#ambition gap

[asrarblog]

WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE REPORT 2025 – Part 1 – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1198

WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE REPORT 2025 – Part 1 – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1198

[radicalmandy]

Women—who, despite slow progress in some fields, are increasingly dominant in the professional world—are far more likely than men to suffer from imposter syndrome. Many experts have posited that this is one reason for the so-called “ambition gap.” It’s not that women don’t want to succeed, it’s that, despite their education and experience, they’ve internalized messages about their lack of qualification.

Not Qualified for Your Job? Wait, You Probably Are

Sending this to some lady staff right now. #fuckyeahannfriedman

[mmoufarek]

Davos - Ambition Gap - Sheryl Sandberg

It all starts here. Smart like Daddy, Pretty like Mommy

[hellraiser-blog]

Assuming that women have themselves to blame for the wage gap is an easy conclusion, because it doesn't ask us to think the treatment of women in the workplace. In fact, women show just as much enthusiasm for getting ahead as their male peers. Choices aren't the only thing holding back women's earnings. Bias is happening, too, even if it's uncomfortable to call it out.

[shawnramsey-blog]

Ambition Gap, Gender Gap … Call it what you will, its still a gap!

Many of you may have heard about Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg’s recent discussion (at the World Economic Forum) about what she called the “ambition gap” between men and women. She went on to say that this gap impedes women all the way from childhood to the corporate boardroom, and that girls need to be more ambitious to achieve in the workplace. 

Sandberg got quite a bit of flack because the term “ambition gap” implies that women themselves are lacking ambition. Like the term or not, you can’t deny there has been and continues to be a gap between men and women in the workforce. Like many others, I am just glad that she brought it to the forefront (again). 

There are obviously so many challenges for women in the work place, and it’s easy to blame the lack of female leadership on those external factors. I have certainly been guilty of that myself. But, Sandberg’s discussion reminds me that I need to accept some personal responsibility when it comes to my future as a leader and role model. The first step for me, and others, is to believe I have what it takes to be a leader and to live up to that standard. The second step is to challenge those gender stereotypes, glass ceilings, and other obstacles in the workplace. Reform in the workplace, and even at home, can start with us. 

The change will not be immediate, and my generation might not reap the benefits directly, but it will come eventually. Research shows that women are already closing the education gap, with record numbers of women entering undergraduate programs as well as MBA and PhD programs. That is definitely a step in the right direction. Progress can be slow, but I am committed to doing what I can to push it along. 

If you want to learn more about Sandberg’s “ambition gap”, here are some links you might want to check out: 

http://technorati.com/women/article/facebooks-sheryl-sandberg-discusses-women-lagging/

http://www.thestar.com/article/1127386--facebook-s-sheryl-sandberg-says-women-burdened-by-ambition-gap-is-she-right

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/business/sheryl-sandberg-of-facebook-staying-on-message.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthaettus/2012/02/02/sheryl-sandberg/