When women step on the gas
The "weaker sex" my ass. For years, women have achieved higher pass rates than men in vocational and higher professional examinations. A mystery. Or is it not? Examination and training professionals discuss the phenomenon.
It is as much a part of the ritual of a graduation ceremony as the Cüpli before dinner and the exam chairman's handshake: The announcement of the results with the success rate of male and female candidates. This was the case for marketing managers in 2009: 74 percent of the male candidates passed. Among women, 88 percent passed. Among marketing specialists, 57 percent of women passed last year, but only 43 percent of men. In the sales manager category, an extremely male-dominated field, 200 men took part and 154 passed. Success rate: 77 percent. 26 women competed, 23 passed. Success rate: 88 percent. 2009 - a coincidental year that saw Swiss marketing evas soar? No. The facts from Swiss Marketing (see also box) make it clear: the trend can be traced back over the years. Women always have a higher success rate than men. The word may be worn out, but it deserves to be used here once again: Women power. What is it that makes women such exam winners?
Softer factors ...
It should be made clear that this is not a general bashing of men. Rather, it is an attempt to track down the causes and methods of women's success in examinations. Claude Dubois, Head of Examinations at Swiss Marketing, can confirm the figures on the predominance of women in examinations. His thoughts on the dominance of women: "I have the impression that women are more serious about what they do. When they take the plunge into training, they are more determined. And I think that women are better networked." An astonishing statement. After all, it is always criticized that one of the reasons why women are less likely than men to make the leap to the top of a company is because they lack the right networks. Dubois talks about the connections that women make with each other in order to make the exam a joint success: "At graduation ceremonies, I always notice how women are happy about their success in groups, actual learning groups that have formed during the course of the training and towards the exam." And then succeed.
Mireille Saucy, President of MarKom, head of the higher professional examination for PR consultants and the professional examination for PR specialists, puts it succinctly: "When women continue their professional training, they do it right. That's just the way women are wired. And because marketing and PR are female-specific professions, they are even more motivated to make the exam a personal success." In addition, women are obviously more willing to learn and iron out mistakes: "I notice that the majority of candidates who fail their professional exams are women who come to me to look at their exam results and want to learn something from them. I rarely see men." Jürg Kaltenrieder, a lecturer in communication subjects for marketing and sales specialists and operator of Fiorma Marketingfox, which helps marketing professionals prepare for their exams, takes up this topic: "After the lessons, it's more likely to be women who come back to me and ask questions." Or to put it more simply: she asks for help, he doesn't want to make a fool of himself. Kaltenrieder believes that women have a fundamental advantage when it comes to marketing: "Women are better and more adept at communication topics, have more creative flair and have a more comprehensive and networked way of thinking than men. However, they have a harder time with rational topics such as statistics and accounting. In terms of emotional intelligence, women can integrate and empathize more, which gives them a head start when it comes to developing communication concepts, for example."
... and harder ones
More eagerness to learn, female intuition, a more serious approach, forming networks where it benefits everyone and individual interests are not promoted - up to this point, one could say that once again the proverbial female empathy and therefore the soft factor prevails in this topic. A characteristic that is often cited, but which is difficult to measure. However, there is also a harder factor: "It is possible that women pay more often than men for their further training. They are determined to pass and don't want to waste any time. Men are more likely to be asked to do further training by the company and may be less motivated," Mireille Saucy has long suspected. Recently, there has also been official proof of this. The "Education Report 2010", which has just been published, shows that 60 percent of working women in Switzerland finance their further education themselves. Men, on the other hand, only pay for a third of the costs on average. The education report comes from the Swiss Coordination Office for Education Research (SKBF), a joint institution of the Swiss Confederation and the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK). Anyone who puts their own money into something, as anyone who has ever considered the difference between entrepreneurs and managers knows, will always take better care of the sustainability of the investment. This is probably why Marketingfox boss Kaltenrieder says: "Women want to assert themselves, they are more ambitious, they take things more seriously. They want to prove something: To themselves, to society, to the company."
A phenomenon beyond marketing
The dominance of women in exam success is also known at schools. Nicole Eugster, Head of Education and Knowledge and member of the Executive Board of the MKS Competence Center for Management and Marketing in Sargans, says: "The higher success rate of women is a fact - and this goes beyond marketing and PR professional examinations, it is also evident in HR and finance." For her, whether or not employers pay for training is of secondary importance. Feminist approaches as to whether and how women should generally make more of an effort are equally important. Eugster's basic explanation: "Continuing your education is a matter of hard work. What is required is an investment of time, that you go into detail - women probably have greater discipline here, more detail orientation."
The topic is probably no less complex than the interaction between women and men in general. Nicole Eugster, at any rate, believes that we need to take a much broader and deeper approach: "We should consult our colleagues in brain research to clarify this.
The fact that the female brain differs from the male brain - i.e. the thought structures - probably has an influence on the results," says the Sargans executive. And spins the thread back a few thousand years: "Perhaps we can also see a reason for female diligence in the history of cavemen: The men wandered off, the women tended to work quietly at home. An early phase of hard work that led women to success." The extent to which the foundations for the examination success of today's generations were already laid in Neanderthal times is a completely different story. Just like this one: how can it be that women are still in short supply on management boards today, despite their proven superiority in terms of numbers?
Softer factors ...
