This past month in the news, sexual harassment in the workplace has been mentioned almost as many times as Lindsay Lohan’s efforts at rehab. First, it was the suit brought by Anucha Browne Sanders, an executive with the New York Knicks organization, who accused Knicks coach Isiah Thomas of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. A federal judge in Manhattan ruled that the company and its chairman had to pay Ms. Sanders $11.9 million in punitive damages, with a possible $9.6 million in compensatory damages to be decided upon shortly.

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Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the National Women’s Conference (Houston’77) and join women and girls from around the U.S. at the Freedom On Our Terms Conference. There will be panels, workshops, issue caucuses and a concert. Rosie O’Donnell will be the special guest. Featured Speakers include Liz Abzug, Gloria Steinem, Carol Jenkins, and more.

Last night at the Hyatt Hotel in New York, Deutsche Bank held its annual Women on Wall Street (WOWS) Conference. The theme for this year’s conference was “It’s Your Move: Driving Change in Your Career and Life.” Over 2000 women in finance packed the main ballroom to hear motivating speeches and frank advice from a panel of distinguished guests.

Brenda Barnes, Chairman and CEO of Sara Lee Corp. gave the keynote address, in which she emphasized the importance of creating a culture of diversity and inclusion where every employee is valued. She outlined five categories for how to achieve this. First, get people who do the work to know the answers, and create a culture that is conducive to encouraging people who know the answers to speak up. Second, change the representation of women in the company. Instead of just relying on “the pipeline” of female graduates from top MBA programs, companies need to do more to make sure women are represented at the highest levels. Third, create diversity and affinity groups in the workplace and put support networks in place so that those groups can thrive and flourish. Fourth, put your money where your mouth is by paying people more for engaging in behaviors that further diversity efforts. Fifth and finally, work on ways for companies to become more flexible, not just towards women, but towards all of their employees.

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Deutsche Bank’s Women on Wall Street® (WOWSTM ) network will host its annual conference on Tuesday, October 16, 2007, so save the date! This year’s theme: “It’s your move: Driving Change in your Career and Life”.

The Conference will be begin with a keynote address from Brenda Barnes, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sara Lee Corp. A panel moderated by Natalie Morales of the Today Show will feature Deutsche Bank’s Laurie Hodrick, Managing Director and global head of Alternative Investment Strategies; Sandra Horbach, Managing Director, Consumer and Retail, The Carlyle Group; Cathleen Benko, Vice Chairman and Managing Principal; Talent, Deloitte & Touche USA LLP; Denise Menelly, Managing Director, Global Head of GTS Client Delivery/CMB, Citi; and Tracey Travis, Senior Vice President Finance, and Chief Financial Officer, Polo Ralph Lauren

The conference will be immediately followed by a networking reception from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Thinking about an MBA? The Forté Foundation invites women to attend a Forté Forum event to learn, network, and discover what an MBA can do for future career success. Forums will be held in cities throughout the U.S. and in London.

Meet with admissions representatives from up to 30 top business schools across the country, and talk to GMAT test-preparation companies. Learn from the experiences of MBA alumnae and current employees at prestigious companies.

Imagine a world where waxing your eyebrows is taboo, going out with your girlfriends is prohibited and covering yourself in black cloth from head to toe is mandatory. These restrictions are put on women in Saudi Arabia every day.

Women are not allowed to drive a car because men will be distracted on the road. Women are not allowed to go out in a group without a male guardian because of the potential chaos that could erupt. Women have limited employment options, are segregated from men in classrooms and are only taught by male professors through television monitors. Women are only allowed to see female doctors in hospitals.

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October 12th, the Medical Research Junior Board Foundation (MRJBF) is hosting the 15th annual Cocktails for A Cause charity event. The gala will take place at the Museum for Contemporary Art, in Chicago, and will charge a $115 cover that benefits the Children’s Memorial Hospital.

The Cocktails for A Cause charity event is the MRJBF’s signature gala. It is catered by Chicago’s hottest restaurants and set in the Museum’s Sympathy for the Devil and Rock and Roll art exhibit. Also taking place that evening will be a live and silent auction of travel packages, sports memorabilia and extravagant fashion accessories.

To learn more information or buy tickets in advance please visit https://www.childrensmemorial.org/cfc.

It’s the modern Faustian bargain – furthering your career at the expense of your health. Pizza and Chinese from Seamless web at your desk, all-nighters working on a huge deal, constant travel, no time for the gym even though it’s in your building – do these unhealthy behaviors sound familiar? As a personal trainer, all too often I work with clients who’ve traded their health for the chance to get ahead in their careers.

But is this really necessary? Not necessarily, according to scientists.

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Bring your daughters and girlfriends to New York City’s largest shoe boutique, located at 382 West Broadway, NYC (between Spring and Broome streets). Té casan, which means “a woman’s path,” will donate 20% of the proceeds from the evening’s sales to inMotion.

Té casan will open its doors to the friends of inMotion from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

Light refreshments will be served.

Since 1993, inMotion, has confronted the challenging needs of families in crisis by providing free legal services to low-income women and children.

Fashion with Compassion doesn’t end on October 10. From October 10–17, té casan will extend its generous partnership with inMotion. Simply mention inMotion while you shop, and inMotion will receive 20% of all proceeds.

To RSVP or to request more information about this unique shopping event, contact rsvp@inmotiononline.org or call 646.442.1185.

Good news from the boardroom this week. A new study concluded that Fortune 500 companies with more women on their boards perform better financially than companies with fewer female directors. The study, The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women’s Representation on Boards, was conducted by the non-profit organization Catalyst, which works to expand opportunities for women in business. It found that, although women only occupy 14.6% of seats on the board of directors of Fortune 500 companies, they have a major impact on a company’s financial success.

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