Happy Monday:
The Harvard Business Review published an article on a study that took an updated look at women’s careers over their lifetime. While women’s work histories are still diverse, for the first time, the majority of women, beginning with Baby-Boomers, worked full time across adulthood and a big portion of women returned to the workforce when their children got older. In spite of these statistics, there is still suspicion on the part of employers about women’s commitment to work especially when they have children. The study shows a real need to move away from outdated prejudices about women in the workforce. These statistics also imply that women have less ‘choice’ about working meaning that when their options are narrowed career-wise based on outdated thinking, it can create economic hardship. The full article can be found here: https://hbr.org/2016/06/what-do-womens-career-paths-really-look-like
This week the papers have been filled with the Stanford rape case. For those of you that missed it, a Stanford undergraduate and swimmer raped an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. He was stopped by 2 graduate students riding by on bicycles, one of whom was crying when he shared the story with police. After the trial, the undergraduate was convicted of three counts of felony rape, however, the judge decided that the rapist had suffered enough and only sentenced him to six months in jail. After the sentencing, the rape victim read a statement in court that has gone viral, and if you have not read it, I would encourage you to do so. I believe her statement has helped raise public awareness as to what the crime of rape really is. Rape is not he said/she said – it is a depraved violent act and deserves to be punished as such. The public outcry on behalf of the victim has been heartening and a good step forward in helping more victims speak up. Apropos of that, there was an article in the NY Times that details one woman’s journey through a lifetime of unwanted leers and how to address this issue with her daughter. The full article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/opinion/sunday/what-does-a-lifetime-of-leers-do-to-us.html
From Institutional Investor, Fran Denmark explores the topic of why there are still so few women in hedge funds. Bottom line? Bias, culture and a harsh business climate keep women on the sidelines. The full article can be found here: http://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/3561018/asset-management-hedge-funds-and-alternatives/women-still-struggle-to-break-into-hedge-funds.html
The Wall Street Journal published an interview with Susan Hirsch, manager of the $3.6 billion TIAA CREFF large cap growth fund discussing both the lack of women on Wall Street and the paltry number of female portfolio managers. She shares her war stories and her hopes for the situation to change in the future. The full article can be found here: http://www.wsj.com/articles/wall-street-pioneer-hopes-more-females-will-emerge-1465178522
We thank you all for your continued support as we continue to grow and look forward to seeing you all soon! Also, don’t forget to join our Facebook page and private Linkedin Group both of which give you the opportunity to engage with your fellow members online! Please visit www.txwsw.com to learn more and register for events
Very kind regards
Christine