COMPILED BY EMILY BARSKE WOOD
This coverage is from the Business Record’s annual survey on women’s and gender issues as part of our Fearless initiative. While nonscientific, we believe the results of this questionnaire illustrate current opinions about Iowa women’s equity in and outside of work. Read previous coverage here.
We asked those taking our gender issues survey a variety of questions about women’s equity.
We asked: How do you define success? What does success look like for you?
Comments from respondents who identify as women or nonbinary:
“As a baby boomer, I worked extremely hard to advance. I was relatively successful in doing that, making it to a VP role. My most valued possession currently is a strong and happy marriage. Balance is key for any marriage in today’s environment.”
“Leading a full life where you are able lead a professional career while also having the time and resources to enjoy family and time outside of work.”
“Success is achieving what you strive to achieve. For me, success looks like being financially independent, in harmony with my body and mind, and furthering my writing career.”
“Making a difference in someone’s life and giving people a hand up. Personal success for me is raising a human who is a compassionate, productive member of society.”
“Success for me is being true to myself and becoming the person God intended me to be.”
“Freedom. Financial freedom, of course. But also the freedom to work from home, to take time off to be with my children. Money does make the world go around, and with it comes the other freedoms of doing what you need to do to be happy.”
“Success is feeling joyful each day.”
“To have a career you enjoy with colleagues that work well together. To earn a comfortable income so your basic needs are covered, a savings established for future goals, or any emergency expense. To feel secure and content with your life.”
“Success is being happy with where you’re at home and work. It is also being respected.”
“Success is defined as achieving a set of specific milestones or goals that one aspires to achieve. The goals then change, which means success is fluid – like water, it expands to fill its own container.”
Comments from respondents who identify as men:
“Success is not what TV, social media and others tell you what you need to be or have. When you are genuinely thankful for who you are, what you have and what you can do, only then are you on the right path to success.”
“I thought growing up, being educated and having a career in my hometown meant success. I was wrong.”
“Decent work-life balance and enough income to very comfortably retire before 60.”
“Achieving your goals.”
“Faith, family, work. If you can keep those three things in balance, your life will be a success.”
“Happiness. What that means is defined by everyone individually. For me, it is flexibility to prioritize family.”
