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ndonesian professionals, more so than their peers in Southeast Asia, prefer to focus on their careers rather than stay at home even if money is not an issue, a recent survey shows.

The need to actualize oneself '€” and a workplace culture that supports this '€” is one of the factors compelling the trend.

The findings were reflected in Accenture'€™s study '€œKnowing and Growing Your Career Capital'€, which was released to commemorate International Women'€™s Day 2014. The annual study involved 4,100 executives from 32 countries such as Germany, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.

As many as 100 respondents from Indonesia, divided equally between the sexes, participated.

The study found that 43 percent of these respondents preferred their spouses or live-in partners to continue working despite stable personal finances.

In this respect, Indonesia is second to Malaysia '€” with 60 percent '€” in the Southeast-Asia region. The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand trail behind with 33 percent, 32 percent and 30 percent respectively.

'€œThe study also revealed that close to five out of 10 working parents '€” 46 percent male and 42 percent female '€” from Indonesia preferred to work than stay at home although finances were not an issue,'€ Accenture Indonesia country managing director Neneng Goenadi said.

She added that the figures reflected a societal and cultural shift, considering that it was common in the past for women to assume the role of housewife if their spouses were able to provide for them.

'€œThese days, working is about self-actualization for both men and women,'€ she said, adding that both genders had come to respect this need in their significant others. She added that advancements, such as social media, had partly catalyzed the paradigm shift by introducing new ideas to people.

She said that both male and female respondents displayed equal drive in their career chase, with 96 percent of female and 98 percent of male respondents believing that '€œsuccess does not knock on your door, you have to earn it'€.

'€œMale and female respondents also displayed minor differences in the capital they believe they need to advance their careers,'€ she said.

The chief '€œcareer capital'€ for respondents was possessing knowledge and competency in a particular area, with 80 percent female and 72 percent male saying so.

Respondents also considered networking to be critical. As many as 70 percent of female and 40 percent of male respondents said that networking within their organization was important, with 64 percent females and 52 percent males acknowledging that networking outside the organization was essential.

The study also shows that 71 percent of respondents believe that the number of females on boards of directors would rise by 2020, with 70 percent saying the amount of female CEOs would move upward as well.

'€œThis is supported by the 44 percent of respondents saying their organizations were preparing more women for senior management roles compared to past years,'€ Neneng pointed out.

'€œThe next 5-10 years will be very promising for women,'€ she said.

Indonesia Stock Exchange director for business development, Friderica Widyasari Dewi, said that gender was no longer an issue in many workplaces.

'€œThe focus is now on aptitude,'€ she said.

OCBC NISP president director, Parwati Surjaudaja, added that various industries, including finance, were witnessing women climbing up the ranks.

'€œHowever, I find that although the limits are thinning, sometimes it is the women themselves who are holding themselves back from opportunities to enhance their careers,'€ she said.