On a related note, a friend of mine provided this snippet about women on European boards...
Norway is a land of strong female figures. So it seemed natural, when Norway passed a law in 2003 requiring companies to fill 40% of their board sets with women by 2008. The country has met the goal. Some companies were less than enthusiastic so the law did include a big stick. Companies could be shut down for not complying. Spain has followed Norway's lead. Its parliament has passed a law calling for 40% board participation by women by 2015. However, Spain's law does not have the enforcement measures included in the Norwegian law. In the Netherlands, an organization called TopBrainstorm is preparing a voluntary charter for companies to sign. Companies would be committing to targets for getting women into senior executive positions to make it possible for them to become board candidates. And in Britain, 123 women hold 11% of the board seats on FTSE 100 companies. Twenty percent (20%) of new FTSE 100 director appoints went to women in 2007. (The New York Times, 22-Mar-2008, National ed., p. C4)
Compare this to the figures in 100 Facts on the Status of Working Women: the total number of women holding board seats in 2003 was 779, up from 735 in 2001. (If we assume 12 members per Fortune 500, this is approximatelyl 7 percent.) It is estimated that in 20 years, women will still not be one-quarter of boards of directors if the current rate of change remains constant.
The title of a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Carol Hymowitz says it all "On Diversity, America isn't Putting Its Money Where Its Mouth Is."
Monday, March 24, 2008
Female Heads of State - US lags way behind
It’s an exciting time in our nation’s history—the first ever viable female candidate for President is still in the race. If it doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, consider this:
· While there are currently over 30 female heads of state around the globe, the US has never had one.
· only 33 women have served in the US Senate over the last 80 years.
· In the House of Representatives, only 216 women have served over the last 115 years, compared to 11,489 men (no, that’s not a typo.)
No matter your party affiliation or voting preference, take steps for positive change and greater gender equity:
· Point out the positive, not the negative. As a woman, your critique of another woman may be used by others to support their belief that women aren’t suited to leadership roles. If you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all.
· Watch for “potential” in women. Take a chance on a woman. So what if a woman has never held a position or done the job before or the last one failed. If she wants to do it, give her a chance. We don’t stop hiring or electing men just because one of them lets us down.
· Watch out for expecting more from women or holding them to a higher standard. Women can be their own worst enemy. Don’t hold yourself to unreachable standards or criticize women for aiming high and taking a risk.
· Learn what your friends do and toot their horn for them. (And let them know what you do so they can send business your way.)
· Vote for and hire your friends. Your friends are the people with your best interest in mind, who lead with integrity and courage, right? Who better to work with and entrust?
· While there are currently over 30 female heads of state around the globe, the US has never had one.
· only 33 women have served in the US Senate over the last 80 years.
· In the House of Representatives, only 216 women have served over the last 115 years, compared to 11,489 men (no, that’s not a typo.)
No matter your party affiliation or voting preference, take steps for positive change and greater gender equity:
· Point out the positive, not the negative. As a woman, your critique of another woman may be used by others to support their belief that women aren’t suited to leadership roles. If you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all.
· Watch for “potential” in women. Take a chance on a woman. So what if a woman has never held a position or done the job before or the last one failed. If she wants to do it, give her a chance. We don’t stop hiring or electing men just because one of them lets us down.
· Watch out for expecting more from women or holding them to a higher standard. Women can be their own worst enemy. Don’t hold yourself to unreachable standards or criticize women for aiming high and taking a risk.
· Learn what your friends do and toot their horn for them. (And let them know what you do so they can send business your way.)
· Vote for and hire your friends. Your friends are the people with your best interest in mind, who lead with integrity and courage, right? Who better to work with and entrust?
Monday, March 3, 2008
Rant on fashion
To get it off my chest and move on, I have to stop to point out a recent Fashion + Style recommendation in a local magazine. The concept: Quick outfits to take on a tropical, weekend vacation get away. He can take off with $545 worth of clothing, she'll need $896 - nearly 60% more. Why? Not even getting into the pricing on individual pieces ($325 for sunglasses ?!?!?), I wonder what this says about us as "consumers" or them as "marketers". As a consumer, what are your reactions? As a marketer, how do you think about the pricing?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)