Happy Tuesday!
Celebrating our Limitless Leaders: today we honor Shoshana Thoma-Isgur. Shoshana is Associate General Counsel at First Cash and a TXWSW Board Member. Read more about why she gives back: https://txwsw.com/limitless-leaders/
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that as of last month, all S&P 500 companies have at least one female board member, but it turns out having a single token woman on the board will not produce the desired outcome for several reasons: 1) these boards keep reaching out to the same few women which means those women can be stretched too thin and 2) when someone is in an extreme minority, it inhibits their ability to actually speak up and be heard. The full article can be found here.
The next article reviews strategies that women can use to overcome the likeability trap. And what is the likeability trap? “Even as women have moved into traditionally male domains, feminine mandates remain. More than 40 years of research by social scientists have shown that Americans define the good woman as helpful, modest and nice. In other words, as focused on her family and community, rather than working in her own self-interest. Meanwhile, the ideal man is defined as direct, assertive, competitive and ambitious.” In other words, as women move into the workforce and politics, we are penalized for the same behavior that makes men successful. The full article can be found here.
Finally, the question is why the United States, with all we do exceptionally well, cannot figure out affordable childcare. The World War II period was the only time we had widespread public childcare in the US because it was necessary to support the workers involved in the war effort. So, we know how to do it, but the question is why don’t we? It seems as if the debate in the US is still centered around the question of whether mothers should work, but the problem is that statistics show that the proverbial horse has left the barn, and slammed the door shut. To quote “93 percent of fathers and 72 percent of mothers with children at home are in the labor force. It helps the economy when women work, research shows, and it’s often economically beneficial for their families, too — 40 percent of women are their families’ breadwinners.” The problem is without an affordable public childcare solution, we are further widening the income gap and look how well that is working out in Hong Kong. The full article can be found here.
You will note that we have our two amazing fall fundraisers set so far. For Houston we have a treat – a private magic show featuring Champion Magician: Ben Jackson. In Austin, we have our wonderful Boots & Blackjack Casino Night at the Line Hotel. Thank you to the following local Austin companies that have generously donated to our November 7th Silent Auction. Attend for your chance to bid on these stellar items benefiting the Young Women’s Preparatory Network. Get your tickets here
Austin Bouldering Project
Austin Eats Food Tours
Bent Oak Winery
Blo – Blow Dry Bar
Cap City Comedy
Esther’s Follies
Fat Ass Ranch & Winery
Kendra Scott
Revolution Spirits
Soul Cycle
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Top Golf
William Chris Wines
Upstairs Circus
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
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