Happy Monday!
Thanks to those of you who attended our Houston tenth anniversary celebration! By all accounts a good time was had by all and thanks to all those who came out to support TXWSW. We have our Austin party on August 29thand San Antonio on August 30thand we hope to see many of you there! Dallas is set for September 12thso please register soon.
Please note that all of our events beginning in August are now 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.comif you need help!
It seems that where you are born can have an impact on your future behavior in a way that can adversely impact your career path and earning potential. A new study notes that women raised in parts of the US where sexist attitudes are more prevalent grow up to earn less and work less than women born elsewhere. The full article can be found here.
Motherhood used to be a unifying milestone in a woman’s life, however, a new study shows that the age women have children varies greatly depending on geography and education. Children born to young mothers are headed for diverging economic futures and women having children in their 20’s often find an upper middle-class lifestyle beyond their reach. The full article can be found here.
Studies have shown that women bear the brunt of household chores even in marriages where both partners work. It seems that this inequality in both chores and pay starts with childhood chores. A recent study of 6,358 high school students from 2003-2014 found that boys ages 15-19 do about 30 minutes of housework a day versus 45 minutes for girls, and girls received smaller allowances. Also, boys were more likely to be paid for personal hygiene like brushing their teeth while girls were more likely to be paid for cleaning, so we are teaching girls to take on unpaid work at an early age and so the cycle continues. The full article can be found here.
The next article notes that many women significantly underestimate the time and monetary costs of having children causing unplanned work stoppages. It seems that for all our progress, it has become harder to work and have children, and the cost of childcare has risen by 65% since the early 1980’s leaving many women with few options other than to drop out of the workforce. The full article can be found here.
And why does it matter? Because studies have shown that diversity is not a nice to have, it is a must have if our companies and country are to retain a competitive advantage. A recent Bloomberg article notes that women on bank boards lift performance, but only if there are an adequate number of women beyond the typical token one. The full article can be found here.
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
