Archive for Equality
What You Dont Know Can Hurt You
Posted by: | CommentsMany times when working with organizations on strategies to increase gender diversity in the leadership ranks the leaders will say ” lets just get all the women together and ask them what they want”. While this is noble and certainly talking with the women in the organization to understand how they experience the culture is critical it is not “the answer” . One of the most serious issues women face when attempting to advance in male dominated cultures is lack of access. Lack of access to senior leadership, opportunities, information, and organizational knowledge. As a result of this lack of access women “dont know what they dont know”. This also is a driving force in the phenomenon of women rejecting efforts to start any type of program or initiative aimed at advancing women. It is common to hear some of the women who may have be closest to breaking through to levels where women have not been represented say that they are not role models and do not want anything to do with any programs related to women or women’s advancement. This also represents the fact that women “dont know what they dont know”. Best practice programs aimed at helping women to advance are all about business and all about evening a playing field that is not providing equal career development opportunities for all. The uneven field is not something most people can see without awareness raising activity. The women in the organization are in fact often the individuals who most cannot see what is happening and “what you dont know can hurt you”. There are a long list of things that an individual needs to know about an organization in order to increase their value proposition to that organization. The most common method of learning these key lessons is access. Access to senior leaders, opportunities, experiences, assignments, and organizational learning. Without this information our careers are like a journey we take without a map. Most of our male counterparts more naturally gain this very important access due to ease of networking that very naturally takes place between people who identify with each other. Therefore our male counterparts have a map which is a very real and tangible advantage. We may think the road to our destination is straightforward and with steady hard work we will arrive. Little do we know that there are side trips and short cuts we need to know about that we cannot see without access to organizational knowledge. When we hear the lament of male leadership teams ” we would hire women if only we could find any qualified to do the job” they are not always making excuses. Because women are very often taking a less than focused journey without a map- they may not be as qualified as their male counterparts because they have not had the assignments and experiences that they need to be prepared to be the best candidate for a job. In addition, research has shown us that women are very often evaluated on experience while males are evaluated on potential which multiplies this problem dramatically. SO what is the answer to this very significant dilemma? Learn how to build access. Stay tuned for my next posting on this very topic!!
Of Beauties and Beasts
Posted by: | CommentsPost by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women on Business writer
I was watching a business channel, CNBC, the other day and it struck me – every woman commentator was glamorous and the men, well, not so much. Why, on a television show devoted to business, must the women be on the younger side with lots of hair and make-up – while the men are mostly aging and craggy (read here: normal)? I realize it’s not uniformly the case, but when you think about it, women on TV are too often portrayed as sexy and attractive – frequently in stark contrast to their male counterparts.
There are a number of good examples. In the popular series “House” on FOX, the female character who is head of the hospital (as well as the female docs on the medical team) is gorgeous and wearing improbably low cut tops and skirts two sizes too small. These women may be in charge and brilliant, yet they also are made to look like Barbie dolls. Same situation on many other shows featuring women professionals – I’m sure you can think of some.
57 More Years Until the Gender Pay Gap will Close
Posted by: | CommentsThe gender pay gap isn’t isolated to the United States. According to a study by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), if current salary trends continue, it will take another 57 years for the gender pay gap to close in the United Kingdom. In other words, another half century will go by before men and women will earn the same wages for doing the same work.
The Chartered Management Institute also learned in its recent study that female managers’ salaries did increase by 2.8% in the past 12 months (compared to 2.3% for men). However, those same female managers still earned an average of nearly $16,000 less than their male counterparts. That pay gap isn’t isolated to management positions. While the gap might vary a bit at different levels on the corporate ladder, it still exists. For example, the gap is smaller among junior management workers, but it’s even higher (24% gap) at the executive level.
Interestingly, it has been forty years since the Equal Pay Act was passed in the United Kingdom. However, it appears that it will take a full eighty years, nearly a century, for equal pay to actually become a reality.
Women and the Changing Global Economy
Posted by: | CommentsThe numbers have been coming in steadily over the past few years, and there is no way to deny anymore that women are taking greater control of the U.S. economy (and much of the global economy) and doing it quietly and quickly.
For example, back in 2008, U.S. News and World Report released data telling us that women controlled 60% of the wealth in the United States. That figure was estimated to be approximately $10-$12 trillion. At the same time, U.S. News and World Report projected that women will control $22 trillion of all wealth in the United states by 2020. That’s just a decade away!
Considering data released in 2009 by The Nielsen Company revealed almost all income growth in the United States over the past 15-20 years came from women, that U.S. News and World Report projection shouldn’t be very shocking. The Small Business Administration has reported in recent years that women-owned businesses are far outpacing all other businesses in terms of growth. The bottom-line is that women are making their presence in the economy better known.
Visibility of Female Leaders
Posted by: | CommentsIn the past two posts we have been talking about why we do not see more progress in the advancement of women in business , community and politics. In the first post we covered an overview of what is happening to slow down our progress. Much of what happens is subtle and not well understood. (Post May 24) In the second post we talked about the first barrier in more detail- the lack of career advocacy and targeted development for women. This lack of advocacy is not because anyone is setting out to exclude women, but because of subtle organizational and human habits and bias. ( Post June 3)
Todays post is about the second barrier- the lack of visible female role models. This barrier is also not well understood and often very very underestimated in it’s power. In all the work I have done in organizations that have undertaken an effort to understand and impact the gender diversity of it’s leadership ranks- the lack of visibility is a barrier and also an answer to acceleration of progress. We , as humans, instinctively look for role models . We look for individuals we can observe, learn from and emulate. We look for those who’s path we might follow. In the end we forge our own unique path but it is most often comprised of a mosaic of the experiences of others.
The Power of Three
Posted by: | CommentsPost by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women on Business writer
When I learned of the President’s choice for the next Supreme Court Justice a few weeks ago, it hit me immediately – this would be the third woman on the Court. “Three” is the number of women needed to make an impact, according to several research studies. Three shifts the dynamics of corporate boards when it is reached and creates a more “mainstream” feel to the gender balance of a small group. So it causes me to wonder – what dynamic might be changed with three women on the Court for the first time? Would this 3 of 9 ratio change the way we view the Supreme Court – or our perception of women and power?
Marcia Greenberg, head of the National Women’s Law Center, summed it up by saying, “…with two women on the Supreme Court…they are seen as exceptions to the rule.” She added that the potential addition of Elena Kagan would “move toward the day when it’s accepted that women are just as likely as men to be on the Supreme Court.”
Or anyplace else!
Why is the Pipeline in Peril?
Posted by: | CommentsPost by Jane K. Stimmler, contributing Women on Business writer
We all know those dismal and annoying stats about women in business – we’re about half the workforce but only 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs, 15% of board of directors, and 13% of executive officers. It’s also true that women are making great strides and graduating with about half of the advance professional degrees, and that the “middle management” workforce is brimming with women. So, one would think that the future looks bright for more women at the top levels of business. That is, until they read the recent Catalyst report, “The Promise of Future Leadership: A Research Program on Highly Talented Employees in the Pipeline.”
Catalyst surveyed nearly 10,000 alumni who graduated from MBA programs internationally between 1996 and 2007 and found that “Among this highly talented group, women lag men in advancement and compensation from their very first professional jobs and are less satisfied with their careers overall.”
Surprised? I was, and wanted to give some thought to why this would be so. Here are some reasons I believe women aren’t making more progress:
