Posts Tagged ‘ women’s equality ’

Bachmann Raises Questions About Politics, Work and Gender Equality

November 29, 2011
By Hello Ladies

WaitressAt the start of the “Thanksgiving Family Forum,” a GOP primary debate held earlier this month in Iowa, presidential candidate Michele Bachmann walked around the table pouring water for all of her opponents and for Frank Luntz, the debate moderator. When Luntz thanked her, Bachmann laughed and responded, “I’m used to it Frank.” Watch the video here and then ask yourself, was Bachmann’s behavior helpful or harmful?

The answer may vary depending on your frame of reference. To some, Bachmann’s action may appear to be a simple, meaningless gesture. She was pouring a glass of water for herself; so why not just pour for the table? After all, it only took a minute or two. It was helpful and only a liberal-leaning blogger could make an issue out of this, right?

Not true. I am sure political strategists think Bachmann made a bad move. After all, it doesn’t look very presidential to wait on others. Presidents are served at the table; they don’t do the serving. Now remember: we’ve never had a woman in office. Therefore, what most people consider to look presidential, is going to look like male behavior. And men seem to know that when they are engaged in important discussions, someone should pour the water for them. So a savvy political pundit would probably view Bachmann’s gesture as harmful.

Some of the women I know — especially the mothers, would have poured the water instinctively. And like Bachmann, they would have dismissed what they did because they are “used to it.” They are used to helping others get settled at the table before they start their own meal. The are used to having a meaningful conversation while doing something else like cutting someone’s food, passing a side dish, pouring a glass of milk. If they waited for a free moment to engage, they’d never finish a sentence. Women like that are used to being helpful. But one place helpful can be harmful is at work.

A few years ago, I worked in an office where I was the only full-time woman on the management team. I was also the first and only female vice president. Once a month, the management team met in the conference room to review all aspects of the business – from financials, to staffing, to product development. At the end of those meetings the conference room was always a mess – papers and Starbuck cups all over the table and product samples all over the floor. When I first worked there, I would grab some of the samples at the conclusion of the meeting, return them to the warehouse and then go back to my office. On my way home later that day, I would pass the conference room and, probably 90 percent of the time, I would notice whatever I hadn’t picked up was still in there. And so I would stop and clean the room.

But after a while I noticed that when those monthly management team meetings ended, my male peers would leave the room carrying only their laptops. So I stopped cleaning up too. (Unless it was a Wednesday – every Thursday at 7 a.m. I attended another meeting in the same room with a large group. And if the room was ready, the meeting was more likely to start on time.) It felt petty to leave the mess. After all, it only took 5 or ten minutes to restore the room. But I started to wonder if cleaning up hurt my image. If I wanted the men to accept me, and other women, as part of the team, then did I have to do what they did and not help with anything perceived to be below a VP assignment? This company didn’t have an office manager nor did the management team have admins so it wasn’t as simple as leaving the mess to the person whose job description covered it. The mess remained until someone brought an outside partner or vendor in for a meeting or until one of the “girls” from accounting or customer service used the room for a birthday, shower or holiday potluck.

Leaving the mess also felt counterintuitive. I attributed much of my career success to hard work, being a team player, doing whatever needed to be done. One of my first bosses, a well-respected advisor to many CEOS, impressed me because she knew how to do every job in the office and how to use every piece of office equipment. She was a  master delegator who focused on high-value tasks, but when something needed to get done  - she could make it happen. It seemed like a pretty powerful approach and I’ve always tried to emulate it.

I don’t subscribe to the idea women need to act like men at work. I believe each gender, each individual really, brings unique characteristics to the office and diversity is the best strategy. But women do need to mind their image. And sometimes that means not being helpful is the most helpful thing they can do for their own careers.

What do you think? Do you try to avoid administrative tasks so as to appear more managerial?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hello Ladies Guide to Sexism in Politics

August 18, 2011
By Hello Ladies
Political attack ad against Janice Hahn

The latest presidential election cycle has only just begun and already we are engaged in some lively discussions about the sexist treatment of candidate Michele Bachmann. Was the Newsweek cover photo of the Congresswoman and the accompanying headline sexist? Was the “submissive wife” question out of line?  Sexism may seem more out in front during a presidential campaign but it exists in politics all the time – and at the state and local level too. Some of the sexism is over the top, and some not so obvious. To help you easily identify and respond to unfair treatment of female politicians, here is “The Hello Ladies Guide to Sexism in Politics.”

