Boston Consulting Group

"It's a demanding job and to be fair, it compensates fairly well in comparison to other consulting firms. The real upside of this job is the plethora of options it opens up afterwards, so definitely a good pit stop to make in the early part of your career but beware that climbing the ladder internally requires serious commitment sometimes to the exclusion of everything else outside of work"

"I find that many of the work-life balance and sustainability challenges in consulting are similar for men and women. "

"Support for women dwindles the lower down the ladder you are, leaving those with the fewest resources and greatest dependency the most vulnerable. More disposable and less visible administrative roles don't have access to the same organizational backup or negotiating muscle of six-figure consultants; obviously that's truer for women at every level across the board. Neither HR nor my manager were willing to act on my behalf after a partner and managing director repeatedly violated company policy with inappropriate (sometimes illegal) personal requests; as a direct result I resigned immediately after securing employment elsewhere."

"It can be a really amazing experience but it's not for everyone -- the hours and travel are tough. But if you work hard, do well, and find a good niche it can be hard to beat the impact/importance of the work and the freedom and flexibility at times, and the top-notch pay and benefits."

"BCG is very supportive of women and constantly working hard to overcome the previously male-dominated culture. Our benefits are quite generous, and you can really take as much time off for things like maternity as you want (it just won't be paid after 12 weeks). It's client service, so there are always last minute requests and "fire drills", but in general it is quite flexible, without the need for "face time". This was very important to me after having kids."