When I read this Slate article, my first reaction was "THANK YOU." Because I have always wondered why the standard career advice never seemed right for women. And it turns out my gut instinct was correct! I love it when that happens.

 

The conventional wisdom is that if "you" want a raise or a promotion, your best bet is to jump to another company. But it turns out that, as with so many other things, the "you" in that situation is male. For women, it often works out better if you stay at your current job and tough it out.

 

This bears out what I have seen over and over again, not just in my own life, but in the lives and careers of my friends and coworkers. I see men jumping ship and getting better jobs, while women who jump ship get a minor bump at best. Meanwhile, the men I see stick with their jobs frequently stagnate, while the women who stick with their jobs slowly but steadily climb - in both position and salary.

 

What gives?

 

According to a group of analysts at a company called Catalyst, which released the report with these findings, it's all about perception. They speculate that men are paid based on their presumed future performance. While women are paid more conservatively, based on their past performance. 

 

In other words, women have to prove themselves. Men just have to wow them in the hiring process. Not exactly a news flash to anyone in the trenches, but it sure is validating to see it being laid out with actual scientific data!

 

The report then goes on to note that women have a much more difficult time finding mentors than men do. Mentors can not only help you groom your career, they also offer valuable connections and can help open doors. Mentoring is important, but many women never find a mentor. And most women find male mentors. Two thirds of respondents said they had never had a female mentor.

 

There are a lot of cultural reasons for this. Women are often pitted against each other in the workplace. When in reality, we aren't in competition with each other - we are in competition with the men. But splintering that solidarity helps preserve the kyriarchy, by keeping women focused on blocking each others' careers instead of helping them.

 

What can you do? First, be aware that a lot of career advice is (albeit unconsciously) specific to men. Consider holding your current job instead of looking for another one. And keep an eye out for opportunities to mentor other women. We need to stick together!