Sunday, January 3, 2010

"We Did It" - What Happens When Women Are Over Half the Workforce

This is another sign! The cover article for the first issue of 2010 of the Economist, my favorite magazine, is on "Female Power." I have felt for a while now that 2010 will be a year that is a game changer as far as women and power, and the facts presented in this article are the main reasons why. ( from facebook click here for full entry)
"The economic empowerment of women across the rich world is one of the most remarkable revolutions of the past 50 years." Revolutions. Just over a year ago I gave a speech called "Are You Ready for a Revolution", which you can watch in full if you become a member of 85 Broads! (event section - dec 9 2008), in which I said that the time is now for women to claim their space and share in decision making and leadership. The Economist goes on to say that "If the empowerment of women was one of the great changes of the past 50 years, dealing with its social consequences will be one of the great challenges of the next 50." True, so much has and will change BECAUSE of the numbers. Women now make up half of the work force in this country and earn almost 60% of the University Degrees. Those numbers simply do not line up with the fact that we are only 2% of Fortune 500 company CEOs and less than 13% of board members in America. Corporate America will have to change, as will government policies, the most important of which being the support for affordable, quality child care.

The article mentions some research done by Goldman Sachs regarding the connection between gender equality and economic growth. The reasons for supporting and enabling the increased participation of women in the workforce are strong. "Closing the male-female gap and boosting female productivity would help to address the problem of pension sustainability via boosting employment amount those of working age, lifting household saving rates and lifting taxation receipts for government."

Investing in women and girls - from a non-profit perspective and a for-profit perspective - is the investment thesis for this decade! ( and maybe longer) This will be the focus of my writing, speaking and consulting this year! Within a few weeks I hope to have my web-site up and running so as to provide you with an extensive resource list to support this thesis.

2010 - A Game Changing Year for Women and Girls!

A Few Resources - There have been SO MANY outstanding reports and articles this past year alone that support this trend, and here are just a few to get you started.

The FEMALE Economy - HBR Article Sept. 2009
The Shriver Report - A Woman's Nation Changes Everything 2009
The Whitehouse Project Report - Benchmarking Women's Leadership 2009 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"In short, ensuring that women move into leadership alongside men is not a women’s issue, nor is it a trivial concern compared with the massive problems we face on a national and global scale. Increasing women’s leadership is an imperative. Advancing women serves us all — men and women, businesses and institutions alike. "

8 comments:

The Soul Sisters said...

What an exciting time to be a woman! Sure, the rise of the woman in business has meant (and will continue to mean) a shift in many aspects of our society. But the point is we now have choices, and because of that, men do too. I for one am thankful I’m not confined to the kitchen, expected to have supper on the table by 6:00. I have the pleasure of cooking supper alongside my husband and we are both happier for it.

I’m confident that in the future our history will tell the real story; that the empowerment of women, financially, in the workplace, and beyond, will change the world in positive ways. What a legacy to leave our children.

I’m so looking forward to your new website and your 2010 focus on investing in women and girls.

Kim Beebe, CEO
http://www.SoulspringGroups.com

patches17 said...

Abigail Adams:

If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.


Here's to the rebellious revolution.

Kathy LeMay

Devon Fleming said...

Jacki- you hit the nail on the head- I am right there with you girlfriend- this is SO CRITICAL! I love your pieces- so profound and yet simply put. This is absoultely one of the most critical concepts and challenges that we face presently and in the future. BRAVO!! thanks for the resources!

Please come to my Empowering Women Event if you are in town.. www.DevonFleming.MyEvent.com

Unknown said...

Your online forum has a well thought out plan. It’s s a good platform to share ones’ online ideas, innovations and achievements. It is educative as well and will definitely .


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Sharon Hadary said...

Women will be key to leading this country -- and indeed the global economy -- out of the recession. Business, politics and society MUST change -- and it will require the full participation of women to make those changes. That means we need new models for organizations -- new definitions of personal and professional success -- to gain the full benefit of women's leadership in every organization. I look forward to continuing to be part of the conversation.

Devon Fleming said...

I think one of the best actions we can take to empower the next generation of women leaders is to be a power of example in our own lives- being leaders, giving back, reaching our to women's groups and offering our time- these are the actions that will impact our daughters and other younger women. Knowing that they can and do make a difference is key! We need to show them how.

Cheers to the woman who completely inspires me- Jacki!

Anonymous said...

This is great, men now have the choice to stay home and now when we divorce it will be us that has to pay alimony and childsupport..

I liked it when men made more and worked more and we had the choice to work or not and make men support us either way... Who wants the breadwinner role...


The more money I make the harder it is to find a successful man...

I liked it when men had all the responsibility and obligations with NO "CHOICES". Tell me this does not mean men will have a choice to enter the domestic sphere.. We can't let them be "stay at home dads". We will lose the leverage we gain by shaming men for not contributing to domestic work.. We have to keep them out!

angel said...

Great post… Great info on bounce rates… I’ll have to write an entry about the same topic some day soon… Bounce rates can tell you alot…
I tend to look at the bounce rate and then look at the keywords that brought people to the site. Does the page answer the keyword question? If No then there is some work to do on that or a new more focused post.


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