Overt sexism: In this category we have the outrageous remarks that make you scream, “How does this person (insert name of person who spoke or wrote the sexist comment) keep their job?!” Examples: Conan O’Brien sidekick Andy Richter’s recent tweet that read, “There’s nothing wrong with Michele Bachmann that two solid weeks of orgasms won’t cure.” Statements like that one attempt to reduce a female candidate to a shrew, a sexual object, anything but a viable contender for the job. An Alex Beam column in The Boston Globe during the Massachusetts Senate race last year qualified because it shifted the focus, even if only briefly, from Attorney General Martha Coakley’s front-runner status to her looks. And, of course, the web ad depicting Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn as a pole dancer was one of the most offensive displays of sexism in politics we’ve seen.

Subtle sexism: This is the kind of sexism that doesn’t necessarily jump off the page but still reveals and perpetuates entrenched attitudes that women don’t belong in Washington. Examples: Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen writing, “I can think of no reason why anyone who, for some unaccountable reason, supports Michele Bachmann will not move over to Perry… Perry, who actually looks like a president … will raise far more money and breeze by her.” Because presidents, ladies, don’t look like us. They look like white guys. And to be clear,  political leaders don’t care about frivolous things like makeup and jewelry either. That was the message in an attack ad against North Carolina Senate candidate Margaret Dickson. Because after all, women who wear lipstick might gasp or cough when a terrorist is killed. Yes, the analysis of Secretary of State Clinton in the situation room during the Osama Bin Laden raid was sexist. And the other things legislators are not: mothers, or, women with no children. Sarah Palin had too many kids and  Tampa mayoral candidate Rosa Ferlita didn’t have enough. An attack ad against her implied she was unfit for office unlike her opponent, “a family man.”

Blink-and-you-might-miss-it sexism: From a very young age, we’ve been conditioned by the media to view women a certain way. Think Barbie with her physically impossible figure, models airbrushed into Everyman’s fantasy, Wilma Flinstone – tough but obedient, and Daphne and Velma – pretty or smart but never both. So we don’t always immediately see sexism for what it is because the images served up of female politicians follow the same formula we’ve always seen when it comes to the portrayal of women in the media. Examples: Fox News correspondent Greta Van Susteren asking then Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin if she had breast implants – not relevant to U.S. policy but a topic we’re used to having about women in the news. Another example was Rep. Allen West telling Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz she’s “not a lady.” Because a well-behaved lady doesn’t challenge a man (but we do, don’t we ladies?). And then there’s the use of our least-favorite phrase “Man Up.”  Because it’s men who win wars, fix economies and create jobs. Clearly.

Why it Matters: Sexism hurts. A 2010 poll by Lake Research Partners revealed that “even mild sexist language has an impact on voters’ likelihood to vote for a female candidate and on how favorable they feel toward a woman seeking office.” The Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization whose mission is to establish representative democracy across the globe, sees gender parity as the path to democracy stating, “The concept of democracy will only assume true and dynamic significance when political policies and national legislation are decided upon jointly by men and women with equitable regard for the interests and aptitudes of both halves of the population.” But here in the U.S. women hold barely 17 percent of the seats in Congress, despite making up half the population.

What We Can Do About It: We can start by calling out sexism when we see it. Organizations like Name It Change It allow people to report sexist coverage and then call on the media outlets to change behavior. We can tell advertisers and sponsors we don’t like it, that we notice where they spend advertising dollars and that we too must think about how we spend our money.

And we can work to shift the political landscape. We can contribute to and volunteer on women’s campaigns. It takes a lot of money and people to get someone elected. We can vote for women. I often quote Gloria Feldt who says, “… when there are two candidates–one male and one female–who are both well-qualified and represent my positions on major issues I care about, I will support the woman until such time as women have our fair 50 percent share of the elected official slots. Then and only then will gender not matter.” And we can run for office.  Organizations like She Should Run, The White House Project, The 2012 Project and Ready to Run offer support and coaching for women seeking office.

And eventually, we too will look like a president.

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Why We Can’t Agree: Is the Bachmann Newsweek Cover Sexist?

August 10, 2011
By Hello Ladies

Michele Bachmann's Newsweek coverTerry O’Neill from the National Organization for Women (NOW) says yes, it is. Salon’s Joan Walsh says no, it’s not. And feminist icon Gloria Steinem says it’s borderline.

