Happy Memorial Day

barbecueBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

In honor of Memorial Day, The Glass Hammer is taking the day off – and hopefully, you are too! If you have some time to spare today, why not catch up on a few of our recent popular stories?

And, don’t forget to check out our upcoming July event: Women in IT – Staying Technical and Getting to the Top. We’re also planning another buy-side event for this fall – so keep an eye on our events page!

Finally, The Glass Hammer is always looking for more writers. Do you have a story to tell? Email me at melissa@theglasshammer.com and we’ll talk about putting your voice on the site!

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Hit the Hardest by the Recession, Female Baby Boomers Make Transitions

baby boomerBy Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

Many have been hit hard by the recession, but according to the United States Department of Labor, perhaps no one more so than women of the baby-boom generation. According to the Department of Labor, the number of women ages 45 to 64 who are long-term unemployed (out of work for more than six months) has more than doubled in the past year and at 900,000, that number is steadily growing.

Hundreds of thousands of working women have been put in an impossible situation: They want to continue working, yet they can’t find jobs in their field or jobs that pay well enough or jobs that they aren’t overqualified for, etc. And for many, retirement is not an option. Aside from economic uncertainties and investments, opting out of work while still having earning potential seems unwise during such tumultuous economic times. As a result, women who earned large salaries in high-ranking positions in the corporate world are having to adjust their plans and expectations in order to survive in today’s youth-orientated culture, all while working longer hours and for much lower pay.

Career coach Carole Hyatt is quick to point out that these types of transitions are difficult to adjust to at any time, but especially late in life. “Psychologically, some women are OK, but some are in very bad shape,” Hyatt said. “Many never married or squirreled away any money. They are feeling very unrooted and it’s been particularly tough for women in the financial sector, many of whom were living at a high level.” Some women, however, are deciding to make the most of this difficult time in their lives by going back to school, learning a new trade, or pursuing their true passions. Rosemarie Ashley is one of these women.

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Why We’re Not There Yet: Changing the Leadership System

Young business womanBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

On paper, began Linda Basch, President of the National Council for Research on Women, the numbers look good. Women earn 57% of Bachelor’s degrees, and a larger percentage of Master’s degrees. One third of business owners are women – the fastest growing group of business owners, in fact. Women control half of the wealth in the US, and 65% of consumer spending.

Yet, said Basch, “The glass ceiling remains virtually shatterproof. We’ve reached stasis in too many areas.”

Yesterday, the National Council for Research on Women, along with the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College, Catalyst, Demos, Women’s Forum, Inc., and Women 4 Citi hosted “The Power of Women’s Leadership” to explore the lack of women in leadership positions, why we need them there, and how to fix it.

The panel discussion featured Joanna Barsh, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and co-author of How Remarkable Women Lead and Linda Tarr-Whelan, Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow and author of Women Lead the Way, and was moderated by Carol Jenkins, Founding President of the Women’s Media Center.

Basch pointed out, the lack of women in positions of leadership is getting another look. “Women are increasingly seen as part of the solution to [economic and social] challenges.”

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Women in Technology: Staying Technical and the Importance of Being an Expert

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Nicki HeadshotBy Nicki Gilmour, Founder and CEO of theglasshammer.com

This is the second article in this series, investigating why staying technical is important on the path to promotion – either as an executive or an eventual board member. Don’t forget to register for our upcoming panel discussion and networking event for women in technology on July 8th at 5.30pm.

According to the Anita Borg Institute report Senior Technical Women: A Profile of Success [PDF] by Dr. Caroline Simard, the numbers of senior women on the technical path vs. the management path don’t really correspond with the numbers of men in similar positions.

“We find that senior technical women are significantly more likely to be in a manager position (36.9%) than are men (19%); conversely, men at the high level are significantly more likely to be in an individual contributor position (IC) (80.6%) than are women (63.1%).”

What’s the reason for this disparity, and is it cause for alarm? At first glance, this data seems encouraging as women are making headway as managers in the technology space. Further investigation would reveal, however, that “management” means project management – not executive management. The Anita Borg Institute discovered that women are being led away from being technical innovators and instead are being heavily encouraged to manage people and processes instead of continuing to code and program – despite their degree training. The report explains:

“Interestingly, more women in the IC track (26.8%) reported having a non-STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) degree than women within the management track (12.5%) – which shows that women in the management track have a high level of technical expertise.”

This same report states “60.2% of senior men describe themselves as an ‘innovator,’ versus just 38.1 percent of senior women.” There was a perception by the respondents of innovation as a masculine quality. On the other hand, while the majority of senior women felt they were not innovators, more than half did see themselves as risk-takers – about the same amount as senior men.

I think that there are three clear factors why women drop off the technical path.

  • Cultural messaging of what is “means” to be a techie.
  • The perception of the isolation of coding as a full time job.
  • The lack of support from most companies to keep women technical.

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How You Can Overcome the Top Barriers Keeping Women from Advancing

janewoodsContributed by Jane C. Woods, a personal development specialist

When I was employed in a management role, I coached and mentored many young women coming through my organisation. I’m now a professional coach working with senior and executive women. The questions and issues have not changed significantly over the years, although of course, everyone is unique and bring their own unique set of circumstances to bear.

