If you’re an administrative professional — especially a woman — be prepared to be overlooked, underpaid, and treated as expendable.
Support staff are expected to operate at executive levels: managing C-suite calendars, resolving interdepartmental dysfunction, coordinating across time zones, and shielding leadership from chaos — with none of that reflected in title, compensation, or growth opportunity.
Advancement for long-tenured, high-performing female admins is blocked by arbitrary degree requirements — even when supporting executives who themselves built their careers without degrees. Meanwhile, male administrative staff are often given elevated non-admin titles and significantly higher compensation for equivalent or lesser work.
The message becomes clear during every pay and performance cycle: optics and politics matter more than actual output.
Temporary employees earn higher hourly rates than full-time senior admins at Citizens.