Pundits are split on whether or not Newsweek’s decision to run the unflattering (we can all agree on that, right?) picture of presidential candidate Michele Bachmann was sexist.

Why is it so hard to figure out? I think  it stems from the way the media has conditioned us to think about and view women. When so many young, female characters on television are sexualized, when even the most beautiful women in the world are airbrushed, when we see too few images of strong, athletic women and when so much of our news comes from the male point of view, we struggle with what is reality, what is media manipulation, how we view other women and what we’ve come to expect of how the media views us.

And then add politics to the mix and things get even more distorted. With such small numbers of women participating in politics, the media turns the few women who do into Everywoman. Remember, for example, how a vote for Hillary Clinton was portrayed as a vagina vote, not a vote for a candidate? President Obama caught on camera calling someone a jackass was an on-air gaffe. But Carly Fiorina caught mocking her opponent’s hair was mean girl behavior. More than one man running for president from a political party is called a candidate pool. But more than one woman is a cat fight. So is it any wonder that determining whether Newsweek chose a crazy-eyed image to match a crazy candidate or whether the magazine chose to create an unstable portrait of a woman running for president, gives us pause?

What do you think? Is the Bachmann Newsweek cover sexist?

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Washington Makes Women’s Health a Priority

August 3, 2011
By Hello Ladies

The PillMore good news out of Washington (can you believe it?). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this week announced new guidelines as part of the Affordable Care Act that require new health insurance plans to cover women’s preventive services including breastfeeding support, domestic violence screening, and contraception – without charging a co-payment or a deductible.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement, “These historic guidelines are based on science and existing literature and will help ensure women get the preventive health benefits they need.” In developing the guidelines, the HHS worked with the Institute of Medicine to do a review of women’s health needs and provide recommendations on preventive measures specifically for women.

According to the HHS website, women will have access to the following services without cost-sharing starting in August of next year:

  • well-woman visits;
  • screening for gestational diabetes;
  • human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing for women 30 years and older;
  • sexually-transmitted infection counseling;
  • human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening and counseling;
  • FDA-approved contraception methods and contraceptive counseling;
  • breastfeeding support, supplies, and counseling; and
  • domestic violence screening and counseling.

An amendment to the new regulation allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees a choice whether or not to cover contraception services.

Not only are these guidelines key to helping women get the medical services and treatments they require, they are key to women’s professional and financial security too. Giving women access to choice, support and tools makes the challenges of managing career and family that much easier.

This is progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Invest in Mothers

April 20, 2011
By Hello Ladies

Mother at computer holding babyRecently I attended an event for entrepreneurs looking to accelerate their businesses. The event was billed as an opportunity to hear from leaders about how they’ve propelled their companies in terms of product development, technology, sales and marketing. Following the presentations, attendees were encouraged to eat lunch in groups dedicated to specific topics and facilitated by experts.

There were eleven presenters. One was a woman. There were twelve lunch experts. Not one of them was a women.

I asked the organizers where the women were. The answers ranged from (and I paraphrase), “I try to get women here every year. I think it’s too hard for women to start companies,” to “I can’t speak for women.”

I heard a similar refrain at another start-up focused event last month. A man there told me women aren’t willing to put in the hard work and the hours to run a company. Really? Tell that to Ursula Burns, Oprah Winfrey, Anne Mulcahey, Indra Nooyi and countless other women who run lesser-known businesses.

Perhaps the answer lies here: an estimated 90 percent of all venture funding goes to men and venture capital is a key ingredient for growth. The venture industry is predominantly male. This translates to fewer and less powerful networks and connections for women making it more difficult to get in front of key investors. When they do get in the door, it isn’t as easy for them to relate to the money men.

Don’t believe me? Read this. Paige Craig, CEO of BetterWorks and an investor with Good Angel, confesses in Business Insider that he almost didn’t fund a pregnant woman’s business  because of doubts he had she could start a company, lead a team, carry and then care for a child.

Perhaps I should be grateful Craig was honest and started an important dialogue. But actually, his article irks me. The insurance companies insist on labeling childbirth as a disability, but it’s not. Our bodies were built to have children. The many doctor’s appointments, and the frequent trips to bathroom during pregnancy do take time, but women still manage to get things done. We have smart phones now. We can check email and make calls from the waiting room at the OBs office.