A 2004 Catalyst survey found that the top two barriers that hold women back from top positions are:

  • Lack of significant general management or line experience (47%)
  • Exclusion from informal networks (41%)

These broadly correspond with the issues I hear when coaching executive women. What follows is some of the coaching advice I have shared with executive women on how to overcome these challenges.

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Just Don’t Call Them Gender Targets: The Need to Move Diversity Hiring into the Open

Business meeting.By Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

Finding a U.S.-based company willing to go on the record and discuss their efforts to recruit, hire, and advance women is an easy task – if the phrase “diversity effort” is used. Getting the same company to discuss “gender targets” is impossible; they have no such practice in place. Or so they say.

Gender targets – or gender quotas – have been getting a lot of buzz lately and it’s a topic that gets impassioned responses from women on both side of the fence. The idea of making it law that a specific number of women need to be hired still seems radical, even to more egalitarian societies such as Norway’s. Back in 2002 when the country’s trade and industry minister, Ansgar Gabrielsen, proposed a law that would require 40 percent of all company board members to be women, many Norwegians were staunchly opposed – and to their dismay, the measure was eventually approved. At the time, women held less than 7 percent of board seats and less than 5 percent held chief executive positions.

Before the measure was passed, the number of women on boards was growing by less than 1 percent a year for ten years, leading some to believe that it would have literally taken 200 years to have boards comprised of 40 percent women. Nearly eight years later, roughly 400 companies have a board comprised of 40 percent women and Norwegian women fill more than 25 percent of board seats in the country’s 65 largest privately held companies. Obviously these numbers are good for women, but is the business case for diversity holding true? Are women improving the companies they serve?

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How to Manage Your Maternity in the Workplace: Taking Control of Your Career Before and After Maternity Leave

pregnant business womanContributed by Chris Parke, MD of Talking Talent, an expert on workplace maternity issues.

We often hear about women struggling to maintain the momentum of their careers through parenthood. The transition through maternity and the return to work can be fraught with anxieties and a feeling of not being in control. A successful maternity or adoption transition means working alongside your stakeholders as well as having an individual strategy to keep your career momentum going.

Laying the groundwork

There are plenty of ways to begin the maternity transition in a positive way, which will help make things easier down the line. Below are some tips to keep in mind in the initial stages:

  • Communication

    When announcing your pregnancy think about what impact it will have on you, and what your ideal outcome is. Decide who the key people are to communicate with and what it is they need to know – be sure to do this with plenty of time. Think about what the impact will be on them and how you can best manage this – be honest, positive and professional.

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In Case You Missed It: Business News Round-Up

Beth 005Contributed by Beth Collinge of CTG – a division of ILX Group plc.

After hitting a 4-year low against the US dollar last week, the Euro rallied to above $1.26 on Friday. Equities also sold off across the board, while US and German government bonds enjoyed strong gains. Santander is in talks about merging its US operations with M&T Bank. The US Senate approved a sweeping overhaul of financial regulation.

Economic Backdrop

  • A dramatic deterioration in investor confidence triggered across-the-board risk reduction and a flight to quality this week. One big knock to investor confidence came from Germany’s unilateral, and totally unexpected, ban on “naked” short-selling (selling securities that are not owned or borrowed). The ban applies to eurozone Sovereign bonds, credit default swaps as well as the shares of a group of 10 leading German financial stocks, including Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, and will last until March 31, 2011.

    • Read more

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Voice of Experience: Simela Karasavidis, Partner, White and Case

Karasavidis_Simela_c_siloBy Elizabeth Harrin (London)

“Since I was twelve I wanted to live and work abroad,” said Simela Karasavidis in a softly-spoken Australian accent.

Karasavidis, a Partner in the Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance Practice at global law firm White & Case LLP, holds two Bachelor degrees in law and economics, as well as a Masters of Laws. She studied and did her articles in Melbourne but always wanted to live and work overseas. “Melbourne was too small, but I didn’t realise how much I would miss the beach,” she said.

She knew that if she was serious about taking a job overseas she would need to aim for a Commonwealth country, and a position came up with Linklaters, so she moved to the UK with them. “I love London now; it’s been home for twelve years,” she said.

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Telling Amy’s Story: A Call to Action

Newseum

Newseum

By Elisabeth Grant (Washington, D.C.)

On November 8, 2001, Amy Homan McGee, Verizon Wireless employee and mother of two, was shot and killed by her husband Vincent McGee in their home in Pennsylvania. Vincent McGee was convicted of the murder and is now serving a life sentence in prison. This was not an isolated moment of violence, but rather the last event after years of abuse. While McGee’s story is shocking and sad, what is more disturbing is that her life, and death, are like so many other victims of domestic abuse.

Domestic violence lives in darkness. In shame, in isolation, and in silence. To shine a light on what happened to McGee, and to illuminate the issues of domestic violence across the country, Penn State Public Broadcasting, with funding from the Verizon Foundation, put together Telling Amy’s Story. The film celebrates the times family, friends, and law enforcement stepped up and reached out to McGee. But it also highlights the many missed opportunities to stop the domestic violence in her life.

Telling Amy’s Story reached an audience of public officials, advocates in the fight against domestic violence, and the media on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Before the screening of the movie numerous speakers took part to educate and open the dialogue on domestic violence.

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