Happy Monday!
So there were a TON of important articles this week. My favorite A Better World Ruled by Women talks about the role male biology plays in today’s society. In his essay, Melvin Conner notes that “Male biology has brought the world war, corruption and scandal. Women are poised to lead us to a better place.” The full article can be found here:http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-better-world-run-by-women-1425657910 And speaking of women running things, Janet Yellen made headlines last week scolding the big banks for less than ethical behavior: http://www.wsj.com/articles/yellen-says-effective-supervision-of-big-banks-one-of-feds-top-priorities-1425431701
Sheryl Sandberg once again made headlines with her new movement – Lean In Together – getting men behind the Lean In movement and helping women succeed at work – her postulate is that women’s success and equality is not a zero-sum game. More profitable companies and higher GDP mean more money and promotions for everyone. And the favorite fact that I share with my husband – couples who share the housework have stronger marriages and more sex. No if that isn’t a win/win, I don’t know what is! The website: http://leanin.org/together/ The article: How Men Can Succeed in the Bedroom and the Boardroom: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/opinion/sunday/sheryl-sandberg-adam-grant-how-men-can-succeed-in-the-boardroom-and-the-bedroom.html?_r=0 And the interview: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/sheryl-sandberg-helping-women-find-voice-29397045
Germany joined the trend in Europe by passing legislation mandating that 30% of corporate board slots be filled by women: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/07/world/europe/german-law-requires-more-women-on-corporate-boards.html
And an update on the Kleiner Perkins gender bias trial – last week testimony covered Ellen Pao’s performance reviews while she was with the firm. She was told that “she did not speak up enough and was too passive – but also that she spoke up too much and was pushy and entitled.” This gets at the heart of gender bias – society’s discomfort with women stepping out of their prescribed roles are punished for it: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/07/upshot/a-racy-silicon-valley-lawsuit-and-more-subtle-questions-about-sex-discrimination.html?abt=0002&abg=0
And a non-partisan thank you to Senator Barbara Mikulski who led the revolution to change the Senate dress code that prohibited women from wearing pants on the senate floor: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/03/barbara-mikuslki-pants_n_6791450.html
Kudos to Katharine Zaleski for her public apology in Fortune magazine to all the working moms she had ever worked with The title says it all: http://fortune.com/2015/03/03/female-company-president-im-sorry-to-all-the-mothers-i-used-to-work-with/ She puts it out there that she did not understand the demands on working moms and often belittled their work ethic until she became a working mom herself. And hopefully this opens the dialogue beyond motherhood – fatherhood also has its demands as does serious illness or caring for aging parents.
And lastly, we have our biggest event of the year coming up April 23rd in Dallas – you will not want to miss this as we have an all-star lineup of investors giving their global market outlook including Mary Erdoes of JP Morgan, Katie Stockton of BTIG, Elena Ranguelova of Investcorp and Lilian Zhou will be joining us from Shanghai. Britt Harris from TRS will be moderating and we look forward to his questions. The event supports the Young Women’s College Preparatory network that supports 7 schools in Texas that provide a college preparatory education to underserved young girls across the state. And why is girls’ education so important? Studies show that if you change the outcome for a young girl, you change the outcome for future generations – an investment that pays dividends. And young girls trying to get an education are under siege: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/10/world/schoolgirls-are-facing-more-threats-united-nations-reports.html?_r=0
Men and women are welcome to attend the April 23rd event, so please help us get the word out – it is a great event with TWO cocktail hours, so plenty of great networking as well as great content!
We have lots in store for March. Come out and meet our new committee members and share your ideas for future events! Register early to avoid disappointment!
Kind regards
Christine