Posts Tagged ‘ gender gap ’

A Corporate Fantasy

November 6, 2009

home office Yesterday I attended The Boston Club’s Corporate Salute honoring New England companies with two or more women directors on their boards. The Boston Club is a great organization, run by high caliber people who help businesses find women directors. The event was well run and well attended. But I walked away disappointed.

Three women, two from the Boston Club and one a keynote (Sharon Allen, Chair of the Board of Directors for Deloitte LLP) spoke about the lack of women, the need for women, and the benefits of having women at the top of businesses. Allen shared stories from her personal career and was a great speaker.

But while I sat there and ate my egg frittata next to highly competent women with their oversized patent leather bags, Prada eyewear and high-heeled pumps (4 is the new 3″ fyi), I daydreamed about the speeches I wanted to hear.

You see, The Boston Club just released its annual census which looks at the number of women on boards and in the executive suites of the top 100 public companies in Massachusetts. And according to the data, not only has the Commonwealth not made any progress in this area, it is moving backwards. You can download the report here.

Women represent just 11.3 percent of all directors in Massachusetts and only 8.6 percent of all executive officers. More than half of the companies surveyed have no women C-level executives at all. The percentage of women directors is basically flat since last year but the number of women executives is the lowest it has been since The Boston Club first compiled a census in 2003. The percentage of women among the highest paid executives is 23, a full point lower than last year. For women of color, the situation is even bleaker. They represent only two C-level executives and 10 directors at the top 100 public companies.

And so, in light of this data, I wanted the speakers to stand up and yell, “Bullshit!” I didn’t want to hear their restrain and reason – their calm discussion about how women at the top make a positive impact on the bottom-line — or how businesses benefit from diverse management teams –that businesses need a woman’s perspective to relate to their customers (remember women control at least 85 percent of all consumer purchasing power, represent 51 percent of the population, and represent the majority of today’s workforce.) I’ve heard it all before.

I wanted them to call, “Foul!” There is no legitimate reason for this lack of diversity. Women are graduating college, law school and business school at greater rates than ever, and organization’s like The Boston Club can help identify the top candidates. The women are there.

The event organizers had representatives from companies with two or more women directors stand up for recognition. In my daydream, representatives from the companies with No women at the top stood up and all of us threw tomatoes at them (they were served with the frittatas).

Is it any wonder I no longer wear high heels and carry expensive totes to work, and instead wear pajamas and Uggs to my “office” everyday?

You are Not a Pre-Existing Condition

November 4, 2009

By Hello Ladies

Denied Do you know who may be denied health insurance?

* Me. I had a Cesarean section. C-sections are pre-existing conditions.

* A good friend of mine. Her husband hit her. Domestic violence is a pre-existing condition.

*The one in six women who will be sexually assaulted. Rape is a pre-existing condition.

*Another good friend of mine. She underwent IVF. Fertility treatments are a pre-existing condition.

Ladies, we are NOT pre-existing conditions.

The list goes on:

*My cousin. She is having a baby. Many health insurance policies do not cover maternity care.

*My sister. She needs a mammogram. It’s not covered by her insurer.

*My neighbor. Her health insurance company charges her more than they charge men but her employer pays her less. She can’t afford coverage.

*You. If you are a non-smoker. Health insurance companies typically charge female NON-smokers more than male smokers.

Most gender-based discrimination occurs in the private insurance market, where the self-employed and small businesses find insurance. But even among the group health insurance market, gender discrimination exists. Insurance companies are allowed to determine premiums based on the number of women a firm employs.

This is appalling. Health reform is NOT a political issue. It is a matter of human rights. Click HERE to contact Congress TODAY and tell them a woman is NOT a pre-existing condition. We deserve equal coverage for equal premiums.

(*NOTE: Clickon the title of this post to view a video.)

Read more on this topic here and thank you to the National Women’s Law Centerfor their report “Nowhere to Turn: Insurance Companies Treat Women Like a Pre-Existing Condition” which you can download here.

A Request for the Ladies: Lead from the Front

October 26, 2009

By Hello Ladies

podium Recently I helped organize a big community event. It was planned and hosted by a group of citizens and a town committee, on which I serve. I observed a few things during the process about me and other women.

The idea for the event came from two very smart men who shared their vision and their passion and got others on board. A young woman stepped up and organized the group as it was clear these two men were not strong in the detail department. The woman ran the planning sessions, sent group emails, kept us all on task, and did most of the leg work.

At the event, the women from our team took on facilitating and coordinating roles. We directed, multitasked and worked behind the scenes to make sure the event ran smoothly. The men on the team took the time to make speeches, greet the local politicians who showed up, and speak to the media and pose for photo opps. The women were not pushed out of the limelight—we had equal opportunity to speak and and to network. We didn’t take it.

When the event ended, I watched one of the men on our team, someone who had worked hard but no more so than anyone else, give interviews with several reporters. The young woman who had led the day’s efforts was across the hall breaking down the exhibits and cleaning up. No one in the media asked to speak with her because they didn’t know she existed.

