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A much-discussed phenomenon at the end of 2003 in the United States was the opt-out revolution. The ‘I quit revolution’ was first described by Lisa Belkin in The New York Times. Women at the Top: Princess Mathilde and princess Máxima She described a group of highly educated successful women in high positions who suddenly decided to become stay-at-home mums. They were able to make this choice because their husbands were making high salaries as well.
Declining promotion Later on, others like Carolyn Luce and Sylvia Ann Hewlett for the Harvard Business Review, studied the phenomenon. They questioned 2.443 highly educated women and discovered that a large portion chose to go for less than the stars. When asked about their career goals, achieving a powerful position was at the bottom of the list. Almost 40 percent of the women had declined at last one promotion during their professional careers.
The Canadian psychologist and journalist Susan Pinker wrote The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Real Gender Gap. Her conclusion: women don’t want to take the ‘the manly route’.
And now there is a Dutch study among women in high positions. And again, we are surprised by their unstressed attitude towards reaching the top. Inca van Uuden of Higher & Company wrote the book 10 x Top (ISBN 978-90-77557-60-0).
By Marike Stellinga |
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