Posts Tagged ‘ equal rights ’

Guest Post: Pretty Young Professionals

February 11, 2011
By Hello Ladies

The following post was written by Amanda Pouchot, co-founder of Pretty Young Professional.

Pretty Young Professional Logo

Resources for young, professional women

I don’t care what they say about progress: women are still lagging behind.  Although women make up more than half of all college graduates and PhD candidates, they only account for 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs.

Today we enter a professional world filled with opportunities that were not available to generations of women before us. It is clear that women are a lasting cornerstone of the workforce, but many of us lack the support we need to succeed.

In addition to new opportunities for career advancement, today’s young women also face insurmountable pressures to look perfect, to act perfectly, to do it all.  We have been overscheduled all of our lives; excelling academically, involved in extracurricular activities and developing many necessary leadership skills.  Yet throughout our youth we were fed media that portrayed an image of the ideal woman – and let me tell you, she wasn’t the breadwinner.

Faced with this conundrum, young women today are often stuck between the excellence we seek and the societal stereotypes that tell us to play nice and put others’ needs first.  What’s a young professional woman to do?

We all can be overwhelmed by uncertainty, wondering what the future will bring

For many young professionals, the lingering question of who we are becoming and what we will do with the rest of our lives is constantly on our minds.  As younger women, our lives often revolved around set paths, usually formal education with specific steps to success.  Suddenly, a tremendous number of life decisions and career options become available.

Many of us feel pressured to make these choices quickly, and unprepared to make them at all.  What if you make the wrong decision? What if you pass up an incredible opportunity?  What if you can’t find a job? What if you end up hating your job? What if, what if, what if?

How do we choose a career and then secure that next job?

Feeling disoriented is normal when everything around you seems to be changing.  In order to help ourselves and others overcome this same feeling, we asked several career specialists for ideas and exercises to identify your passions:

1. Take your excitement pulse for a week – What gets you excited when you wake up in the morning? What is your favorite part of your day? When do you get in the flow or groove of something?  Also reflect on things that you find the most draining. Write all of this down for the week and reflect on the highs and the lows.

2. Record yourself talking for a full 60 seconds about who you are and how you define yourself – When you play it back, listen for what you emphasized, what matters to you, and what you omitted.

3. Look to your friends and family for help – Ask those closest to you to write 3 sentences about you.  You may be shocked to see what they write!

Once you’ve identified your passions, it’s time to translate that into a career.  Understand the difference between “can do” and “want to do” and then look at jobs that play to your passions and strengths.

From the outside in, identifying the real pros and cons of a career can be difficult.  What does it actually mean to be a Sales Associate?  A25 year old junior I-Banker?  An actress or singer working for a living?  .

For women who are elsewhere in their career path, we think it’s important to keep an eye on work-life balance.  Being a young professional woman in the workplace can be tougher than one would expect.

We also face societal pressures that men don’t.

After the age of 13, women are twice as likely to face depression as our male counterparts.  This is often the result of what one Psychologist, Dr. Hinshaw, calls The Triple Bind:

1. Be pretty, sweet, and nice

2. Be athletic, be competitive, and get straight As

3. Be impossibly perfect

Women fight for respect and advancement in the workplace, but haven’t been socialized the way men have to successfully negotiate and self-promote. (For more information, check out Women Don’t Ask, by economist Linda Babcock)

Women also don’t have as many role models in place to demonstrate paths to personal and professional fulfillment

While our generation is embarking on a road paved by women before us, there are still many barriers to advancement.  In 2010 women accounted for approximately 16% of both Fortune 500 Board Seats and Corporate Officer positions at Fortune 500 companies (Women in U.S. Management” Catalyst December 2010).  In my first position out of college, I was discouraged to see few women managing both successful careers and a “normal” family life.  Men in their same tenures often had a stay-at-home wife, while the women had to choose between work and family.

Women face stereotypes because of our femininity or lack of femininity

Being young, ambitious and female is not easy.  When we started our careers in 2008, freshly out of college and newly moved to NYC, each of us felt – in her own way — very alone.  Many lessons we learned in those first months could have been learned in an easier way.  Being young and female does not compromise our confidence, talent, and drive to be taken seriously as professionals.

