Category Archives: Gender

Gender differences, LGBQT

Working from Home: A Game Changer – by Elaine Spector

After over 21 years of working in an office, I finally had the opportunity to take a leap of faith to work from home. Many people have questioned me about the move, and how I am fairing. My response is simple: “It is a game changer.”

Like many Americans, I’ve spent a majority of my working life in a brick and mortar office. On a typical morning, I would take a quick shower, eat a hurried breakfast, and dash to my car in a futile attempt to beat the traffic. I have been in the law practice for 21 years, most of which were spent living and working in Washington, D.C.- a city notorious for its congestion. After a move to Baltimore, I continued to commute to D.C. for seven excruciating years.

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Moving on from Just One Woman – by Deborah Levine

NOTE: Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press.

DEBORAH LEVINEThere’s a spotlight today on the women attempting to transform longtime invisibility into success, money, and power. How’s that working for us? There’s been a disappointing 25% decrease in the number of women CEOs in the Fortune 500 in the past year. Several corporate women CEOs earn as much, and sometimes more, than their male counterparts including Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, Debra Cafaro, CEO of real estate investment trust Ventas, and Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors. Unfortunately, women make up only 5% of CEOs in the Fortune 500. Astonishingly, only one Fortune 500 company has both a woman CEO and a woman chair of its Board of Directors. Just one.

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Gender Pay Gap Persists as Equal Pay Act Turns 57 – By David B. Grinberg

In case you missed it, we just marked the 57th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. This begs the question: is gender-based wage discrimination still a persistent problem in the 21st century workplace?

Many men might say no. However, it’s a different story for most women. The Equal Pay Act was passed by Congress and signed by President John F. Kennedy (JFK) in the White House Oval Office surrounded by working women.

equal pay

The Equal Pay Act “affirms our determination that when women enter the labor force, they will find equality in their pay envelope,” said JFK in signing the landmark law.

But if you think pay inequity is a relic, just take a look at the gaping disparity of salaries for men and women in the same or similar jobs inside and outside the C-suite.

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Reflections of a Former Big 4 Female Partner – by Jane Malecki

The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have been inspiring.  However, outside of legal confrontations and public humiliations, little is being done to ensure this behavior will stop happening and that the glass ceiling obstacles that have been in place for the last 4 decades, are removed once and for all.

As a woman who struggled up the “ladder” while raising children, I have decided to be a catalyst for real change by serving professional women on a full-time basis as a professional business coach, trainer and speaker.  As a result, I have reflected on the role of women in today’s world and have some observations and some “Mother’s Day Resolutions” to share and ask you to share these resolutions with others.

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How to Grow as an Entrepreneur:  Episode #4 with Lynda Spiegel – by Fatima Williams

Inspired by the response to my article, 2018 Challenges for Women Entrepreneurs and How to Overcome Them, I initiated this series called, How to Grow as an Entrepreneur. I talk to Leading and Inspiring Women all over the world to Raise Awareness among Women and ask them if they are ready to Pass the Baton on to aspiring entrepreneurs!

Lynda Spiegel is an Awesome Mom of two and the Founder of Rising Star Resumes that provides job search strategies, resume, cover letter advice, and LinkedIn profile keyword optimization. She is an author of frequent articles on The Wall Street Journal Experts Blog, LinkedIn Pulse, CornerstoneOnDemand, and Talent Culture Blogs.

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Volkswagen and Women Who Rock – by Deborah Levine

Over the years, I’ve attended press conferences, graduations, receptions, and concerts at Volkswagen Chattanooga’s conference center, but I’ve never before seen it decorated entirely in pink. The event was the first ever Volkswagen Women Who Rock Awards Brunch. After having my picture taken in the photo booth wearing a pink Volkswagen hard hat, I meandered through the crowd waiting to hear from the keynote speaker, Julie Baumgardner, CEO and Founder of Chattanooga’s family oriented nonprofit, First Things First.

Women Who rock
Women Who Rock attendees

We watched profiles of the award nominees on the overhead screens as we listened to each of their favorite songs. It was a musical lesson in diversity. True to Volkswagen’s techie mindset, the playlist could be downloaded on Spotify. After much munching and brunching, we were brought to attention by Shireena Avery, the Volkswagen Diversity Sponsor to the featured Employee Resource Groups (ERG). The Women Who Rock program got underway with Megan Herndon, President of Volkswagen’s Women in Motion ERG.

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STEM Dilemma: Female Drought or Flex Famine? – by Paul Rupert

… Tech companies in dozens of states, and the educational infrastructure that supplies their workforces, are approaching consensus that the problem of “too few women” in high-tech is essentially a pipeline problem. And at the rate things are going, this conclusion will lead to front-loading the pipe at a rate Keystone’s advocates could only envy.

Every day it seems another Federal program, public initiative or round of personal or foundation funding is rolled out to accelerate the entry of women and minorities into STEM fields (Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This supply side solution could prove to be an expensive and long-term patch that requires a major shift in already challenged educational priorities.

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Empowering Arab Women in the Workplace – by John White

How Silatech created 600 jobs for women in Somalia … An update on International Women’s Day, a day that recognizes the social, cultural, and economic achievements of women. Once celebrated in only a few countries where women fought for equality, the event has now spread to all groups, countries, and organizations everywhere.

In Lahore, Pakistan, NPR followed the women in their first-ever march for equal rights on International Women’s Day. Hundreds of women came together for the same reason, giving women a proper education so they can obtain successful careers. Journalist Haleema Shah spoke with one of the thousands of women there who defined freedom as, “the ability to own a business and the understanding that such endeavors should not be considered avenues to indecency.” Women’s social standing is changing with the help of a new program created by the regional social organization in Qatar, called Silatech.

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Interview #3: How to Grow as an Entrepreneur with Katja Matosevic 

Inspired by the response to my article, 2018 Challenges for Women Entrepreneurs and How to Overcome Them, I initiated this series of interviews called, How to Grow as an Entrepreneur. The interviews are a mentoring experience for women across the world, an inspirational relationship based on trust and mutual respect which benefits anyone reading about and reflecting on the amazing journey of each of these women.

Meet Katja Matosevic, CEO & Co-founder at Geo Target/Geo-marketing. Katja moved to Italy in 2009 and started from the scratch. She worked for years as an associate for a company and then in 2014, due to fibromyalgia, she had to reinvent herself. When she gained her strength, she started her own company. During that process, she started practicing yoga to take care of her health. Katja loves yoga, meditation, and is serious about healthy eating.

She loves Neuroscience (related to human behavior that uses that in retail too) with a holistic approach. All that is the basis of human behavior captures her interest. She loves working with numbers and statistics and  says that integrating ‘behind the scenes’ is what makes the difference in retail.

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