Women Lead: New Research Explains How Women Are Redefining Careers in the Knowledge Economy

  Women Lead: New Research Explains How Women Are Redefining Careers in the
                              Knowledge Economy

PR Newswire

PHOENIX, Jan. 30, 2013

PHOENIX, Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With women comprising half the U.S.
workforce, 57 percent of household breadwinners, and 50 percent of business
owners, the economic recovery depends largely on women's productivity and
innovation. Now a new book by Apollo Research Institute—the research arm of
Apollo Group, which owns University of Phoenix and other education
providers—presents groundbreaking research to show how women are redefining
career paths and helping organizations emerge stronger out of the recession.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click:
http://www.multivu.com/mnr/59918-apollo-research-institute-women-lead-knowledge-economy-careers 

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130130/MM45924 )

Women Lead: Career Perspectives from Workplace Leaders  identifies the six
fastest-growing sectors that offer women on-ramps to career advancement:
business services, education, healthcare, information technology, nonprofits
and manufacturing. It also provides extensive career advice for aspiring women
leaders and those launching "encore careers" in midlife.

Among the findings:

  o Women top the charts in key skills.

       o Women outperform men on key leadership competencies, such as
         communicating, coaching, organizing people, thinking creatively and
         solving problems.
       o Women also score higher than men on traits that are essential in
         today's collaborative work environments, such as empathy,
         transparency and inclusiveness.

  o Women and younger workers are driving new leadership models.

       o Generations X and Y perceive a smaller "gender gap" among workplace
         leaders than Boomers do.
       o Women demonstrate the career paths and leadership styles that younger
         generations favor.

  o Women are turning the career ladder into a labyrinth.

       o 58 percent of women leaders describe their career paths as
         "nonlinear."
       o 87 percent of women executives and managers shift career paths in
         midlife.

  o Continuous education is key to career development.

       o 90% of jobs in high-growth industries require at least some
         postsecondary education.
       o Managers rank education as the most important activity needed for
         leadership in their industries.

"Women leaders often stand out for their relationship-building skills," says
the book's lead editor, Dr. Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, vice president and managing
director of Apollo Research Institute. "But our findings highlight how women
also excel as negotiators, risk-takers and entrepreneurs."

For Women Lead, researchers at Apollo Research Institute interviewed more than
200 women executives and surveyed more than 3,100 male and female managers to
discover the leadership skills and career strategies that help women make
their work lives more satisfying and their organizations more competitive.

Apollo Research Institute and University of Phoenix are taking the research
findings on the road by working with leading organizations, including Fortune
500 companies, chambers of commerce, and the nonprofit MBA Women
International, to conduct expert panel events in more than 20 U.S. cities. The
tour includes a panel discussion and book signing at The Strand bookstore in
New York City on Tuesday, March 12 from 7 to 9 pm. Learn more at
info@apolloresearchinstitute.org or click here to buy the book.    

About Apollo Research Institute
Apollo Research Institute is a nonpartisan research division of Apollo Group,
Inc. Apollo Research Institute conducts research on issues of critical
importance to higher education and the workforce, and provides research-based
recommendations to help leaders ensure today's workers remain employable
tomorrow. Visit www.apolloresearchinstitute.org.

About Apollo Group
Apollo Group, Inc. is one of the world's largest private education providers
and has been in the education business for approximately 40 years. The Company
offers innovative and distinctive educational programs and services both
online and on-campus at the undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels
through its subsidiaries: University of Phoenix, Apollo Global, Institute for
Professional Development and College for Financial Planning. The Company
offers programs and services throughout the United States and in Latin America
and Europe, as well as online throughout the world.

SOURCE Apollo Research Institute

Website: http://www.apollogrp.edu
Contact: John Scally, +1-212-421-8325, JScally@padillaspeer.com