In their ongoing effort to support career goals of young women in the U.S., the 1,000 Dreams Fund released a survey this week of 1,050 women between the ages of 18 and 35. The results show that more than 30% of Gen Z and Millennial American women want to be entrepreneurs; however, 32% say they will still need to keep their current job for 5 years to pay off those hefty student loans.
In the age of startups, the idea of women entrepreneurs might sound like a positive, diversifying move in the workplace. And since 77% of young women thought being too young hurt their prospects of getting an interview or landing the job, it’s not surprising many have dreams of working for themselves.
But looking at the broader picture, these young women are having a tough time in the workforce.
Employers “increasingly say they want diversity in the workplace and more women in leadership roles,” said 1,000 Dreams Founder Christine Garton in an interview with Lady Freethinker.
Yet, three-quarters of young women lack confidence in their chances of getting an interview or landing a job.
Even after they make it into the workplace, the study shows that about 20% of young women are subject to workplace bullying and sexism — definitely not good for employee morale.
While employers may be to blame for passing by the younger generations’ resumes, Garton says the most disturbing factor about these findings is the fact that “women in the workplace are the primary source of bullying.”
“Bullying should not be happening in any case,” said Garton, “But that women would subject other women to such treatment is unacceptable.”
So, we know women haven’t been paid equal to men, and now they’re bullying each other? Come on ladies, we can’t rise above unless we come together!
In order to create a workplace that women want to — well, work in — company culture has to shift to fostering an environment that truly encourages the advancement of women and diversity programs.
We can’t blame all of the women’s workplace woes on others, though. A quarter of the women surveyed only update their resume when they’re on the hunt for the next job, and the majority of young women aren’t confident in their interviewing skills. These factors are up to you! Have your resume updated at all times; you never know when the next great job opportunity will come up. And make use of the multitude of resources to improve your interviewing skills. For an extra confidence boost before the big interview, you can even get the perfect bra to land the job.
