Work:life Balance

Flexible work arrangements and policies that address caregiving roles result in paybacks for both employers and employees. Research shows that employees with a satisfying work/life balance are more productive, creative, innovative and motivated at work and are less likely to leave their positions. Flexibility also encourages gender diversity in the workplace by easing the way for women to stay on their chosen career tracks while providing caregiving to children and family members or pursuing other interests and responsibilities.

Overcoming the Gender Gap: Women Entrepreneurs as Economic Drivers

Submitted by asklar on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 10:18am

Women who are capable of starting growth companies that serve global markets may be the nation's secret weapon for achieving sustained economic growth.

URL:

http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/untapped-potential-for-expanding-womens-entrepreneurship-holds-promise-to-grow-us-economy.aspx

Flexibility in the Corporate Sector: Still a Business Imperative?

Submitted by vivhdem on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 12:43pm

By Linda Basch, PhD*

<< Back to the Full Blog

Survey: More professional women choosing time over money

Teaser:

A women and workplace survey from More magazine shows that 43% of the women surveyed say they are less ambitious now than they were a decade ago. And only a quarter of the 500 women ages 35 to 60 say they're working toward their next promotion.

Editorial:

...

A new nationwide survey shows that Willis, 44, may not be alone. A women and workplace survey from More magazine shows that 43% of the women surveyed say they are less ambitious now than they were a decade ago. And only a quarter of the 500 women ages 35 to 60 say they're working toward their next promotion.

And forget about the corner office: 3 out of 4 women in the survey — 73% — say they would not apply for their boss' job. Almost 2 of 5 — 38% — report they don't want to put up with the stress, office politics and responsibility that often go hand in hand with such positions.

...

Source:

USA Today

URL:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/bruzzese/story/2011-10-31/women-work-survey/51009676/1

Date:

October 31, 2011

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Women & Mobile: A Global Opportunity

Submitted by asklar on Wed, 10/26/2011 - 9:59am

Report by GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association) and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women

300 Million Fewer Female than Male Subscribers: A US$13 Billion Opportunity

Mobile phone ownership in low and middle-income countries has skyrocketed in the past several years. But a woman is still 21% less likely to own a mobile phone than a man. This figure increases to 23% if she lives in in Africa, 24% if she lives in the Middle East, and 37% if she lives in South Asia. Closing this gender gap would bring the benefits of mobile phones to an additional 300 million women. By extending the benefits of mobile phone ownership to more women, a host of social and economic goals can be advanced.

Nine in Ten Women Feel Safer Because of Their Mobile Phones

URL:

http://vitalwaveconsulting.com/pdf/Women-Mobile.pdf

Expert Profile

Location:

United States

40° 42' 9.4392" N, 74° 0' 18.144" W

See map: Google Maps

Andrea Spender is Corporate Research and Programs Manager. Her multisectoral and diversified experience in both the private and research sectors is enhancing NCRW programming and the services provided to our Corporate membership.

Previously, Andrea has worked as a researcher and instructor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, a Research Specialist in the M&A group of Bank of Montreal and a Senior Analyst and Team Leader at McKinsey & Company.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph and a Master of Information Science from the University of Western Ontario. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy degree at NYU’s Wagner School.

Location

New York, NY 10005

United States

40° 42' 9.4392" N, 74° 0' 18.144" W

See map: Google Maps

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Women in Business: Coverage of the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society

Teaser:

Do women occupy leadership positions and command respect in the workplace? If these questions seem passé in a post-feminist world, the answers are not. CNBC's special report, combined with coverage of the annual Women's Forum for the Economy and Society, opens the conversation.

Editorial:

From the summary:

So when we began planning our special report "Women in Business," I was eager to learn how women are really doing in the workplace. Clearly, many women are successful, powerful and making money, as our special report shows. But do they occupy leadership positions and command respect—and what impact do they have on the workplace?

If these questions seem passé in our post-feminist world, I learned that the answers are not.

Plenty of women are redefining success by leaving Corporate America to start their own companies. Others, including Sandra E. Peterson, CEO of Bayer's [BAYZF 0.00 --- UNCH ] CropScience unit, advise women to stay in the corporate game. “Set out to be the best at your game and understand that you’ll make sacrifices, trade-offs, and changes during your journey” she advises.

Still others, such as Kelli McGarraugh, President, MD Records, say theystumbled onto their life’s work and consuming passion. “One day, the opportunity presented itself and I decided to take the plunge,” she writes in one of our first-person essays by women who have made it to the top.

