Money, admiration, loving family, and a fulfilling professional life-what’s not to like?

According to Deloitte’s latest research report “Flipping the Script” men and women have the same career aspirations and personal needs. Through the years, gender bias has affected societal definitions of gender roles and yet Deloitte’s research demonstrates that men and women similarly define professional success and barriers to achieving said success .

Back in the day, the workplace was basically a man’s world. Many workplace policies were established to address what were believed to be uniquely male ambitions.These policies are still in effect today. However, the work environment has dramatically changed. As of 2022 women constitute 47% of the US labor force while men make up approximately 53%. This clearly indicates that policies must be adjusted to reflect the specific needs of the different genders. Unfortunately, organizations don’t understand how to apply this new dynamic to the workplace.

However, the good news according to Deloitte's research, is that perhaps the organizations don’t need to adjust their policies. The statistics in the report, “Flipping the Script” indicate that men and women want basically the same things.

The statistics state that work/life integration is valued by 89% of women versus 84% of men; financial rewards and recognition are valued by 88% of women versus 86% of men; and personal well-being is valued by 87% of women versus 83% of men.

Interestingly, generational differences in male attitudes underscore that age sometimes does make a difference in the pursuit of a person’s goals. For example, 94% of GenZ men claim that personal well-being is important versus just 75% of boomers.

Men and women report facing similar barriers at work. However, the negative impact of those barriers is different. For example, while both men and women reported a lack of financial reward as a barrier to success, only men reported a hit to their self-esteem as a negative outcome of that particular barrier. While women might view financial reward specifically as it relates to their gender equity, men appear to take it more personally by equating their overall self-worth to the amount of money that they earn.

Although men and women may have the same wants and needs, the motivations that propel them to achieve their goals may be vastly different.