And why is the idea that having a child is a great motivator for women so rare? I go to work every day to feed my children. I work hard so I can give my children excellent opportunities. I strive to make a positive impact in the world, because my children will inherit the results. And when I walk through the front door every night and see my kids, I gain invaluable perspective that fuels my effectiveness on the job.

Mother’s don’t check out. Mothers go through life with a heightened sense of awareness and of purpose. Work with us, harness that, and trust me, you’ll like the results.

Read the response from the entrepreneur Craig did ultimately fund. She says she has no interest in fitting the typical start-up CEO profile. She hopes to model for others a path that, “includes sharing their entrepreneurial journey (and, the financial and social upside they will create) with people who know their story, their context, maybe even their families, and believe in them all the more because of it.” Are men that different?

Last night, I had to have a talk with my daughter because she broke a serious rule. I was disappointed and concerned and wanted to tell her. But I chose a softer delivery so that she would feel comfortable talking with me the next time we needed to have an honest conversation. I know, I know. I should take a similar approach with Craig. So please forgive my initial crankiness. It’s just that  it baffles me that in 2011 the concept of women as capable, motivated providers, is still foreign to some.

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Discuss Amongst Yourselves

April 20, 2011
By Hello Ladies

Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer at Facebook, discusses why we have too few women leaders, at TED. It’s worth the watch.

And for more on why we have too few women speakers at TED, check this out from C.V. Harquail and then join the “She Should Talk at TED” group on Facebook

Walmart Gender Discrimination Suit Update

April 4, 2011
By Hello Ladies

Female Justice

The class action gender discrimination suit against Walmart, which had been given a green light by a federal judge and a federal appeals court, could be losing steam in the Supreme Court.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs must prove Walmart had an unlawful policy that led to the discrimination. The UPI explained the challenge they face in trying to prove the class has merit, “The basic claim in the suit is that Walmart maintains a common culture — “the Walmart Way” — to ensure uniformity in its 3,400 stores … but the corporate headquarters gives local store managers unlimited discretion to decide pay and promotions — resulting in lower pay and fewer promotions for women.”

Many close to the case and present in the courtroom said the justices seem divided down gender lines with Justices Sotamayor, Ginsburg and Kagan revealing support for the case in their line of questioning. The St. Petersburg Times reported, “ Ginsburg, who made her legal reputation in sex-discrimination law, said WalMart’s experience shows how “gender bias can creep” into the workplace. It isn’t “at all complicated,” she said. “Most people prefer themselves. And so a decisionmaker, all other things being equal, would prefer someone who looked like him.”

The case was sparked ten years ago by Betty Dukes, a 60 year old store greeter, and claims women at the giant retailer are paid less than men, have fewer opportunities for promotion than their male coworkers, and are poorly represented at the management levels of the organization. This case has also leveled accusations of a work environment that included team meetings at Hooters and requests for women to “doll up.”

Walmart had asked for a review of the appeal court ruling that paved the way for a massive class action suit against the retailer (reports have the size of the class at more than a million).  Treating the case as a class action obviously has major implications for both Walmart and its female employees. If the court rules in favor of the employees, Walmart could face a huge payout. If the court rules against the class, many women could be denied an opportunity to deal with any individual discrimination cases they may have.

Gender discrimination can be challenging to identify and the long-term effects can remain hidden indefinitely. Women must have squeaky clean employment records or risk having their character and work ethic shredded during a suit. And many lawyers won’t take individual cases as the dollars involved don’t make it worth their time.

There is plenty at stake here. A ruling is expected in June.

 

Walmart Gender Discrimination Case: A Familiar Debate for Some Women

March 28, 2011
By Hello Ladies

Doris Dukes and Walmart plaintiffs

Tuesday the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Walmart gender discrimination class action lawsuit. The case was sparked ten years ago by Betty Dukes, a 60 year old store greeter, and claims women at the giant retailer are paid less than men, have fewer  opportunities for promotion than  their male coworkers, and are poorly represented at the management levels of the organization. This case has also leveled accusations of  a work environment that included team meetings at Hooters and requests for women to “doll up.”

Tomorrow’s hearings will not focus on whether WalMart discriminated against women. Rather the court will evaluate whether the women who have worked at WalMart have enough in common to be considered a class. The size of the class has been reported at 1.5 million women. Walmart lawyers have argued that the women have little in common except gender.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs will be challenged to demonstrate Walmart had a a common policy that was discriminatory.  They have cited decentralized and discretionary employee evaluation policies as support for a commonality finding. Walmart has argued discretionary decision-making is not inherently discriminatory.