I loved learning that women turn out to be amazing hedge fund managers: Research shows that women generally make better money managers, and that funds managed by women significantly outperformed those run by men, with 9 percent returns for women and 5.82 percent for men.

Of course, the news isn’t all rosy for women, as you might imagine. Another of our stories shows that the progress of women through the ranks to the top of companies has stalled. In fact, the number of female chief executives in theStandard & Poor’s 500 is just 17, a little more than 3 percent.

But what I really loved was the balanced approach advocated by Joyce Russell, president of Adecco Staffing U.S., who believes it can still be a rough road for women in the workplace. What she writes, though, rings true: “The key to success lies in what many would consider old-fashioned values: hard work, determination and relationships with people.”

Sure, those are women’s values. But they’re the best kind of values for all good and successful people. So here’s to hard-working, determined and relationship-oriented women — and men.

Source:

CNBC

URL:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44078149/?displaymode=1061&previewmode=1

Date:

October 11, 2011

Affiliate:

Study: National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications and Women in Cable Telecommunications Announce Highlights of Joint Industry Diversity Survey

Teaser:

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) announced highlights of the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR Cable Telecommunications Industry Diversity Survey at a town hall held jointly by the associations in New York City in conjunction with the 25^th Annual NAMIC Conference and the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference. The study gathered data related to workforce demographics and diversity and inclusion practices from the cable telecommunications industry. The primary methodology for the study was a census survey consisting of 83 quantitative and qualitative questions focused on gender and race/ethnicity, for a variety of job categories. Twenty-five companies completed the survey, representing 54% of the cable telecommunications industry workforce.

Editorial:

From the press release:

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) today announced highlights of the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR Cable Telecommunications Industry Diversity Survey. Benchmarked data vital to the advancement of ethnic and gender diversity in cable, the results of the NAMIC AIM (Advancement Investment Measurement) and WICT PAR Initiative (Pay Equity, Advancement Opportunities and Resources for Work/Life Support) were announced this morning during a Town Hall Meeting on Diversity. The town hall was held jointly by the associations in New York City in conjunction with the 25^th Annual NAMIC Conference and the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference.

Funded by The Walter Kaitz Foundation, and conducted by third-party experts at The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) the NAMIC and WICT study gathered data related to workforce demographics and diversity and inclusion practices from the cable telecommunications industry. The primary methodology for the study was a census survey consisting of 83 quantitative and qualitative questions focused on gender and race/ethnicity, for a variety of job categories. Twenty-five companies completed the survey, representing 54% of the cable telecommunications industry workforce. Fourteen of the company respondents were programmers, eight were multi-system operators, and three companies were either industry suppliers or non-profits.

To assess diversity at the highest leadership levels within the industry, this year's survey measured four specific criteria: the 10% highest paid full-time employees; executive/senior-level officials and managers; first/mid-level officials and managers; and, for the first time, women holding seats on corporate boards. Additionally, workforce demographic data was benchmarked against Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) data for all industries, as well as the telecommunications and information industry. Diversity practices among cable telecommunications organizations were benchmarked against responses from a random sample of SHRM members, a subset of which represented the telecommunications industry. Survey results were compared by programmers and multi-system operators and historical NAMIC (2008) or WICT PAR (2009) data, when applicable.

The study found that cable telecommunications organizations are embracing key diversity practices. Generally, the organizations that participated in this year's survey scored better on key diversity practices compared with SHRM telecommunications industry comparison data. However, when cable telecommunications organizations were compared to similarly sized organizations in SHRM's all-industry comparison data, responses were similar, suggesting that organizational staff size plays a critical role in the scale and sophistication of diversity practices that organizations may employ.

The top five diversity practices employed by cable telecommunications organizations in the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR survey are listed in ranking order as follows:

Recruiting strategies designed to help increase diversity within organizations.
Community outreach tied to diversity, such as links between organizations and educational institutions, government entities, etc.
Leadership development opportunities (e.g., mentoring, coaching) designed to increase diversity in higher-level positions.
Employing employee attitude surveys that include items related to organizational diversity.
Aligning diversity with business goals and objectives.

A number of advances in the cable telecommunications industry as it relates to race/ethnicity were cited. Although the study showed increases for full-time employees, multi-ethnicity among executive and mid-level management positions is advancing at a slower rate. The study also found that Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanic/Latinos in particular are severely underrepresented relative to their numbers in the general U.S. population. According to the study, representation of people of color on boards of directors remains a challenge with little to no growth occurring since the 2008 NAMIC survey.

"The survey results are indicative of our industry's commitment to fostering greater diversity and inclusion," said Kathy A. Johnson, president, NAMIC. "While the numbers are moving in the right direction, there remain opportunities for NAMIC and industry collaboration to ensure that representation in senior leadership is keeping pace with our nation's demographic shifts."