Although the event was a success, and I made new friends and am proud of our team’s accomplishments, I have decided I will never volunteer like that again. Like so many women I know, I am not motivated by getting the credit. I am a little bit shy about speaking in public and standing in the spotlight. I get satisfaction from doing my best and I happen to be very good at getting things done. However, I have finally figured out at forty-something that only working behind the scenes is not enough. In doing so, I am doing a disservice to other women.

You see, while I talk about the importance of women leaders in politics, community-building and business, I have been hiding, along with so many other capable women. Ladies, we need to put a face on women’s leadership. We need to get out in front so that other women will be more likely to get involved; so that young girls have role models; so that men looking for committee chairs, candidates, and board members, will know we are capable and available.

So the next time my committee takes on a project, I will still work hard behind the scenes but I will also get over my self-consciousness and volunteer to speak at the event. I will still arrive early to set up and stay late to clean up, but I will also stop running around long enough to speak to the distinguished guests, give the media a quote and enjoy the moment. If someone asks me my role in the event, I will not deflect attention but will instead take my due credit. I’ll try not to worry that others may think I am power hungry.

Ladies, we know it takes both the visionaries and worker bees to make the world run. We’ve read the reports and seen the evidence that diversity is good for business, for community, and for politics. So what are we waiting for? If we don’t step out in front how can we expect our neighbors, our mothers and our daughters to do it?

Are you with me?

Drained, Denied, and Dance

October 22, 2009

By Hello Ladies

Denied

Writing about women can be challenging sometimes because you hear about so many things that drain your energy. For example, there was a story in yesterday’s USA Today about a gay high school girl who wore a tuxedo in her yearbook photo. Girls at the school are traditionally photographed in drapes and boys in tuxedos. However this girl feels more comfortable in a tuxedo. Officials in the Copiah County School District in Mississippi refuse to put her photo in the yearbook. It is hard to understand why these school administrators hold so tightly to their rigid definitions of what is and is not okay. What are they afraid of?

And then there was this sad tale from RH Reality Check: insurers denying women health insurance based on a pre-existing condition – rape. Many think healthcare reform is a political issue and many more are making it a political issue. But for women, healthcare reform is an equity issue. Learn more about women and health insurance. If you’ve ever been unable to afford treatment, if you’ve ever had a c-section, if you need or needed maternity care, if you’ve been a victim of domestic abuse, if you are a woman, you need to know.

And now, because you have read this far when all we’ve offered you is draining news and a plea to stay informed, please accept this small gesture as a token of our appreciation. It is intended to bring a smile to your face and recharge you. From Glee, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4mMfdzdaio

A Young Girl Dreams of the White House

October 20, 2009

By Hello Ladies

good_wife I was snuggling up with my five year old daughter last night and trying to get some work done. My daughter was looking at my laptop and asking me about the things she saw on the screen. We came across a picture of Hillary Clinton on a news site and I asked my daughter if she knew who it was. She did not.

I said, “She is the woman that ran for president last year. Remember?”

My daughter said, “But women can’t be president. That’s what people think.”

”But they are wrong,” I replied. “Women are presidents in other countries, just not ours.”

”That’s not fair,” she said.

”No it’s not. Maybe you can be the first woman president. Would you like that?”

She nodded and for a moment I was proud; full of hope and possibility. And then she said, “Or maybe my husband will be president.”

Yeah. Maybe.

As they say in the Twitterverse #feministmomfail.

Updated: Equal Coverage for Equal Premiums

October 15, 2009

By Hello Ladies

Denied Seven years ago, after 32 hours of labor, my doctor recommended I have a Caesarean section. My cervix didn’t dilate and a c-section seemed to be the safest way to deliver my baby. Today, the very decision I made to keep my child safe could be the same reason I can’t provide insurance for him.

As you know, earlier this week the Senate Finance Committee voted to move forward on a healthcare bill known as the Baucus Bill. Now, it must be merged with a separate proposal from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee before it can go to the full Senate for a vote. There is still plenty of work to do. Over the coming weeks, our legislators will continue to examine discriminatory insurance practices and a public option.

Ladies, if you haven’t been paying attention to the healthcare discussion in this country, you need to start now. Here’s why:

- C-sections, evenly medically mandated ones, are considered pre-existing conditions by some insurance companies

- Domestic violence is considered a pre-existing condition by some insurance companies –no not for the batterer, for the victim

- Only 20 states require private insurance companies to cover routine mammograms*

- Women often struggle to find coverage for maternity care. And then they often lose valuable income while on earn maternity leave.

- Women, on average, earn less than men and the wage gap has widened. Our dollars need to stretch further.

- Yet women often pay 30 – 40 percent more for health insurance policies than men do.

I am not a pre-existing condition. I am 51 percent of the population. I am in control of 85 percent of consumer buying power. I am strong—I am able to grow a life inside of me, care for that baby on little to no sleep, recover from abdominal surgery and return to work all in less than three months. I am a breadwinner. I may not make as much as the guy in the office next to me who didn’t give birth, but I’m working on it. I am a registered voter. And I demand equal coverage for equal premiums.

