Generational Differences of Women

This Wall Street Journal article on differences among women has sparked discussion.

An excerpt:

One attendee was Nina McLemore, founder of Liz Claiborne Accessories, who now has her own designer-clothing line. She says today's twentysomethings were coddled as girls -- chauffeured from play date to play date -- and now want to be coddled on the job.

Ms. McLemore, 60, often works until 11 p.m., but her young staffers tend to be 9-to-5ers. "They'll tell me, 'Wow. That was really late when you sent me the email last night.'" She tries to understand the reasons behind their reluctance to work hard. "Some are less interested in putting in long hours because they've seen their mothers do it, and they don't want that stress. I've heard this from women in all industries again and again."

For their part, many younger women feel that older female colleagues and bosses aren't helpful or relevant to them. Just 53% of women said they "learn from older co-workers," according to a survey released last week by Randstad USA, an employment-services firm. Only 23% of women under age 34 said older co-workers "energize me and bring new ideas to the table."

This reflects the reality that many older female managers are reluctant to be mentors, says Susan Shapiro Barash, a gender-studies professor at Marymount Manhattan College. When these women were young, there were few or no female role models, and their attitude is, "I toughed it out and made it on my own. You can too," she says.

In a study of 500 women conducted by Prof. Barash, 70% felt that male bosses treated them better than female bosses did. Also, 65% of the women over age 50 admitted that they'd prefer to mentor women in their 20s instead of women in their late 30s or 40s.

The reason? A female baby boomer is often uncomfortable helping a woman "who might get her job next," says Prof. Barash. Her research is detailed in a new book about women and rivalry, "Tripping the Prom Queen."