Millennial women are optimistic about their career prospects: 94% of young (age 22-35) professional females surveyed say they can achieve a balance between a satisfying professional life and a gratifying personal life, according to a survey from Accenture.
Young women identify two primary qualities as keys to workplace success: The ability to balance personal and professional lives, and a job where they can make a difference.
Below, other findings from Accenture's study, Millennial Women in the Workplace Success Index: Striving for Balance.
Looking for a Meaningful Work Experience
Some 66% of young women define success as doing meaningful work (i.e., "the type of work I want to do"), and 59% cite maintaining a balance between their personal and professional lives. Only 37% cite "being seen as an expert in my field" and even fewer (22%) cite "receiving awards or recognition internally."
Asked to list typical qualities of a successful female business leader, millennial women cite the following:
- Maintains work/life balance: 70%
- Flexible: 66%
- Able to make an impact: 64%
- Adaptability: 63%
- Seen as a leader first, woman second: 62%
Combining Quality of Life and Career Growth
Some 70% of young women say they believe they will be successful, and one-third believe they will reach the top of their professions. Asked to identify the drivers of professional success, they cite the following:
- Medical benefits: 63%
- Flexible hours: 50%
- Classes and training for professional advancement: 37%
Almost half of respondents (46%) say they now have an equal balance of work and personal life, followed by 38% who say they spend more time at work overall but have achieved some personal life balance:
However, young women are divided on whether they would give up personal time for more money or money for more personal time: 46% say they would be willing to give up some of their salary if it meant spending more time on personal life, while 54% say they would be willing to give up time spent on their personal life for more income.
