Women in need

advertisement advertisement advertisement The topic of women in leadership often comes up when I do interviews. It’s an ongoing conversation that I hope, one day, will not be among the things I get asked about. advertisement advertisement Why? When that day comes, it means we’ve reached parity and don’t feel the need to address leadership diversity as an issue. Unfortunately, that day has not yet arrived. In 2013, just 16.9% of Fortune 500 board seats were filled by women–and women’s representation on boards has stagnated, gaining just two percentage points from 2006 to 2013. Locally, we’re not doing much better: 128 Silicon Valley companies representing $1.2 trillion in shareholder value have just 6.6% of their highest-paid executive positions filled by women, and only 8.4% of Silicon Valley board members are women. It’s a shame when you consider that companies with sustained high representation of women on their boards … [Read more...] about Why Corporate Boardrooms Need More Women

advertisement advertisement advertisement When Ron Wyden, Cory Booker, and Yvette Clarke introduced their Algorithmic Accountability Act in 2019 , which would have required tech companies to conduct bias audits on their AI, the three sponsors may have been a little early. advertisement advertisement Despite the fact that tech companies were already using artificial intelligence algorithms for a wide range of products and services that touch the lives of millions, the issue of AI bias and its real-world effects remained abstract for many Americans, including many in Washington. The Trump administration was oblivious to the issue, and Republicans showed little interest in Wyden and Booker’s bill, which was never read in committee, much less on the Senate floor. Clarke’s companion bill in the House also didn’t advance. This is part of a series on big ideas that Biden can tackle in his first 100 days . Read the rest of the … [Read more...] about Fighting AI bias needs to be a key part of Biden’s civil rights agenda

advertisement advertisement advertisement Given the challenges Black Americans have been facing, my mood is tempered this Black History Month. I’m treating February as a reminder that achieving racial justice and equality with fierce urgency has got to be the goal. We’re seeing some positive signs in the workplace: Reuters recently reported a surge in companies pledging to hire more Black employees. It’s a start. But corporations that are serious about increasing diversity numbers also need to encourage employees of color to “bring their whole selves to work,” as culture experts like to say. advertisement advertisement This year’s Black History Month theme is “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.” I’d humbly suggest that any leader seeking to empower their Black team members should strive to better understand the dynamics of Black home and family life. My own experiences with my family may shed light on … [Read more...] about To empower Black employees, corporate leaders need to understand Black families

advertisement advertisement advertisement We are facing a gender equality crisis. The numbers have made for a steady string of headlines recently: We hit a 33-year low in women’s labor participation in January, and nearly 3 million women have dropped out of the workforce compared to a year ago. Since February 2020, women have lost a net of 5.4 million jobs , accounting for 55% of net job loss in the U.S. during this crisis, despite making up slightly less than half of the workforce. On a net basis, all 140,000 jobs lost in December 2020 in the U.S. belonged to women, and 2.2 million women have left the workforce entirely. Especially impacted are women of color, who comprise a large portion of the workforce in industries that have been hardest hit by the pandemic , including hospitality, education, and retail. advertisement advertisement In the short-term, unpaid bills are piling up and pushing many … [Read more...] about Flexible work programs can help retain working women if designed thoughtfully

advertisement advertisement advertisement What underpins the workplace gender gap? It may be just words. This is the finding of a new study in Management Science out of Washington State University, in which researchers successfully made a workplace gender gap disappear via language choices. advertisement advertisement The statements and advice of women are commonly less believed than those of men. Researchers aimed to pinpoint why in a study that asked 1,000 people to play a challenging online game while listening to the game advice of men and women—some of whom used more-assertive language and some of whom used less-assertive language. The study found that when women employed assertive language, their advice was just as likely to be followed as the men’s advice, and the gender gap disappeared. Players were more likely to take the assertive advice from both men and women. The most successful advice givers didn’t just … [Read more...] about The gender gap disappeared when women used these assertive phrases in a workplace study