For more information, check out www.prettyyoungprofessional.com or follow them on Twitter @PYPro. Pretty Young Professional (PYP) is an online community for ambitious women ages 18-30.

Hello Ladies is now posting exciting career opportunities for women. Visit our Jobs page.

Act Now: Congress Introduces Harmful HR3 Legislation

February 2, 2011
By Hello Ladies

Speaker Boehner makes anti-women legislation a top priority.

No means no if you’re certain members of the GOP and the question is, “Does a woman control her own body?” But if you are a victim of rape, no means absolutely nothing. At least that will be the case if H.R. 3, a bill sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), is passed.

H.R. 3, is called the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act, but it actually seeks to ban abortions in all but a very few instances including when the pregnant female was the subject of an act of “forcible rape.” Most of us blessed with female reproductive organs, and yes, brains, know that all rape is forcible rape. (An exception is Whoopi Goldberg who has her own definition of “rape rape.”) In writing the bill, Rep. Smith and his co-sponsors fail to define  ”forcible rape,” opening the door for a very scary interpretation of the could-be law. And they harm every victim of sexual assault past, present and future by supporting the idea that if there are no cuts and bruises, there is no rape.

Speaker John Boehner has made abortion a top priority and has said, “This common-sense legislation reflects the will of the people and deserves the support of the House.  It is one of our highest legislative priorities.  As such, I have directed that it receive the designation of H.R. 3.” This is our new reality ladies. We are dealing with a  Congress that seeks to impose their will on our health and our bodies, and unless we can prove we fought back hard and have the wounds to prove it, we don’t stand a chance.

What can you do? You can let your Representatives know that HR 3 is unacceptable. Contact them here. You can write letters to the editor and op-eds expressing your opposition. You can join the #DearJohn campaign on Twitter. You can sign the MoveOn petition.

But keep in mind, that while the language in the bill around rape is harmful, so is the bill itself. Currently, the Hyde Amendment restricts Medicaid funding for abortion.  But Hyde must be codified each year, and has been since it was introduced in 1976. Proponents of H.R. 3 seek to permanently codify Hyde and then take abortion restrictions a lot further. H.R. 3 would deny federal credits or subsidies to private health plans that cover abortion, even if the abortion is paid for using private funds. The new health care reforms allow insurers to accept federal subsidies if abortion services are covered with private funds. That would change under H.R. 3. And the bill would penalize employers offering plans that cover abortions by denying certain tax credits and deductions – to the businesses and the employees.

On the topic of abortion, Speaker Boehner once wrote, “… without respect for life, freedom is in jeopardy. When human life takes a back seat to other priorities – personal comforts, economics – freedom is diminished.” What happens, Mr. Speaker, when jobs, war and other national concerns take a back seat to a false crusade?

More than two women die every day in the United States from pregnancy related causes. Boehner, Smith and the other sponsors of H.R. 3 don’t seem motivated by that fact. Nor do they seem to be concerned about a recent report published in The New England Journal of Medicine that concluded, “The finding … does not support the hypothesis that there is an increased risk of mental disorders after a first-trimester induced abortion.” From the study: “The relative risk of a psychiatric contact did not differ significantly after abortion as compared with before abortion (P=0.19) but did increase after childbirth as compared with before childbirth (P<0.001).”

But Boehner’s not worried about women who give birth. “Women – especially minors – need to know about the risks of and alternatives to abortion … and I’ll continue to stand with all who seek to have a positive and meaningful impact in defending the right to life.”

Look, I’ve got way too much residual Catholic upbringing in me to ever take abortion lightly. And I know what it is to love a fetus – I miscarried at ten weeks. But those are my religious remnants and my personal emotions. They have no bearing on the fact that all women must have the right to control their own bodies and their own health. Period. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) referred to HR3 as, “a violent act against women in and of itself.” From the reframing of rape, to the impact on small businesses, to the attempt to control a woman’s right to control her body, H.R. 3 is harmful.

Take action and let Congress know that you too want to, “reduce the footprint of government in our lives,” starting with your body.

2010 Political Review (Slideshow)

December 31, 2010
By Hello Ladies

Here is a look back at just a few of the political stories we were talking about in 2010. What do you think 2011 will bring?

