Gender Fairness Impl Committee & Executive Compensation

I was honored to attend my 1st meeting as a member of the MN Supreme Court's Gender Fairness Implementation Committee earlier this week. Follow that with another spectacular day celebrating women at the Annual Mpls/St. Paul Business Journal's Women to Watch awards luncheon, and its been a full week. Tying it all together, I thought you'd find the following interesting:

• http://www.mncourts.gov/?page=1842 (OK, I'm an attorney but even I know 32 pages isn't a summary ;0) The report was published in 1989. It's 20 year anniversary will be upon us soon. Sample findings: Family law - while property was divided equally in most divorces, the nature of the property division, with the husband receiving the majority of the liquid and income-producing assets, can create inequities; Child support guidelines were too low and looked at as maximums and not minimums. The standard of living of the custodial parent and children (read mom) decreases substantially after divorce, while that of the non-custodial parent (read dad) often improves.
• report by the OESW (Office of the Economic Status of Women) of the state legislature http://www.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/oesw/fs/WomenPov.pdf. While women are participating in higher education and in the workplace in high numbers, the report suggests that women are still the largest percent of low income workers because women are (1) paid less than men; (2) more likely to be a single parent; (3) more likely to be victims of violence.
• Mpls/St. Paul Business Journals' Highest Paid Women Executives, 7/11/08 insert: Only 4 women made it on last years top 100 Most Highly Compensated Executive listings. The highest paid woman in this year's listing of Highest Paid Women Executives this year would just make it to 36 of the 100 most highly compensated men. (35 men, and then your first women breaks onto the list.)

Money and the ability to negotiate and network (for information) still matters.

Awards - Love them/Hate them

When I look in the local business publications, I'm always looking for names & pictures of women business owners and executive management. They are often few & far between. I came across the upcoming Hall of Fame award winners for Minnesota Business and, not surprisingly, there wasn't a woman's name among them. When Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal published their top newsmakers of 2007/2008, Marilyn Carlson was the only woman who made it. To get recognized and appreciated, it seems that annual special sections or awards need to be created just for Women. (Although we are a 51% "Minority.") I love to attend the events to support these inspiring women but wonder where the media coverage and influence goes after the big event. Are they simply honored that day by the people who know them and then simply set aside for the next year's story? Why do they so rarely make it into the general Top Business lists?

Weigh in on Polish Your Star's Guiding Principles

When I created Polish Your Star, I set out to take an entirely different approach to breaking the gender divide. As I share the Polish Your Star vision, women often ask me what we do and how she would benefit from our services. What we don't do is promise easy answers or provide the answer. What we do is work with our clients:

• to identify old beliefs that may be holding her back;
• to believe her person goals and aspirations are just as valid and worthy as anyone else's
• to take risks;
• to know that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to
• to seek advice from others who have been there before
• to understand that she won't get a different result by using the same old methods
• to develop new methods that align with her vision and
  
• to share information freely and collaboratively

When I developed our Friends of Polish Your Star networking sessions and Women's Leadership Networking Circles, when I connect mentors, peers and resources, and when I work to support our clients, I do so keeping the guiding principles below in mind. Our products and services are right for you if you adhere to at least one of the principles:

Guiding Principles

To be recognized as a Friend of Polish Your Star, the woman must meet at least one of the following criteria:

□ I have or aspire to a leadership role in my community; corporation, institution or other organizational body

□ I recognize that it is my responsibility to identify and vocalize my personal aspirations but that it is equal important to help others identify and vocalize their personal aspirations

□ I believe that neither I nor any woman is no more/less entitled to financial compensation for her work than a man;

□ I do or aspire to recognize and positively acknowledge an individual’s skills, abilities, and aspiration regardless of age, color, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion or creed, sex or gender, sexual orientation, or veteran status;

□ I do and aspire to affirmatively act to place women in positions which represent her aspirations, regardless of perceived or actual societal limitations;

□ I commit to giving each woman the benefit of the doubt, to assuming her positive potential and to taking risks in allowing her to expand her experience base;

□ I commit to actively attempting to refer or consider at least one woman for any position for which I am hiring (whether as an employee or contractor);

□ I commit to mentoring and helping other women in their career development

□ I commit to becoming knowledgeable about whether the organizations to which you provide financial support (through payment for goods or services or donations) employees at least 30% of women in leadership and/or the most highly compensated positions.

Let me know what you think. Are these guiding principles you live by? Have we missed an important guiding principle? Are you ready to change the world?

Would you find value in joining a LinkedIn group that agreed to abide by these guiding principles?