Happy Monday!
One of the barriers to diversity has been an emphasis in the US on ‘cultural fit’ or the idea that the “best employees are like-minded.” Taken to the extreme the emphasis on cultural fit can run amok and be a factor more heavily weighted than even their skills. The full article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/opinion/sunday/guess-who-doesnt-fit-in-at-work.html
A lack of family-friendly policies in the US is often cited as the biggest obstacle to women climbing the corporate ladder. New research shows that the round-the clock work schedules especially in higher paid fields like finance “lock gender inequality in place because the work-family balance is seen primarily as a woman’s problem.” Neither men or women like the pressure of a 24/7 work life, but men have more leeway in dealing with it. “When a man left at 5 p.m., people at the office assumed he was meeting a client, Ms. Reid said. When a woman left, they assumed she was going home to her children. Underlying this disparity are deep-seated cultural expectations about how men and women should act.”  The full article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/upshot/the-24-7-work-cultures-toll-on-families-and-gender-equality.html?ref=topics&_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0
For those of you looking to start your own company, some great advice on how to get women from venture capitalists – one woman’s journey: the full article can be found here: http://www.inc.com/magazine/201505/helaine-olen/how-to-join-the-venture-backed-fraternity.html
And lastly, for all of us who are fed up with attending event with all male panel line-ups – now there is something you can do about it! Several bloggers have set up websites to call those conference organizers out. How can you help? Just share the details! The full article can be found here: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32789580
We have a terrific line up of events for the summer months. Don’t forget we take August off, so sign up now for June and July.  Register early to avoid disappointment!
 
Kind regards
 
Christine