Rally for Girl’s Sports

December 8, 2010
By Hello Ladies

Last year, our town was considering changing from one high school athletic league to another. I didn’t play any sports in high school and don’t follow any teams (outside of baseball, of course). But when I heard that the league change might cause up to three of the girl’s high school teams to consolidate seasons, dissolve, or  play in less formal and competitive leagues, I got involved.

I attended a meeting to discuss the proposed change and I asked the town officials how the move would impact Title IX, which caused several people in town to assume I was a lawyer. But I wasn’t watching out for a potential costly lawsuit. I was watching out for gender parity.

Research has shown that girls benefit from playing sports. According to the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), “Female athletes have higher levels of self-esteem, a lower incidence of depression and a more positive body image than non-athletes. Female athletes are also more likely to participate in traditionally male-dominated occupations, which are typically higher paying. In addition, more than four out of five executive businesswomen played sports growing up, and the vast majority reported that the lessons they learned on the playing field contributed to their success in business.”

Without formal research, I can see the benefits. I saw it at the town meetings I attended. Several of the female players that would have been affected by the league change spoke to the large crowd about why they wanted to stay in their current league. They were poised, confident and articulate. They also published well-written, well-thought out letters to the local editors.

I see it with my own daughter when she takes the tiny soccer field with her first-grade friends. They get competitive on the field working together and giving out high-fives when they score. Then they shift on the sideline, hugging and picking dandelions and laughing. She and her friends are learning how to work together, enjoy besting the opponent, and then letting it all go when the game is over.

And I see it at the office.  Male-dominated organizations operate like playing fields.  Understanding how to compete, how to cooperate, and how to let it go at the end of the day, are all critical business, and life, skills.

But girls today still face discrimination and an uneven playing field. That’s why the NWLC launched the campaign Rally for Girls’ Sports: She’ll Win More Than a Game, and filed administrative complaints against twelve school districts across the country for failing to provide girls with equal opportunities to play sports, in violation of Title IX. Visit their website for more information. They’ve set up a national hot line, 1-855-HERGAME (or 1-855-437-4263), for reporting concerns or inequities and they offer a webinar to help school administrators and parents learn about Title IX’s requirements.

And for another great way to support women athletes, pledge to attend one women’s sports event this year.

Language Matters

November 15, 2010
By Hello Ladies

Tonight our town meeting voted on whether or not to increase the “supplemental annual allowance …  to widows of disabled public employees, pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 32, Section 10.”

When I read the article in the reports and recommendations sent to all town meeting members prior to the meeting, I immediately sent a message to the Chair of our Finance Committee. It read, “Article 15 discusses benefits for widows. Is there any reason these benefits aren’t for the “surviving spouse?” I’d like to see the language reflect the current realities of the workforce (there are currently more women than men on the national payroll and two-thirds of all U.S. households have a female breadwinner – partial or full). I look forward to hearing your thoughts.”

The Chair’s response was fast and respectful. But the bottom line was, “There’s nothing we can do about it.”  Because we were voting to adopt a state law, we needed to use the state’s language. And, I was told, in practice, gender specific terms are interpreted to mean surviving spouse.

I don’t know when the Massachusetts law was originally written. But it was amended in 2010 –the year women surpassed men on the payroll, the year of the so-called he-cession and she-economy.  Surely, I wasn’t the only one to notice the language was outdated and non-inclusive? But then again, maybe I was.

Language matters. And if you don’t believe me, try passing legislation that reads, “In the event of the death of any former employee who had been retired under the provisions of this chapter after having been found to be incapacitated for further duty by reason of injuries sustained while in the performance of her duties, or who had been retired for ordinary disability under the provisions of this chapter, under which retirement she was unable to provide” … and tell the men that by “her” and “she” we mean men too, and I bet you’ll see just how much language matters.

Aaah, Massachusetts. That crazy blue state. The one the political pundits tell the rest of the country is so liberal. But the great Commonwealth has never elected a woman governor nor a woman senator.  Only four women have represented the Commonwealth in Congress.

This is why we need a critical mass of women in politics. Because perhaps all men are created equal, but women still have some work ahead of them.

