More women are actively pursuing their career goals than ever before- PwC

In a survey by PwC to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) reveals that women are confident, ambitious and ready for what’s next, but many don’t trust what their employers are telling them about career development and promotion; or what helps or hurts their career.

·  82% of women surveyed are confident in their ability to fulfil their career aspirations and 73% are actively seeking career advancement opportunities, according to the survey.

·  But 42% feel nervous about the impact starting a family might have on their career and 48% of new mothers felt overlooked for promotions and special projects upon their return to work

·  45% believe diversity can be a barrier to career progression and only 51% of women feel their employers are doing enough to improve gender diversity

·  58% of women identified greater transparency as the critical step employers can take.

To improve career development opportunities, women identified greater transparency (58%) as the critical step employers can take. This means offering staff a clear understanding of the expectations on both sides of the employment equation, including information about career progression and success, and open conversations with employees on where they stand and what is expected of them to advance.

Meanwhile, wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has urged Nigerian women to make the abduction of girls in parts of the country the focus of this year’s International Women’s Day.

She called for sober reflection Thursday in a message she posted on her Facebook page, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari.

According to her, the abduction of 110 girls in their school in Dapchi, Yobe State, makes this this year’s women’s day celebration, a bit different.

Mrs. Buhari explained that she has decided to develop a local theme, #LeaveOurDaughtersAlone, as a strong call for and end to abduction.

She wrote, “Today, I congratulate Nigerian Women on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

“For us in Nigeria, this year’s #InternationalWomensDay comes with a difference.

“We have to reflect the sad incidences of the abduction of our daughters, especially the recent one in Dapchi Yobe State.

“This for us should take center stage. That is why we decided to develop a local theme: #LeaveOurDaughtersAlone as a strong call for the end of this national disaster and hope for their release.”