By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

In many companies, efforts to convince management to dedicate resources toward the advancement and retention of women continue to fall on deaf ears. Decades of effort have gone into conveying the point that women are just as valuable as men – yet a misunderstanding of “value” often causes people to miss the point of gender diversity.

To many people, “equal value” means “sameness.” They think, if men and women are the same, then why should we expend so much effort increasing our numbers of women when they will contribute in the same way as men?

Of course men and women are of equal value, but whether by social conditioning or biological construction, they aren’t the same. Studies show that, in general, women think through problems differently than men, are motivated differently than men, and build relationships differently than men.

Efforts toward gender diversity don’t mean the “feminization” of the corporate space as one recent Forbes contributor so distressingly put it. Gender diversity means that companies have the benefit of a multitude of viewpoints and ways of solving problems and a wealth of critical insight to draw from as they approach 21^st century complexity in a diverse, global marketplace.

But this is the problem that diversity advocates face – a misunderstanding of the value of diversity that leads many to believe that diversity is nothing more than a numbers game designed to annoy people with more important work to do. And this is why Barbara Annis says she developed the concept of Gender Intelligence two decades ago.

“I was really looking at the concept of gender equality, and how to advance and retain women – but that mindset is really a numbers game. I didn’t approach how men change their mindset for equality.”

She continued, “Especially in finance and technology, companies were saying ‘we’ve got one woman or we’ve got five women,’ but they weren’t saying ‘we need their perspective.’”

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By Robin Madell (San Francisco)

You can’t always anticipate the specific work-related challenges you will face. But you can anticipate that you will likely experience challenges. By accepting this fact, you can better navigate those career challenges that many women experience. “The best way to rebound from a career setback is to have prepared for it ahead of time,” says Mary Lee Gannon, president of StartingOverNow.com.

Preparing yourself for potential challenges can help you avoid getting stuck or derailed. While the nature of work life is that it’s unpredictable, your approach to managing it should be more strategic than haphazard. Here are a few strategies for proactive career management that can help you keep one step ahead of the game.

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By Robin Madell (San Francisco)

As we get older, the way we think about work and contribution changes. Many women of a certain age are reconsidering earlier paths. After years of paying dues to become a senior executive, partner, or board member in their respective industries, an increasing number are deciding that it’s not what they really want after all. Some are opting to take extended time off for soul-searching, or leaving prestigious jobs to seek something more closely aligned with their current interests and passions.

What’s behind this shift, and why are so many women doing it? As we progress in our careers and encounter political situations, difficult people, and issues we can’t control, our perspectives change. But there’s more to it than that. Clearly part of the issue is that we made our career decisions when we were much younger, before we had solidified our true preferences. Once decades of our career are behind us, we know much better who we are and what we want. Armed with that self-knowledge, many women are asking, now what?

Research has shown that women tend to find an increased sense of personal identity and more clearly define their values in midlife. In doing so, a common value that often emerges is the desire to give back or contribute to a greater good, which is often behind the internal drive to make a midlife career change, says Keith Weber, author of Rethinking Retirement. “This need to give back tends to stay with the individual until it is satisfied, meaning that those who fail to act on it often experience regrets, whereas those who do act on it tend to show fewer regrets and subsequently greater well-being later in life,” explains Weber.

But making such sweeping alterations in your life is not easy. Career coach Dorothy Tannahill Moran explains that with career change, you can’t expect to just grit your teeth and push through your fears. “Most careers you work 40 hours a week or more and if you make a mistake, you’re living the mistake almost daily,” says Moran. “Your career is not a tidy compartment that has no effect on the rest of your life. It’s a huge part of your life and has implications with almost every other part, including financial impact.”

Change also breeds anxiety because we face so many unknowns. We can’t always imagine that a new situation will be better than the one we’re in, says Patti DeNucci, author of  The Intentional Networker. “No matter what the circumstances of change, the same basic fears surface,” says DeNucci. “What will my days be like? Will I enjoy it? Will I be able to attract business and clients I enjoy? Will I be able to make a good living? Will people respect me and will I make a difference? What if no one is interested in what I have to say? The possibility of having to ‘go back’ to something you’ve left behind because you outgrew it or no longer love it is scary.”

To address these questions and more, The Glass Hammer profiled a number of women whose careers began in finance, law, technology, and other industries, but who made a midlife career gear-shift. These women share what they’ve learned firsthand about deciding if you’re ready to switch, overcoming fear of change, and transitioning to a work-life that fits better with age.

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By Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

A company taking a serious interest in appointing more women to its board doesn’t seem as if it could ever be a bad thing, but in corporate America things aren’t always black and white. Women account for half of the U.S. workforce, yet hold only 16 percent of the seats on Fortune 500 boards. So, how is intentionally seeking out women to appoint ever a bad thing? If it leads to tokenism. If a company is only looking to improve its gender diversity appearance, without tapping into the benefits of true diversity, being that sole woman in a sea of men can be lonely and frustrating.

Harriet Green, chief executive of Premier Farnell, recently wrote that corporations need to go beyond tokenism and move towards real acceptance of the value that a diverse mix can bring. “Women don’t want tokenism. We want the opportunity to show what we can do and be measured on our performance,” Green wrote.  Something a CEO told Green also rings true: “One woman on the board is a token, two is a minority; three means you are really getting there.”

The problem is that three women sitting on the board of the same Fortune 500 company is almost unheard of – even in 2012. Some companies really are trying by introducing women and other minorities to the boardroom, and of course, that means starting with one or two diverse individuals. But some boards are just trying to fend off criticism, while hoping to maintain the status quo. What should you do if you realize you were only hired to make a team or board look diverse and your contributions are not being taken seriously?

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