Happy Monday!
We have our tenth Anniversary Celebrations coming up in August and September. Please keep an eye out for the event postings as the Board Members and I will be attending the events and would like to meet as many of you as possible. It has been a pleasure to watch this organization grow and follow the successful career trajectory of our members over the last decade. We have some new initiatives planned and are excited for the next decade!
Please note that all of our events beginning in August will be on our new membership management platform, so you will see a new system when you login to register. We hope you will find the new interface more user-friendly! Please have patience with us as we make the full transition this month! As always, you can reach us on info@txwsw.com if you need help!
The first article underscores the fact that treating women better is not just a social issue – it is a powerful economic one that benefits everyone. A recent study by the World Economic Forum noted that India could add up to $770 billion to its GDP by 2025 by giving economic opportunity to women. This equates to a whopping 18% increase in GDP. The question is why wouldn’t anyone want that? The full article can be found here.
Speaking of treating women better, after the recent outcry over treatment of its female staff, Nike will be raising the pay of over 7,000 of its female workers after an internal review. The full article can be found here.
A recent article in the Atlantic notes the trap professionals can fall into if they aren’t “doing something they love.” The whole concept that work should be your passion is an idea born in the 1970s and brought to the masses by Steve Jobs. The question does imply though that there is a choice between working and not and at what cost does a woman stay home and give up her future earning power? A recent conversation with Pam Friedman, a long-time TXWSW member and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst explained that all male legislatures have cut divorce protections, alimony and child support for stay-at-home spouses putting many women and children just above the poverty level. Her advice? Negotiate child support before you have children so you have protection just in case. The Atlantic article can be foundhere.
On the subject of children, my readers know that the US birthrate has declined to the lowest rate in 30 years because many women feel having a child is just too expensive. The most daunting hurdle most women face is both finding and paying for childcare. In more than 25 states, the cost of childcare exceeds public university tuition. The crazy thing is, we had the solution to our child care crisis 78 years ago – we need only look back to the period of World War II for the solution. Because the country needed women in the workforce for the good of the war effort, the Lanham Act was amended to provide for the establishment of federally subsidized child-care centers nationwide. The question is, why would we want to divert tax dollars to subsidize childcare? Because if we are not replacing ourselves, with our pay-as-you-go system of social security, we are all in trouble if the population shrinks. The full article can be found here.
Finally, from Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald obtained transcripts from a deposition in a sexual harassment case against ANZ. The toxic line of questioning underscores why victims of discrimination stay silent and choose to walk away. The full article can be found here.
We have some terrific events lined up for you in 2018 including our ten-year anniversary celebrations in August! We look forward to seeing you all at an event in 2018! To learn more about our 2018 events, please visit www.txwsw.com Please also scroll to the end of this newsletter to check out some interesting jobs from our network.
To help us celebrate our ten-year anniversary, I would ask each of you to consider corporate sponsorship of TXWSW. Benefits include attendance at our flagship events and recognition for your firm. To learn more, you may find our sponsor information here. Additionally, we would be happy to create a custom sponsorship for you. Please contact Bianca King at developmentdirector@txwsw.com.
Kind regards
Christine