It sounds like the lawyers will engage in debates not unsimilar to the debate working women occasionally  have – but usually with themselves.  For example, while on a business trip once with coworkers, the boss thought it would be “funny” if we all had lunch at Hooters .  Did that harm me? Should I have I complained? Was it a one time laspe of judgement or indicative of a hostile work environment?

Or,  I wasn’t considered for an internal position several years back –  around the same time one of the bosses asked me if I could travel to a client site when I had kids at home.  The guy they hired for the job, which required a lot of travel,  had more kids than me, but he also had more relevant experience.  Then he was given a better office and title. Were these gender-based decisions or just a series of  unrelated events? With hindsight and distance, I recognize the  pattern. But in  the moment, it was hard to see clearly.

Subtle discrimination can be challenging to identify and the long-term effects can remain hidden indefinitely. Building a case  is not easy as an individual, or as a member of a class. Women have plenty at stake tomorrow, as the outcome of this case could set the tone for future cases.

Corporate America is concerned too. Walmart could face billions of dollars in damages. Twenty U.S. companies have expressed support for Walmart. They are worried a ruling against the retailer could open the “floodgates” for countless and baseless claims.

This will be one to watch.

 

 

Thank You Geraldine Ferraro

March 27, 2011
By Hello Ladies

Geraldine Ferraro died yesterday at the age of 75 from complications related to blood cancer. It’s Women’s History Month and Ferraro was definitely a woman who made history. In 1984 she inspired generations when she was chosen by Walter Mondale as the first female vice presidential candidate of the United States. In her concession speech, Ferraro said, “My candidacy has said the days of discrimination are numbered.”

Ferraro’s run was marred by sexism, including a comment from Barbara Bush who said of her husband’s opponent, “I can’t say it but it rhymes with ‘rich.” However, many credit her candidacy with changing the political landscape. More women were elected to Congress and appointed cabinet positions post-1984. Ferraro had been a Congresswoman prior to the 1984 election, representing Queens, New York.

Following the election, Ferraro remained a strong advocate for women and was not afraid to speak out against sexism. She was a fierce supporter of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, getting herself in hot water for some comments she made about Barack Obama.

We owe a lot to Geraldine Ferraro. Thank you.

Two Ways to Mark the Anniversary of Healthcare Reform

March 24, 2011
By Hello Ladies

Obama signs healthcare reformOne year ago this week President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Vice President Biden was right. It was a big *$% deal. The sweeping reform, which will go into full effect in 2014 will help the currently uninsured, extend benefits through parents’ policies to struggling young adults, offer new tax credits to small businesses and assist senior citizens with costly prescription costs.

The reform has particular significance for women who historically paid higher premiums than men and were penalized for their so-called pre-existing conditions like pregnancy, C-sections and yes, even, domestic violence. Pre-existing conditions can no longer be cause for not insuring someone. Under the reform, women can also access the preventative care that is so critical to their well-being including critical maternity care. The United States has a very high maternal mortality rate. In fact two women die due to pregnancy-related complications each day in the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act covers folic acid supplements, breast feeding support programs and screening for pregnancy-related conditions including anemia, cervical cancer and hepatitis B. And critical to both pregnant and non-pregnant women, screenings for breast and osteoporosis are now more affordable and accessible.

It’s these gains that should spur women to remain engaged and watchful of the political process that still threatens the reform. The House of Representatives voted to repeal the healthcare act in January and opponents of the reform vow to take their fight to the Senate. The house also voted to defund Planned Parenthood which provides millions of people affordable healthcare including sex education, contraception, and screens for cervical and other cancers.

And separate but related attacks on women’s access to a full spectrum of healthcare are being waged at the state level all across the country. There are bills on the books that would require women to have mandatory spiritual counseling and sonograms prior to having an abortion. There are bills that would restrict health insurance from covering all reproductive treatments. There are proposals in play that would prohibit abortions even in life and death situations.

Women’s health is still one of the most hotly debated issues in Washington. We need to pay attention and advocate for ourselves. So as we mark the one year anniversary of the signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we should all do two things. First, stay informed. Subscribe to our updates and feeds from other sites like the National Women’s Law Center and Moms Rising. And second, program your legislators’ phone numbers on your speed dial so you can let them know where you stand on the issues.

For more blog posts on healthcare reform and women, visit the National Women’s Law Center.

 

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