Any regular news consumer is likely familiar with the existence of persistent gender gaps in the American workplace. Despite being more educated than men, women continue to make less money and are far less likely to reach the top ranks of corporate leadership than their male peers.
There are myriad theories of why gender gaps persist. The most common one centers on the fact that women often drop out of the workforce temporarily to bear and care for children, while others focus on negative attitudes in the workplace towards women who are seen as ambitious.
The Guardian Life Insurance Company sought to analyze how women's attitudes about themselves may prevent them becoming financial advisers — a profession occupied mostly by men. In a study released Wednesday, Guardian, one of the country's largest mutual life insurers, identified a number of barriers that kept women from seeking a career in sales.
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For starters, most women aren't interested in sales. In fact, only 22 percent said they would even consider a sales job.
That probably has something to do with the fact that 67 percent of women say the "sales" profession makes them think of a "used car salesman." (Not a used car saleswoman).
And whether they're willing to set aside age-old stereotypes, nearly four-fifths of women say they don't want to work for commission and two-thirds express concern about the energy and time necessary to make a living in sales.
And then, of course, are the perceptions of what it takes to succeed in sales. Most women don't believe their personalities are in line with such a career. Specifically, 77 percent don't believe they're "pushy" enough.
Other answers in the survey suggested that many women don't bring enough attention to themselves in the workplace. Only a quarter of respondents said they go out of their way to stand out from other employees.
It's hard, however, to assess the significance of the survey without knowing how men would have responded to the same questions.
A study last year suggested that the gender gap on financial literacy was narrowing, indicating that women are more likely to go into the financial sector in the future.
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