Articles

Fix the System, Not the Women

If women could fix the gender pay gap all by themselves it would be done. We don’t have time to mess around. We can’t afford what it costs us in lost wages to say nothing of bonuses and retirement contributions that are based on a percentage of our base pay. Suggesting that we can do it all by ourselves by changing who we are is yet another attempt to “fix the women” instead of fixing the system.

Things I Know for Sure: Moms, Merit, Equality, and Doing Diversity

Oprah has written extensively about the things she knows for sure. Here are some of the things I know for sure - about moms being leaders, the fight for equality, the myth of merit, the business case for diversity, and women at the table. 

Diversity Doublespeak and Discrimination

If the Business Roundtable and other organizations are serious about tackling the issue of racial inequality in the US, they’re going to have to address the other D word that no one wants to mention: discrimination.

Why Yet Another Committee Isn't the Answer to Addressing Racial Inequality

If the Business Roundtable wants to be a part of the solution for racial inequality, they are going to have to focus their efforts inward, at themselves, and address the biases and privilege that got most of them where they are today. 

Data Table: African-Americans in F100 C-Suites

Ranked list of companies with one or more African-American executives in the C-Suite. 

Where You Won't Find African-Americans in the Fortune 100

As I watch company after company issue statements on the protests sweeping the US I want to ask them one question: if you are so deeply committed to addressing the issue of racism, if you strive to create a culture where people of all differences can thrive, then why aren’t there more African Americans among your executive leadership?

Data Table: Women and African Americans in the F100

Fortune 100 C-Suite Organizational Charts - February 2020

Stanford Graduate School of Business: Corporate Governance Research Initiative

C-Suite Diversity in the Fortune 100

Women and racially diverse executives are underrepresented in C-suite positions that lead to CEO and board appointments and overrepresented in staff/administrative roles. That's not a good sign if you're looking for a company truly committed to diversity and inclusion. 

Is the Company Serious About Diversity? Check the Executive Officers

There is one indicator above all others that will tell you if the company is committed to diversity and inclusion at the gut level: the diversity of the executive officers.

Moms Forced to Opt Out

Her story went viral. The reaction has been intense. Yet I suspect there are a fair number of women breathing a quiet sigh of relief that the story isn’t about them. Women who can imagine a similar scenario playing out in their own home. Women who have already been pushed to the breaking point with the lockdown, women who don’t know what they are going to do long-term to manage the crisis it has created in their own families. Women who can imagine having to make the same decision under a similar set of circumstances.