When reviewing gender-related data, the study showed gains in 2011 for women in a number of positions. Cable telecommunications organizations increased their representation of women executives, board directors and new hires. However, opportunities still remain to ensure pay equity for women. In 2011, a new metric for WICT, the top 10% highest paid employees, was collected, and the results indicated that women comprised only 30% of this category. Additionally, representation of women in digital media positions has decreased.

"We are extremely pleased to see the progress women have made since we last fielded the PAR survey two years ago," said Maria E. Brennan, President & CEO of WICT. "And we look forward to partnering with the industry to continue to seek parity at all levels for women in cable."

...

Source:

PR Newswire press release

URL:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-association-for-multi-ethnicity-in-communications-and-women-in-cable-telecommunications-announce-highlights-of-joint-industry-diversity-survey-131044338.html

Date:

October 5, 2011

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Marketing Survey Fail (re: Moms Aspire to be Modern Day June Cleavers, According to a New Women at NBCU Study Which Paints a Dramatically Altered Picture of Today's American Family)

Teaser:

Amanda Marcotte at Slate critiques a study by Women at NBCU that claims "Today's moms are aspiring to be modern day June Cleavers."

Editorial:

From Slate.com:

Female-oriented advertising consultanting group Women at NBCU put out a press release documenting a survey it did of women regarding family life, a press release that was all but faithfully reprinted at the Salt Lake Tribune. It's a delicious example of how to generate a whole bunch of words out of meaningless nonsense. Women at NBCU claims to have discovered that American women and men are getting more home-y, domestic, and traditional, but the questions the group asked to get this information should provoke skepticism instead of belief.

For instance, the survey found that 66 percent of mothers would rather be a stay-at-home mother than a working parent, which is touted as strong evidence of some genuine enthusiasm for '50s-era living. But the same survey found that 36 percent of men also said they wanted to stay at home, which is the antithesis of tradition. It appears what this survey is measuring isn't some widespread desire to find fulfillment through homemaking so much as a widespread desire to not have to work for a living. Since the question was asked of men and women who had already indicated financial necessity as a reason to work, these results aren't unexpected, since people are assuming you're asking if they'd like to be wealthy enough that work is optional. If you'd asked people, "Would you like a rich relative to die so that you could never work a day again?" you'd probably see a lot of enthusiasm for that fantasy, as well. I'm a rowdy feminist, but if you suggested that I could spend my life baking cookies without nary a worry of money again, I'd probably indulge that fantasy for a minute, too. I'd bet a question that brought more of the realities of housewifery into view---stay-at-home mothers are more than twice as likely to live in poverty---would produce many times less enthusiasm. That would be especially true if women were reminded that a single-breadwinner home means having to ask your spouse for any and all money that you spend.

I also have to quarrel with this: "Moms reported that the 'breakdown of the traditional family' was the second most serious issue facing children today, right after drug abuse." Interesting. I wonder what the options they were provided were, since in reality the most pressing problem probably facing children today is poverty---nearly one in five children live in poverty. But the wording of "breakdown of the traditional family" is so vague as to be meaningless. I'm sure married women answering this question are quick to latch onto that, because divorce is a very real and scary threat and that answer echoes their direct fears. If you were to ask me what the most serious problems facing cohabitating women in their 30s are these days, I'd probably be distracted by you tossing in "your boyfriend turns out to be a cheating louse and you had no idea" with a list of other things like "employment opportunities" and "health insurance concerns." Had they been more specific about what a "traditional family" is, however, I bet they'd get different results. If women were asked whether or not they think that it's good for children to be raised in a society with legal marital rape, a blind eye toward domestic violence, and an inability of women to sue for divorce if their husbands walk out on them---all markers of the "traditional" family---I'm guessing you'd get a different answer. Same story if you asked women if they'd be better off if they weren't allowed to have their own bank accounts or to borrow money on their own, since allowing women to control their own money is part of the breakdown of the "traditional" family. The problem with using the word "traditional" on a survey is that it's a feel-good word that encourages people to look at the past with rose-colored glasses. It invokes Christmas trees and cardigans, dinner at Grandma's, and church weddings. It doesn't invoke unhappy marriages from which there is no escape, though of course that's a far more relevant aspect of "traditional" marriages than the color of your wedding gown.

