PROGRESSION

HR decision-makers see this from their perspective, too.

Knowledge

• 42% of young women said that they would not know how to ask for a promotion or pay rise, compared to just 28% of young men.

Young women on lower incomes and young women from lower socio economic backgrounds are more likely to say they don’t know how to ask for a promotion or pay rise - 46% of those earning under £20,000 and 48% of young women from a lower socioeconomic background said they would not know how to ask for a promotion or pay rise.

Men are more likely to put themselves forward

• Over a third (35%) of HR decision makers think that young men are more likely to ask for a pay rise than young women, compared to just 9% who think that young women are more likely to.
• Almost a third (32%) of HR decision makers think young men are also more likely to ask for a promotion than young women, with less than 1 in 10 (9%) believing that young women are more likely to.

Lack of support and opportunities for young women

• Young men are much more likely to say they have the support they need to progress in their careers – 64%, compared to just 56% of young women.
• Almost 3 in 10 (28%) young women in employment say that women and men are not given the same opportunities to progress in their organisation.
• A fifth (20%) of organisations don’t offer anything to support the development of young women.

Employers’ attitudes

Attitudes which negatively impact women's progression are still prevalent among HR decision makers.

Confidence

How confident young women are socialised to be, and then made to feel in their working environments is also a factor. 

• Over a fifth (21%) of young women don’t feel confident to put themselves forwards for work or training opportunities they are interested in, compared to 17% of young men. 

Employers should: 

• Use positive action in internal promotions to increase the number of young women moving up into more senior roles. 
• Provide regular development reviews and feedback as standard so young women know what they need to do to move up. 
• Create clear career pathways within their organisations, with transparent pay grade. 
• Make supervisor and manager positions available as flexible or job-share roles, so those who need flexibility aren’t blocked from progressing.  
• Offer more training, mentoring, sponsorship and shadowing opportunities for young women  
• Create peer and professional networking opportunities for young women 
• Provide training for line managers in how to support young women’s development.  
• Guard against biased assumptions about young women’s potential and career ambitions on the basis of their gender, marital status or whether they’re a parent. 
• When advertising jobs, encourage women to apply even if they don’t meet 100% of the job criteria.