Six Ways to Honor Women’s Equality Day

August 26, 2010
By Hello Ladies

Today is Women’s Equality Day marking the ninetieth anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. It’s not an easy day to honor. Do we celebrate the tremendous work of the suffragettes who fought long and hard for women? Or do we note the irony of an equality day when women still earn, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns; bang their heads against a glass ceiling; still do the majority of housework and haven’t reached critical mass in Washington?

I say we mark the day by taking action. If we exercise our power as women, we both honor the women who came before us and help advance those who will come after us. Here are six suggestions for celebrating Women’s Equality Day.

1. Vote. The suffragettes fought a long, hard battle in order for women to have the right to vote.  If you aren’t already registered, register to vote today, read up on the issues and cast a ballot in the midterm elections. Women are 51 percent of the population and we do make a difference on election day.

2. Run. Better yet, why not run for office? Ladies, it’s great to help candidates and cast a vote. But we are so much more powerful than just phone bankers and sign holders. We need a critical mass of women in elected positions both locally and nationally if we want equal representation. Visit She Should Run, Emerge and The White House Project to learn about campaigning.

3. Speak. At a minimum, let your elected officials know what you expect of them. Call your Senators and tell them we need them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Healthy Families Act. Tell the White House it’s time to ratify CEDAW, The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Equal Rights Amendment. We’ve waited long enough.

4. Teach. Tell your children about suffragettes like Helen Gardener, Ida Husted Harper and Marjorie Shuler who aren’t in the text books, but should be. These women changed the course of history.

5. Thank the women who are fighting for equality today. Make sure they know their work is appreciated. My sincere thanks to so many women including Gloria Feldt and Jodi Jacobson who stand up for our reproductive rights; Zoe Nicholson who never stops fighting for equality; Marie Wilson, Jehmu Green and Katie Orenstein who teach other women how to use their power; CV Harquail and The Mama Bee who inspire me by how hard they work; Lea Webb and Jill Miller Zimon, who are modeling a new ideal for public servants; @rosiered23 and Cynthia Samuels for giving women a place to read, write and learn.

6. Notice the women who are quietly making a difference in your life (the coworker who negotiated maternity leave, the sole woman on the city council, the boss who stuck her neck out for you) and honor their work by following their lead.

Enjoy the day and feel free to leave a comment with the names of other women we should thank.

Cheerleading Not a Sport

July 21, 2010
By Hello Ladies

A federal judge has determined competitive cheerleading is not a federal sport. The ruling stems from a lawsuit originally filed by Quinnipiac College volleyball players after the school cancelled their sport and added competitive cheerleading. The judge expanded the case as a class action for all female athletes and ruled the college violated Title IX by failing to offer equal opportunity for men and women in its athletic programs.

In his ruling, which is available in its entirety at the Quinnipiac Chronicle website, U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill clarified he was not ruling on the athleticism or merit of cheerleading, but rather on if competitive cheering was “a sport that offers genuine athletic participation for women under Title IX.” Several factors, including the fact the NCAA does not recognize competitive cheering as a sport as well as the squad’s recruiting practices and competitive schedule, led to his decision that cheering did not provide female athletes with opportunities equal to what male athletes received.  In fact, he stated the cheering team had been forced to face a “motley assortment of competitors” during the season.

Despite the fact the ruling is a blow to those who would like to see competitive cheerleading categorized and recognized as a legitimate sport, it is a boost to Title IX, a law requiring gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding.

Footnote: When we posed the question, “Is cheerleading a sport?” at The Skinny Scoop, the vote was split.

Gender Equality Gets a Much Needed Lift

July 13, 2010
By Hello Ladies

A few months ago Sara Blakely, the genius behind Spanx®, introduced a compression undershirt for men and now the male shapewear category is taking off. This is big news for gender equality.

Men can buy the Abs Thermal Tank with a band of rubberflex to hold in their gut or the Extreme Collection Enhancer String. Who doesn’t need a little extra support? There’s the Priape Tummy Belt that promises to retain “moist warmth and body heat, so you shed excess water around your middle.” Mmmm, sounds lovely. And no collection would be complete without  the ultimate one piece body trimmer for all over control.