Of course, one alternate reading for this survey is they simply found the most delusional group of women alive: "60 percent of moms believe that in 10 to 20 years there will be as many stay-at-home dads as there are stay-at-home moms." Unless we have some drastic, rioting-in-the-streets level of social change, this belief simply cannot come into fruition. There are 5 million stay-at-home mothers in the United States, according to the Census Bureau. There are, according to the same survey, 154,000 stay-at-home fathers. In other words, there are 32 times as many stay-at-home mothers in the U.S. than stay-at-home fathers. The level of social change required to even those numbers out would be revolutionary, and there's no real indication that this level of change is on the horizon.

In response to:

Moms Aspire to be Modern Day June Cleavers, According to a New Women at NBCU Study Which Paints a Dramatically Altered Picture of Today's American Family [press release]:

Today's moms are aspiring to be modern day June Cleavers, according to a just released Women at NBCU study. At the most unconventional time in motherhood, where only 4% of today's families fall into the US Census definition of "traditional,"[1] a remarkable 49% of moms say "Traditional" is the number one parenting style they aspire to be. Reflecting this bent towards values of a different era, an astounding 77% of the moms surveyed prefer to have children with good manners over good grades.

And while moms continue to make inroads in the workforce, interestingly, their aspirations are changing as well. In another sign that they are embracing a more traditional lifestyle, 66% of moms say they would rather be a stay-at-home parent than a working parent. Additionally, the majority of employed moms (53%) feel that while financially they need to work, they would prefer to be stay-at-home moms. The rift between reality and aspiration has never been wider, supported by the startling fact that only 12% of moms in the study say they believe they are very accurately portrayed in advertising.

"Although moms are not saying they want to go back to the 1950s, they are clinging to certain values and traditions associated with that time period," said Melissa Lavigne-Delville, VP of Trends and Strategic Insights, Integrated Media at NBCUniversal. "There's a backlash to the complexity of current conditions like the economy and fragmented families. Brands with strong "roots" have an opportunity to play up their heritage or consider resurrecting brand assets from this past. Ultimately, though, women will need products and services that are modern and can keep pace with their everyday realities – traditional cannot mean 'old school.'"

According to the study, dads' aspirations are shifting dramatically, too. More than 1/3 of dads (36%) would prefer to be a stay-at-home parent than a working parent. Additionally, while dads claim they are pitching in at home more than fathers of previous generations, perceptions about the actual amount of housework diverges between partners: 61% of dads say they split the household labor and childcare equally with their partner, while only 27% of moms feel the home workload is evenly split.

The survey also shed light on the fact that, ironically, the most technically-connected generation of moms, Gen Y's (18-32 years old), are the ones who actually feel most out of touch. Nearly twice as many Gen Y's (42%) as Gen X's (24%) felt isolated when they first became mothers. This is, in part, attributed to the fact that women are becoming mothers at all different ages and, thus, cannot necessarily relate to their peers. Unlike previous eras, first-time motherhood can span four decades.

Other noteworthy findings from Women at NBCU's new family study include:

60% of moms believe that in 10-20 years there will be as many stay-at-home dads as there are stay-at-home moms.
Moms reported that the "breakdown of the traditional family" was the second most serious issue facing children today, right after drug abuse.
31% of moms reveal that they tend to linger longer in the shower, while running errands, on appointments or during a commute, just to find a little more alone time during the day.
30% of moms believe that in order to keep up with today's competitiveness, a child's education begins at or even before birth.
Moms chose Reese Witherspoon as the celebrity mom they most identified with.

Methodology:

Nationally representative survey among 3,224 moms and 403 dads fielded in June and August of 2011. In addition we conducted 8 in-home ethnographies with moms, 8 in-home focus groups with moms and 1 focus group with dads.

About Women At NBCU:

Launched in May 2008, Women at NBCU is a powerful combination of media assets reaching women across multiple platforms. This ad sales, marketing and research initiative creates custom solutions for advertisers to connect with female consumers via NBCUniversal's wide portfolio, including Oxygen, Style, iVillage, Telemundo, Sprout, DailyCandy, Bravo, "TODAY," as well as other female-skewing primetime shows on NBC. With its television, digital, and new media platforms, NBCUniversal reaches 95% of U.S. women per month and is home to six of the top ten cable networks with the highest concentration of mom viewers 18-49.

Source:

Slate

URL:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2011/10/04/empty_feel_good_words_and_delusions_about_gender_norms_do_not_a_.html

Date:

October 5, 2011

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Report: CWDI 2011 Report on Women CEOs Opening Doors to Board Rooms and C-Suites

Teaser:

A study of 112 women CEOs in 39 countries by Corporate Women Directors International finds that top companies led by women have more women directors in board rooms and in executive officer positions.