It should be made clear that this is not a general bashing of men. Rather, it is an attempt to track down the causes and methods of women's success in examinations. Claude Dubois, Head of Examinations at Swiss Marketing, can confirm the figures on the predominance of women in examinations. His thoughts on the dominance of women: "I have the impression that women are more serious about what they do. When they take the plunge into training, they are more determined. And I think that women are better networked." An astonishing statement. After all, it is always criticized that one of the reasons why women are less likely than men to make the leap to the top of a company is because they lack the right networks. Dubois talks about the connections that women make with each other in order to make the exam a joint success: "At graduation ceremonies, I always notice how women are happy about their success in groups, actual learning groups that have formed during the course of the training and towards the exam." And then succeed.
Mireille Saucy, President of MarKom, head of the higher professional examination for PR consultants and the professional examination for PR specialists, puts it succinctly: "When women continue their professional training, they do it right. That's just the way women are wired. And because marketing and PR are female-specific professions, they are even more motivated to make the exam a personal success." In addition, women are obviously more willing to learn and iron out mistakes: "I notice that the majority of candidates who fail their professional exams are women who come to me to look at their exam results and want to learn something from them. I rarely see men." Jürg Kaltenrieder, a lecturer in communication subjects for marketing and sales specialists and operator of Fiorma Marketingfox, which helps marketing professionals prepare for their exams, takes up this topic: "After the lessons, it's more likely to be women who come back to me and ask questions." Or to put it more simply: she asks for help, he doesn't want to make a fool of himself. Kaltenrieder believes that women have a fundamental advantage when it comes to marketing: "Women are better and more adept at communication topics, have more creative flair and have a more comprehensive and networked way of thinking than men. However, they have a harder time with rational topics such as statistics and accounting. In terms of emotional intelligence, women can integrate and empathize more, which gives them a head start when it comes to developing communication concepts, for example."
... and harder ones
More eagerness to learn, female intuition, a more serious approach, forming networks where it benefits everyone and individual interests are not promoted - up to this point, one could say that once again the proverbial female empathy and therefore the soft factor prevails in this topic. A characteristic that is often cited, but which is difficult to measure. However, there is also a harder factor: "It is possible that women pay more often than men for their further training. They are determined to pass and don't want to waste any time. Men are more likely to be asked to do further training by the company and may be less motivated," Mireille Saucy has long suspected. Recently, there has also been official proof of this. The "Education Report 2010", which has just been published, shows that 60 percent of working women in Switzerland finance their further education themselves. Men, on the other hand, only pay for a third of the costs on average. The education report comes from the Swiss Coordination Office for Education Research (SKBF), a joint institution of the Swiss Confederation and the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK). Anyone who puts their own money into something, as anyone who has ever considered the difference between entrepreneurs and managers knows, will always take better care of the sustainability of the investment. This is probably why Marketingfox boss Kaltenrieder says: "Women want to assert themselves, they are more ambitious, they take things more seriously. They want to prove something: To themselves, to society, to the company."
A phenomenon beyond marketing
The dominance of women in exam success is also known at schools. Nicole Eugster, Head of Education and Knowledge and member of the Executive Board of the MKS Competence Center for Management and Marketing in Sargans, says: "The higher success rate of women is a fact - and this goes beyond marketing and PR professional examinations, it is also evident in HR and finance." For her, whether or not employers pay for training is of secondary importance. Feminist approaches as to whether and how women should generally make more of an effort are equally important. Eugster's basic explanation: "Continuing your education is a matter of hard work. What is required is an investment of time, that you go into detail - women probably have greater discipline here, more detail orientation."
The topic is probably no less complex than the interaction between women and men in general. Nicole Eugster, at any rate, believes that we need to take a much broader and deeper approach: "We should consult our colleagues in brain research to clarify this.
The fact that the female brain differs from the male brain - i.e. the thought structures - probably has an influence on the results," says the Sargans executive. And spins the thread back a few thousand years: "Perhaps we can also see a reason for female diligence in the history of cavemen: The men wandered off, the women tended to work quietly at home. An early phase of hard work that led women to success." The extent to which the foundations for the examination success of today's generations were already laid in Neanderthal times is a completely different story. Just like this one: how can it be that women are still in short supply on management boards today, despite their proven superiority in terms of numbers?
Eva has got the hang of it
Swiss Marketing has analyzed the examinations of the last three years. The result is clear: women have always achieved a better pass rate than men. The percentages refer to the pass rate for both men and women
Marketing planner 2007
Women: 78.5 percent. Men: 68.8 percent
Marketing planner 2008
Women: 73.9 percent. Men: 65.2 percent
Marketing experts 2009
Women: 56.8 percent. Men: 43.2 percent
Sales coordinators 2007
Women: 67.2 percent. Men: 55.5 percent
Sales coordinators 2008
Women: 61.4 percent. Men: 60.6 percent
Sales coordinators and specialists 2009
Women: 74.7 percent. Men: 61.2 percent
Sales Manager 2007
Women: 83.3 percent. Men: 70.2 percent
Sales Manager 2008
Women: 70.1 percent. Men: 67.8 percent
Sales Manager 2009
Women: 88.5 percent. Men: 77 percent
Marketing Manager 2007
Women: 69.4 percent. Men: 68 percent
Marketing Manager 2009
Women: 88.4 percent. Men: 74 percent
