Women say becoming mums ‘obstacle to career’

An international study commissioned by MAZARS, an international organisation offering corporate advisory and audit services, has found that inequalities between men and women at the workplace persist despite significant progress around the world in terms of gender equality.

Women continue finding it difficult to strike an acceptable work-life balance, the study – ‘Welcome to the World of Women’ – says.

A copy was recently presented by MAZARS Malta Managing Partner Anthony Attard to the President of the National Council of Women (NCW), Mary Gaerty.

Conducted in 2014, this comparative survey was based on the participation of 2,382 women from 108 countries.

Attard said that among the main outcomes of the study, more than half of the women surveyed felt discriminated against, saying their progress, career-wise, was not the same as that of their male counterparts. “Perhaps even more disturbing,” Attard said, “is the fact that 63% consider maternity as an obstacle to their career path.”

“The underlying tensions emerge from the fact that most women find a work-life balance elusive and that the multiple roles women carry are a source of stress and frustration,” Attard said.

“76% of the women surveyed state that they would like their partner to support them more in dealing with everyday life and take a greater part in it. They also count a lot on their employer in ensuring that employees achieve a better work-life balance”.

The study concludes that reconciling work and private life is possible “provided there is a genuine collective commitment which supports working women, both from their partners as well as their employers”.

MAZARS has already published two studies on gender issues, including ‘Revolution Y’ and ‘What do the men think?’, conducted in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

66% of MAZARS’ team in Malta are women: “We are proud to offer work conditions which promote a better work-life balance for all our employees, and we strongly believe that to be successful, we need to harness the collective intelligence of all our team members,” Attard said.