, part- against them may create some fantastic,
time work, job pauses, job-shares, and an- isolated successes—but it may not lead to a
nual leave buybacks for everyone, includ- meaningful breakthrough.
ing senior leaders. In addition, they need to
actively encourage men to take advantage Women are ambitious, but they are also ra-
of these policies. CEOs should work to tional. If leadership looks attractive and
eliminate any stigma for—and instead cele- possible, they want to be leaders. Other-
brate—those who take advantage of these wise, they may make the reasonable deci-
programs. For example, companies can con- sion to opt out. For CEOs, this presents a
gratulate the father who spends Fridays great opportunity. By creating the right or-
with his children, instead of the one who ganizational culture, companies can pro-
logs the most air miles. Such small, every- mote the ambition of both men and wom-
day moments can clarify the company’s en and tap into a wider pool of talent to
priorities and reinforce the culture. create the kind of leadership team needed
to win in the future.
Track progress and involve everybody.
CEOs and HR leaders should track their
progress toward gender diversity and
create incentives for everyone to partici- Notes
pate in the journey. Our research shows 1. We analyzed data from BCG’s Decoding Global
Talent survey, which was conducted in collaboration
that diversity efforts are most effective with The Network and included 203,756 respondents
when linked to outcomes. For example, from 189 countries, of which nearly half were
executives’ compensation could be pegged women. In this survey, we analyzed responses to the
question “How important are opportunities to lead
to the level of gender diversity in their and take responsibility?” We also looked at findings
business. Companies should consider from a new survey conducted by BCG, which
promoting managers who have strong included 5,447 respondents in 17 countries, of which
over 2,700 were women. In this survey, we analyzed
female candidates in their succession results from the question “Are you actively seeking
pipeline (or they should at least challenge promotion to a higher leadership position—either
those who don’t). within or outside your current company?” The
results of the second survey will be published later in
2017.
Transparency is key—companies should 2. Sallie Krawcheck, “The Worst Career Advice
communicate their progress, celebrate both Women Get,” LinkedIn, February 27, 2017.
effort and outcomes, and identify where
they still have work to do.
About the Authors
Katie Abouzahr is a principal in BCG’s London office. A medical doctor focusing on health care, she is
currently on temporary assignment with Women@BCG in Philadelphia. You may contact her by e-mail at
[email protected].
Matt Krentz is a senior partner and managing director in the Chicago office of BCG and the firm’s global
people chair. He focuses on consumer and retail topics. You may contact him by e-mail at krentz.matt@
bcg.com.
| Dispelling the Myths of the Gender “Ambition Gap” 4
Frances Taplett is BCG’s global people team director and oversees the firm’s Women@BCG agenda. She
is based in Boston. You may contact her by e-mail at
[email protected].
Claire Tracey is a partner and managing director in BCG’s London office, focused on marketing and cus-
tomer centricity in financial services. Claire leads BCG’s external agenda for Women@BCG. You may con-
tact her by e-mail at [email protected].
Miki Tsusaka is a senior partner and managing director in BCG’s Tokyo office, a member of the firm’s
executive committee, and leader of BCG’s global marketing. She focuses on strategy, organization, and
transformation in the consumer goods and retail industries and other B2C businesses. You may contact
her by e-mail at [email protected].
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the world’s leading advi-
sor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all
regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform
their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and
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achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results.
Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 85 offices in 48 countries. For more information, please
visit bcg.com.
© The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. 2017.
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