Last Friday I attended an EWomen Network luncheon and the speaker was Cindy Erickson of Innolect, Inc. She talked to us about women in the workforce and compared it to the play Wicked.
If you have seen the play then you know that the message is that things are not always what they seem. We have to look behind the curtain and find the truth. The truth is that women are still not equal in the workforce.
We have decades of fighting our way to the top and yet we still aren't there. Did you know that there are still only eight female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies? Megan Dowd writes for Fox news, "...statistics show that although women have made some strides over time in the corporate arena, too many have simply been running in place. The majority of women employed at Fortune 500 companies have been getting stuck at the bottom of the leadership totem pole over the last decade, according to a census study released in 2006 by Catalyst, an organization that tracks women in business."
So, what is it that makes us different than men? What makes us incapable of rising to the top of the corporate ladder? In her presentation on Friday, Erickson said that women have not adopted the mentor mentality that men have. Of course, there are other contributing factors to why men rise to the top faster, but this is a point that cannot and should not be ignored.
What is the underlying reason that we don't mentor and take that new girl under our wings? Maybe it is that newer models for the female gender seem better some how. Where men are seen as wiser and more capable at an older age, women are not necessarily in the same boat. Many women have taken time away from their careers to raise families. They may have a break in their rise to the top. So, what can we do?
We must....and I mean must, begin to build bonds across the generations. Women who have been in the workforce and figured a few things out must take a younger woman under her wing. We must begin to create strong networks that help us launch each other into a new level.
What does this have to do with beauty and style? Everything!! We cannot be women of grace, style, poise and beauty if we are ugly inside. When we join hands and work together we are undefeatable. We are strong and beautiful and can do anything.
In the coming months we will be issuing a challenge to be or find a mentor. We hope that you will take up the gauntlet and join us in our quest to be better women (to each other) in the workplace. Keep checking our site for details.
If you have seen the play then you know that the message is that things are not always what they seem. We have to look behind the curtain and find the truth. The truth is that women are still not equal in the workforce.
We have decades of fighting our way to the top and yet we still aren't there. Did you know that there are still only eight female CEOs in Fortune 500 companies? Megan Dowd writes for Fox news, "...statistics show that although women have made some strides over time in the corporate arena, too many have simply been running in place. The majority of women employed at Fortune 500 companies have been getting stuck at the bottom of the leadership totem pole over the last decade, according to a census study released in 2006 by Catalyst, an organization that tracks women in business."
So, what is it that makes us different than men? What makes us incapable of rising to the top of the corporate ladder? In her presentation on Friday, Erickson said that women have not adopted the mentor mentality that men have. Of course, there are other contributing factors to why men rise to the top faster, but this is a point that cannot and should not be ignored.
What is the underlying reason that we don't mentor and take that new girl under our wings? Maybe it is that newer models for the female gender seem better some how. Where men are seen as wiser and more capable at an older age, women are not necessarily in the same boat. Many women have taken time away from their careers to raise families. They may have a break in their rise to the top. So, what can we do?
We must....and I mean must, begin to build bonds across the generations. Women who have been in the workforce and figured a few things out must take a younger woman under her wing. We must begin to create strong networks that help us launch each other into a new level.
What does this have to do with beauty and style? Everything!! We cannot be women of grace, style, poise and beauty if we are ugly inside. When we join hands and work together we are undefeatable. We are strong and beautiful and can do anything.
In the coming months we will be issuing a challenge to be or find a mentor. We hope that you will take up the gauntlet and join us in our quest to be better women (to each other) in the workplace. Keep checking our site for details.
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