Editorial:

From the press release:

Does it make a difference if a woman is in charge? A new study of 112 women CEOs in 39 countries finds that it does. Top companies led by women have more women directors in board rooms and in executive officer positions, according to a report by Corporate Women Directors International, a Washington-based research group focusing on women directors globally.

Companies with women CEOs have 22.3% women on their boards compared to 9.8% average representation of women on the boards of blue chip companies in the countries included in the study. This pattern holds in all regions no matter which country or what size company.

Similarly, women-led companies have a higher percentage of women in senior management at 24.3% than the average representation of women in executive roles in peer companies (12.2%). Again, while rates of increase may differ, this same pattern holds for the majority of companies with women at the helm in all regions of the world.

“Clearly, having a woman at the top of the corporate pyramid makes a difference for other women,” states CWDI Chair Irene Natividad. “The study shows women CEOs tapping the talents of other women for senior roles that are normally very difficult to access.”

CWDI’s list of Top Ten Women-Led Companies with the best record in appointing female directors includes a Serbian company, Soja Protein (food products company listed in the Belgrade Stock Exchange) in first place along withCanada’s Vancouver City Savings Credit Union – each with female majority boards (6 out of 9 or 66.7%).

U.S. companies (Avon, Xerox, Wellpoint, Pepsico, Kraft Foods and Sara Lee) with women CEOs dominate the Top Ten list, along with four Canadian and three Philippine companies . All of these companies have over 30% of board seats held by women.

Serbia’s Soja Protein again leads the Top Ten Companies with female CEOs that outperform others in appointing women to executive officer posts with 100% of their senior management being women. Six Canadian women-led companies in the FTSE 100 are among the ten best led by the State Farm Group, which has a female majority executive team (3 out of 4 or 75%). Four Philippine companies form the second largest group among the Top Ten, with women executive officers comprising 40-60%.

How do women CEOs’ record compare with that of their predecessors? A look at U.S., Canadian, Australian and British companies shows a faster rate of women’s appointment to boards – 7.6% over the past five years – than the average increase of 2.1% in female directors by peer companies in all regions.

A similar faster rate of women’s appointments to C-suite position – 7.6% -- was shown when comparing the current composition of senior management in women-led companies with that of their predecessor.

“Given the value that women CEOs bring to accelerating access to boards and executive positions, it is a shame that there are so few of them in every corner of the world,” adds Natividad. There are, for example, only 12 U.S. women CEOs in the Fortune 500, 23 in Canada’s Financial Post 500, none in Japan and Korea’s largest companies , and none in the blue chip companies of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Norway or Greece.

Source:

Corporate Women Directors International

URL:

http://www.globewomen.org/cwdi/cwdi_2011_Women%20CEOs%20Press%20Release.html

Date:

September 28, 2011

Affiliate:

New NSF Policies Provide Flexibility for Researchers Who Juggle Family and Career

Teaser:

The White House and the National Science Foundation announced a new 10-year plan, the "NSF Career-Life Balance Initiative," that will allow researchers who receive NSF grants to delay their awards for up to one year to care for a newborn or a newly adopted child, and will allow principal investigators to apply for stipends to pay their research technicians and similar staff members to maintain labs while the researcher is on family leave.

Editorial:

By Sara Hebel

Washington

The White House and the National Science Foundation announced new policies on Monday that are designed to provide greater workplace flexibility for postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty members who are juggling careers and families and to eliminate some of the barriers that commonly deter women who might otherwise pursue careers as scientists and engineers.

The 10-year plan, the "NSF Career-Life Balance Initiative," will allow researchers who receive NSF grants to delay their awards for up to one year to care for a newborn or a newly adopted child, and will allow principal investigators to apply for stipends to pay their research technicians and similar staff members to maintain labs while the researcher is on family leave.

For researchers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields who review the grant proposals of their peers, the NSF will expand opportunities for virtual reviews to limit the need for travel and the need to arrange care for dependents when the reviewer is away. The NSF also will encourage universities to put in place their own policies to provide more flexibilities, such as by extending the tenure clock for faculty with family obligations.

"Too many young women scientists and engineers get sidetracked or drop their promising careers because they find it too difficult to balance the needs of those careers and the needs of their families," said Subra Suresh, director of the NSF. "This new initiative aims to change that, so that the country can benefit from the full range and diversity of its talent."

Women earn 41 percent of Ph.D.'s in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, according to the White House, but they make up only 28 percent of tenure-track faculty in those fields.

Source:

The Chronicle of Higher Education

URL:

http://chronicle.com/article/New-NSF-Policies-Provide/129168/

Date:

September 28, 2011

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

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