Ladies, click here to tell Congress YOU are not a pre-existing condition. Demand equal care for equal premiums.

Thank you to RH Reality Check for alerting us to the “I am not a pre-existing condition” campaign. Read more here.

*From the National Women’s Law Center Reform Matters fact sheet

Elinor Ostrom Wins Nobel Prize in Economics

October 12, 2009

By Hello Ladies

nobelprize Elinor Ostrom is the first woman ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics, more accurately known as The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. The prize has been awarded 40 times to 60 Laureates since 1969. Ostrom won the award, along with Oliver Williamson, for work in economic governance.

This is significant for several reasons:

*Firsts are progress. Every time a woman is a “first” (except for cookie baking First Ladies — been there, done that) it opens a door for more women. It gives girls an image of what they might achieve someday. It’s incredulous really, that we expect little girls to grow up believing they can be anything when we bombard them with images of men in those roles and describe so many occupations with gender-specific language (alderman, councilman, chairman, selectman, etc.) Firsts start to change the perception of women.

*She is not alone. Ostrom is joined this year by four other women Laureates. Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn and Dr. Carol Greider won the prize for physiology or medicine. Professor Ada Yonath was awarded the prize in chemistry. And Herta Muller won the Nobel Prize in Literature. For five women to win the award in the same year is a major milestone. Nobel Prizes have only been awarded to women 41 times between 1901 and 2009.

*When you consider the fields in which Nobel prizes are awarded, and when you take into account who does the nominating, you realize just how hard it is for women’s achievements to be recognized. Economics, physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature and even peace, are still mostly male-dominated fields. And it is professors, scientists and previous prize winners who nominate candidates. Again, this is a male-dominated base. You can read more on this topic here.

*Ostrom and Williamson were recognized for work they’ve done in economic governance. According to Nobelprize.org, they have challenged conventional wisdom in this area. One only needs to look to Wall Street and the current economic crisis to appreciate just how critical it is that we revisit our approach. Perhaps recognizing Ostrom will help underscore the need for gender equity in corporate leadership. Read more on why and how here.

This. Is. Good. News.

Why Bomb the Moon?

October 9, 2009

By Hello Ladies

moon I felt like Cindy Lou Who from “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” when she says, “Santie Claus, why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?” Because this morning I wanted to know, “NASA, why? Why are you bombing our moon? Why”

Why bomb the moon? The moon is a symbol of love, of mystery, of inspiration. It has been a muse to Dickinson, Yeats, Plath, Thoreau, Rumi, and countless others.

Why bomb the moon? So we have an excuse not to save our own planet? No more tiresome recycling and carbon reductions? If there is water on the moon we can go live there?

Why bomb the moon? So we can destroy another planet?

Why bomb the moon? Do we own it? Oh right, we put our flag there. And to bomb it on the same day President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize is just surreal.

Why bomb the moon? Doesn’t it control the tides? Do we really want to mess with that?

Why bomb the moon? Because boys like to blow things up? I didn’t see any women clapping and high fiving inside the Ames Center this morning. That’s because only 31 percent of NASA personnel at a GS-12 (research positions) or higher are women. Perhaps if there was gender equity in space exploration and aeronautics research someone would have nixed this mission.

Why bomb the moon? Many believe it controls our menstrual cycles. And why, why, why would you want to mess with that?

Wage Gap Widens

October 5, 2009

By Hello Ladies

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Hello Men: you suffer too when you pay women less than you pay men for comparable work. I don’t mean to blame everything on men, but the reality is men still dominate management positions in this country. They hold 85 percent of all board seats, the majority of executive positions, and run 95 percent of the companies in the Fortune 500.

My husband knows the drill. If I bring home less than my fair share of wages, then he, a stay-at-home-father, has less money to run the household. Less money for groceries, less money for the kids, less money to pay the bills, less money to fill the gas tank, less money for his fantasy football team (it costs money to manage a team).

Why are we talking about this now? It’s not Equal Pay Day; the one day a year this subject gets any significant attention. And President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act back in January. Here’s why: The. Wage. Gap. Has. Widened. That’s right. Last year’s data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed women earning, on average .78 cents for every dollar a man earned. The new data shows women are earning .77 cents. That’s. Not. Progress.

Not only is it not progress (and not fair). It’s foolish. With traditional male dominated jobs hit hardest by the recession, there will soon be more women on the national payroll then there are men. If these women are earning less than their fair share, their families, and the economy will suffer. Groceries, gasoline, doctor’s bills – none of it becomes 23 percent less expensive when a woman is paying for it. And if families are living off less than fair wages, there is less available income to pour back into the supposed recovering economy.

It’s not just my husband who should be upset by the wage gap. We need to reverse the trend and close the gap. Click here to take action and send a message: No More Pay Discrimination on the Basis of Gender.