Women have been fighting for the right to equal pay in the workforce for decades. While developments have been slow, it's obvious that time has been kind to the women who have fought to close the gap between the median wages received by men vs. women -- but not kind enough. The Evolution of Expectation Back in the 1970s, the average median wage for a man was approximately … [Read more...]
Paycheck Fairness Act Gets a Small Win but is Far from Victory
In January 2013, the Paycheck Fairness Act was reintroduced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut. Why was it reintroduced? Because Senate Republican filibustered it in 2010 and 2012. The good news is that the Paycheck Fairness Act got a small win last week when the Senate cast a unanimous vote to create a reserve fund that would pay for … [Read more...]
IN ORDER TO LEAD WOMEN MUST “LEAN IN”?
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the glass escalator in which men ascend to leadership positions more rapidly than women in female-dominated occupations. Within it I cited 3 reasons for why this occurs: structural, societal, and personal. It is little surprise that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book titled Lean In has led to some lively debate. On the Sunday’s, … [Read more...]
Women Account for Under 1 in 10 Top Paid Execs and 1 in 5 Board Members in S&P 100
It's International Women's Day, so let's take a look at some of the data that quantifies the business gender gap in wages and leadership opportunities. Yesterday, I shared a slideshow filled with data about the business gender gap that has been published over the past two years. Today, I'm sharing information from a new study by Calvert Investments, Examining the Cracks in … [Read more...]
Business Gender Gap Statistics [Slideshow]
Just how big is the business gender gap? It's not breaking news that women are offered fewer opportunities to advance into leadership roles in the business world. It's also a well-known fact that women are often paid less than men for the same jobs. But what does the business gender gap look like in numbers? This slideshow offers a variety of statistics related to the … [Read more...]
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and the Challenges for Women in Business
In recent weeks, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has been getting both positive and negative reviews of her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. You can hear about the good and the bad by reading Connie Schultz's review of Sandberg's book on The Washington Post. Despite all of this conversation and debate about whether or not Sheryl Sandberg can truly be a role … [Read more...]
MEN, WOMEN, & THE GLASS ESCALATOR
Much research has been done on the phenomenon of the glass ceiling, but over the last decade we have witnessed many women shatter it. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), gender segregation among occupations in the United States is lessening to a small degree. CNNMoney.com reported that in 2011 there were 12 FORTUNE 500 companies headed by women (although … [Read more...]
Makers – Women Who Make America
Hilary Clinton and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook are just two of the women who were interviewed for MAKERS: Women Who Make America, a documentary of social history narrated by Mery Streep which will air on PBS on February 26th. MAKERS was developed by PBS and Simple Facial Skincare. The documentary chronicles the last 50 years of the women’s movement by highlighting the … [Read more...]
No Change for Women in Top Leadership at Fortune 500 Companies
According to the 2012 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors and 2012 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Executive Officers and Top Earners, little changed for women in top leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies this year. Each year, Catalyst tracks data to learn about the advancements women are making (or not making) in leadership. Specifically, the study … [Read more...]
Women Named Presidents of the 3 Largest Organizations for Attorneys in the U.S.
Today, I received exciting news from DRI, the international membership organization of all lawyers involved in the defense of civil litigation. For the first time in history, women have swept the presidencies of the nation's three largest organizations for attorneys. The women who hold these esteemed positions are Mary Massaron Ross, President of DRI - The Voice of the … [Read more...]