On the cover of the April 2008 issue of Condé Nast
Portfolio Magazine, is a picture of a women's ruby red high
heel pitted against and unmistakably underneath the toe of
a man's business shoe. The feature article is titled:
"POWER WHO HAS IT. WHO DOESN'T? The surprising news about
gender in the office"
This article, written by Harriet Rubin, was such a surprise
to me. After all it appears that women have made so much
progress. I was beginning to believe that my writing about
breaking the glass ceiling was old news. Or am I right on
target with this subject?
To me, in my gut, something in the last few years just
didn't feel right. Everyone was trying to tell me "oh no,
it's not a problem anymore, look at all these women in PINK
magazine!" Still the issues continue to creep into my
conscience mind. I continue to speak to anyone; anywhere I
can about women facing the barrier of career success,
facing the challenges of breaking the glass ceiling. I
continue to write articles discussing that very subtle
gender curtain.
Then, vindication! Condé Nast Portfolio Magazine
features an article and substantiated evidence that
supports what my gut is telling me.
When compared to their male counterparts, women are
statistically in worse condition financially than they were
in 2005. (The Bureau of Labor Statistics; Catalyst and
Condé Nast Portfolio research) In 2006 women earned
78.7 cents for every dollar earned by men which represents
a decline from the 79.4 cents on the dollar earned in 2005
and marking only a 5-cent increase since 1991.
Women in the board room have not faired that well either.
From 1995 to 2005 there was a steady increase in board
membership for women, but in the last three years the
numbers are flat. Women only represent 14.8% of corporate
board seats in the Fortune 500. Within the same Fortune
500, 234 companies were represented by 3 or more female
officers in 2006 and only 64 companies did not have a
single female officer. The 2007 stats show an alarming 31
companies dropping below three female officers, down to
203, while 10 companies were added to the list of companies
with zero female officers. Female CEOs across the board
have also lost ground with 29% representing their companies
in 2006 and only 27.2% in 2007.
Since the inception of The U.S. Department of Labor Glass
Ceiling Commission in 1991 significant progress in these
areas occurred and appeared to be gaining momentum. Since
the '90s the major news catching awareness of this issue
appears to have died down, leaving most to believe that the
issue has disappeared. This may be the actual reason for
the slow down in progress. Less publicity leads to less
awareness. When we look at the feature players such as
Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, on the political front,
and the CEOs of Avon, EBay and Xerox on the corporate
front, everyone in Middle America begins to believe that
the issue has disappeared. What remains are men and women
in the day to day trenches who face a lack of true
leadership. The system is void of the ability to assist
both men and women as they attempt to improve their
interactions, improve productivity and respect, work in an
environment void of the sexism and void of the gender
curtain in their path.
Today, I believe that it is a grass roots effort that will
solve problems and create progress. It's what we do in the
corporations inside and outside of the Fortune 500, to
improve the working relationships, policies and paradigms
of all management levels, which will change the landscape
over the next ten years. If we continue on the current
path, progress will be slow and as our Condé Nast
author Harriet Rubin laments, 2081 will be the year that
true parity will be achieved.
I for one do not want to wait that long. I believe there
are mentors with tools to move us forward today. "A
Woman's Ladder To Success is Paved with Broken Glass
Ceilings" is one of those tools. Men and Women can
discover the underlying causes for that subtle gender
curtain to exist. Once you are aware, then the challenge
is to apply this wisdom to your personal career and your
company's future success.
It's time for an awakening. Women cannot rely on the old
school rules to solve the crisis of stagnation. Women need
to utilize actual talent and innovation to step away from
the crowd and create awareness of their true potential. In
the March/April 2008 issue of PINK Magazine, the editors
found 15 female innovators within Corporate America. The
article is enlightening, pointing to the innovative ideas
of the likes of Irene Britt, VP and General Manager for
Campbell Soup Co. who took the V-8 product from weak in
2005 to V-8 Fusion in 2007. It's innovation of this
caliber that sets these 15 women apart from the rest of the
corporate crowd.
Read PINK Magazine this month, read "A Woman's Ladder To
Success" and combine your talents with your innovative
skills and presence and create a new level of success in
your career.
----------------------------------------------------
Diane Dutton, MBA, CPA, Speaker,Virtual CFO, Business
Strategy Consultant and author of "A Woman's Ladder To
Success", available at Amazon.com. For more information on
this and the other factors facing your business growth
potential , read the rest of the story at
http://www.businesswomenspeak.com , write to me at
ddutton@businesswomenspeak.com.
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