Are Women Plummeting at Mid Career?

This is something I have been wondering about. Now maybe I am slow to pick up on it, but I have been noticing there are a lot of women hitting a mid career chasm. I see it with acquaintances and clients.

It seems to creep up on women in their late 30’s and to mid 40’s. It is insidious when it gets hold. It seems to start with a slow burn inside that manifests in unhappiness, frustration and waning confidence. I wouldn’t call it a mid life crisis – these women have happy marriages and family lives. Rather it is focused on their jobs and careers.

These women all have differing backgrounds and life stories. What they share in common is the mid career chasm. It is as if they have woken up from 15+ years of a career they are now questioning. They seek passion and a way to make a difference in the world. And for some, the realization they are unlikely to make it to the corporate C-suite has them disillusioned.

For the past five years, Bain and Company have studied this phenomenon. They found that by mid career, women’s ambition wanes far more than men. 43% of women enter their careers with aspirations to top management (compared with 34% of men). Over time the ambitions of those experienced employees shift dramatically; only 16% of women are aiming for the top while the aspirations of men remained the same.

As they gain experience, women’s confidence falls by half, while men’s stay about the same. The study suggests there are three critical areas where women in the middle of their careers report more negative experiences and perceptions than when they began their career: a clash with the stereotype of the ideal worker, a lack of supervisory support and too few role models in senior-level positions.

Okay so this study focuses on the corporate sector in which not all women work. But it does reveal that the plummet does exist.

As I read this and other articles on the subject, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own experience on the ladder in a large organization. Aside from the demands of family life, I felt both the pressure to compete with co-workers (especially other women) and lack of support for my career aspirations. And that resulted in increased stress and decreased confidence.

If you are a woman in the mid career slump, what choices do you have to get through the mid career phase? The most important thing is to understand you actually do have choices. With years ahead of you, it is time to evaluate your situation and re-evaluate your vision for your future. For example, is your current career or job leading you to your desired future? Does it allow you to be of service to others? Are you waking up each day filled with passion? Is the job a “should do” or a ”want to do”?

The answers will lead you to your choices. It may be to stay where you are for the long term (this is where a coach can help you develop your go-forward game plan); or, you may realize it isn’t the right fit and is time to move on (in which case a coach can accelerate the time it takes to figure out your vision and next steps).

The important thing is that only you can decide. And it gets better – this is THE chance to get rid of everything not working (your own faulty thinking and behaviors) and decide what you want to pack in your suitcase for your journey forward.

I would love to hear if you experienced the plummet and how you moved forward in the comments below.