During a stay in Shanghai Dr. Bettina Al-Sadik Lowinski, Master Certified coach, decided to do a PhD on how woman rise to the top. The result of her ongoing research – spanning 110 interviews in five countries – is her latest book, “Women in Top Management.”

In today’s podcast she shares some of her findings – all fascinating, and many surprising. 80% of the executives that she spoke to in China, Japan, Germany, Russia and France were mothers, which she didn’t expect. „In my coaching younger women in Germany hesitate to make a career with kids. What holds them back often is this „raven mother“ stigma.” she says. “ In Germany due to our socialization we hear, well that’s not possible, or it’s really difficult. In my global research I have found many women in senior functions who master their career with children. They organize support, they free themselves from expectations and they have defined their professional targets well!” 🙌🏽

But she also found that – at least among the current crop of top managers who are now in their late 40s and 50s – fluid working models are still very rare. That makes it all more important for those of us now coming back from parental leave to blaze a new trail, and to pioneer new and innovative working models at our companies – so that they become the norm in the next generation. “The near future will tell us which newer work models will support mothers but also fathers best,” says Bettina.

Which brings us back to the power of #rolemodels. Bettina found that in countries where there are a lot of women in middle to upper management, the whole work culture has changed as a result – in China, work dinners happen earlier, so that people can go home earlier. Women are powerful role models in their own families as well – women who were raised by working mothers have their role model from early childhood on. It is important that each woman finds her own paths and once decided, they should not feel guilty.

Speaker: Dr. Bettina Al-Sadik Lowinski – Author, Speaker, International Executive Coach (MCC), Founder of global Women Career Lab

Interviewer: Dr. Ricarda Engelmeier – Founder @MyCollective

Music: sponsored by @Michaelkadelbach

Picture: Bettina Al-Sadik-Lowinski

Graphic & Production: MyCollective