What does any of this have to do with equality for the sexes? It’s brilliant really. Men might not walk in our shoes but give them a day in shapewear and how can they not sympathize with the movement? Just imagine if the Paycheck Fairness Act ever actually gets to the Senate floor. While Mr. Senator’s saying, “Promotes lawsuits, blah, blah, blah, exposes corporations,” he starts thinking, “Oh my God my ribs are getting crushed. It’s hot in here. Let’s pass this bill.”

Or think of the CEO, so excited he can fit back into his favorite tailored shirt, he gives you a raise. And how can Hollywood executives possibly continue to promote such unhealthy and unattainable beauty standards when they are reduced to wondering if what they squished in is now popping out in all the wrong spots.

So we think shapewear for men could revolutionize life as we know it. Welcome to the real world boys. It sucks (you in).

Global Update on Equal Right’s

July 1, 2010
By Hello Ladies

The Pew Research Center today released its Global Attitudes Project report, “Gender Equality Universally Embraced, But Inequalities Acknowledged.” The report, done in association with the International Herald Tribune, is based on a survey of 22 nations conducted earlier this year. Overall takeaways from the survey:

- There is global support for equal rights, but more changes are needed to erase inequities.

The survey asked, “Do you think women should have equal rights with men, or shouldn’t they?” The majority of respondents said yes in every country except Nigeria, where only 45 percent thought so. France and Spain showed the most support for equality with 99 percent of respondents answering yes. Ninety-seven percent of American respondents said yes.

Respondents who answered yes were then asked, whether or not their country had made most of the changes needed to give women equal rights or if they needed to make more changes. Most countries believe more changes are needed but a small majority in China, Indonesia, India and Jordan felt most changes had been made.

- There is support for women working outside the home, but many feel men deserve priority when jobs are scarce.

A majority of respondents in every country surveyed felt women should be able to work outside the home. However, when jobs are scarce, a small minority in most countries felt men should have more rights to jobs (14 percent in the U.S.) and a majority agreed in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Korea and Nigeria. Also, there is a common view that men get higher paying opportunities at work. In the U.S. 68 percent of respondents felt this way.

- Egalitarian marriages are seen as more satisfying than relationships where the man provides and the women cares for the family.

The majority of respondents in nineteen out of 22 countries felt this way. In Pakistan 79 percent of respondents felt a marriage where only the man provides is better.

- Men’s lives are frequently viewed as better than women’s.

When asked who had the better life – men or women, there is a double digit difference in the responses. More female respondents said men did except in South Korea and Japan where more respondents said women did.

What Chris Brogan Wants

May 28, 2010
By Hello Ladies

How the hell would I know? I’m not Chris Brogan. Pity he didn’t take a similar approach in his recent posts, “Learn What Women Want” and “Women in the Workplace.” Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs, while blogging about working women, cited this stat from the Center for Work-Life Policy: while 47 percent of college-educated entry-level corporate professionals are female, women comprise a mere 21% of senior executives, 17% of Congress , and 15% of board directors. And followed it with this comment, “But in my recent effort to learn what women want, I found that not all women want to lead.”

Brogan seems to mean well. He writes about the women who do want to lead, “we should be very clear and helpful in making sure that women have the chance/choice to lead.” But he qualifies that statement by suggesting we support the “qualified and capable” women, even while acknowledging not all male leaders possess those qualtities. He writes, “so maybe that’s not even a consideration we should have.” Maybe.

Speaking of maybe, Brogan wonders if maybe the data reflects a “need for improvement” or maybe it reflects the fact some women aren’t climbing the ladder to success. In a follow on piece, Brogan defends his posts saying the point he was trying to make was, “that maybe women don’t want to lead in the traditional sense that the posts mentioned,” and that, “Hey, women have choices and maybe they don’t want to be in a box.”

Maybe I’m making the same mistake Brogan did by pointing out the obvious: not all men fully grasp the challenges working women face – both major barriers and subtle discrimination. But the reason I single out Brogan is he has a major platform. His “Women in the Workplace” post was tweeted 257 times. He has 138,137 followers on Twitter and 4,832 friends on Facebook.

Brogan knows a lot about a lot of things. Just check out his “About” page on his site. But working women doesn’t seem to be one of them.

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