"Leaders in a Global Economy: A Study of Executive Women and Men"
Ellen Galinsky, Kimberlee Salmond, James T. Bond, Marcia Brumit Kropf,
Meredith Moore and Brad Harrington
Families and Work Institute, Catalyst, and The Boston College Center
for Work & Family, May 2003.
This three-year collaborative study finds that a significant minority of company executives have a “dual-centric” outlook, placing equal importance on both their work and personal/family lives. These results challenge the common belief that business leaders must prioritize work at the expense of personal and family interests in order to succeed.
Researchers surveyed 1,192 executives at 10 U.S.-based global companies and found that 32 percent could be considered dual-centric. Nearly one-third of these executives reported feeling more successful at work, less stressed and having an easier time balancing their work and personal/family lives. Dual-centric executives do not necessarily have fewer family responsibilities than other executives. In fact, 62 percent of dual-centric executives have children living at home compared to 54 percent of executives in general. In particular, dual-centric women executives "have advanced to higher reporting levels and also feel more successful in their homes lives."
This study also debunks the notion that the higher women climb, the more they have to give up in terms of personal/family life. Researchers found that 70 percent of women closer to the CEO in reporting levels have children compared with 62 percent of women at lower reporting levels. Additionally, women with higher status “are no more likely to have delayed or decided against committed relationships than women in lower status executive jobs.” They are only “somewhat more likely than other women to have delayed having children early in their careers.”
The report also highlights recommendations to help advance and diversify senior leadership, such as focusing on leadership, key developmental experiences, rewards, connections, work-life and retention.
Companies involved in this study include Baxter International Inc.; Citigroup; Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu; Dow; Eli Lilly and Co.; Goldman, Sachs & Co.; IBM; JPMorgan Chase; Marriott International; and Proctor & Gamble.
