Author: LiisBeth Curator

How Sexism Shaped Corporate Culture

Post author By LiisBeth Curator
Post date November 23, 2015
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In a recent article for the Atlantic, Melissa Gregg explores how an antiquated sexist culture still influences how corporate culture is managed today.

From condescending bosses to the perceived illegitimacy of catering and cleaning jobs, Gregg gives readers a brief snapshot of how old notions of domesticity and family influence work culture subtle ways. She considers the ideals of the modern, equal opportunity workplace and whether or not there is still room for the paternalistic metaphor of the corporate family.

Gregg is a researcher at Intel Corporation and the author of Work’s Intimacy – an account of online technology and the social tensions emerging in today’s fast changing work environment.

Read her article How Sexism Shaped Corporate Culture on the Atlantic and decide for yourself. Does the word “family” still make sense in explaining contemporary work? What are your thoughts?

Tags CorporateCulture, Curated, Sexism

Systems

Closing the Gender Wage Gap in Ontario

Post author By LiisBeth Curator
Post date November 20, 2015
No Comments on Closing the Gender Wage Gap in Ontario

Last Friday we brought your attention to the gender wage gap in America. This week our focus in on the wage gap between men and women in LiisBeth’s head quarter province of Ontario.

Like our neighbors to the south, women in Ontario are also earning less than men. They are overrepresented in lower-paying jobs and industries, represent a larger number of employees in minimum wage and part-time positions, and remain underrepresented in many higher paying jobs and sectors that have traditionally been male-dominated.

“While women participate in all parts of the workforce, there are still barriers that prevent women from achieving their economic potential,” Tracey MacCharles the Ontario minister responsible for women’s issue has said.

The Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee wants local input on what these barriers are so that they can actively work towards eliminating the wage gap between men and women in Ontario.

It is no secret that closing the gender wage gap will benefit the Canadian economy. In 2005, The Royal Bank estimated that if women in Canada had identical labour market opportunities available to them as men, then personal incomes would be $168 billion higher each year.

The Steering Committee’s plan is to examine how women are affected by the gender wage gap, at work, in their family, and in their community. But in order to resolve issues they will need help from locals. So how can you help?

Read the reports

The Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee has created a series of papers. Two consultation papers, one for organizations and one for individuals, to accompany a background paper providing research and statistics on the Gender Pay Gap in Ontario. Each has information about the gender wage gap, as well as the questions the Steering Committee hopes will be answered.

Get involved

Written responses to the Consultation Papers will be accepted until January 15, 2016.

They can be sent by:

E-mail:[email protected]
Fax: 416-326-7650
Mail:
Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee
400 University Avenue, 12th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1T7

Or if you prefer to offer your input in person, public Townhall Meetings are being held during November and December. Check the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s website for a full schedule of events.

Tags Curated, GenderPayGap, Ontario

Allied Arts & Media

Robot Hugs: Gender Discrimination in Tech

Post author By LiisBeth Curator
Post date November 18, 2015
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Gender discrimination in tech. Illustrated by Robot Hugs

Robot Hugs is a webcomic based out of Toronto. The artist is identifies as a non-binary genderqueer peoplequeer mentally ill non-monogamous kinky critical feminist robot. They were always impressed by the creative work of their friend Chrissie who told them that since she came out as a woman she would find men persistently trying to direct her in her work which led to blended feelings of frustration, sadness, and lack of surprise.

Robot Hugs had this to say about Chrissie’s story:

When we talk about the differences in how men and women are treated professionally, especially in technical fields, we are often dismissed with ‘everyone has to deal with that’, or ‘women need to demonstrate more confidence with their skills’, or ‘they’re just trying to be helpful’, or ‘it’s all in your head’.

It’s frustrating when we know something like this is happening, but we spend so much of our time actually trying to get people to believe that it’s a real phenomenon. I find narratives like Chrissie’s validating in that she has a comparative set of experiences and is like ‘oh yeah, people totally think I’m less competent at my job now. it’s totally a thing’. So, can guys just believe us already and get on helping it not happen? source robot-hugs.com

If you like discussion of identity, gender, and sexuality make sure to check out Robot Hugs’ website for updated comics every Tuesday and Thursday.

Tags Curated, Feminism, Gender, GenderDiscrimination, Tech, Trans

Allied Arts & Media Our Voices

Going Against the Flow: New Documentary Film

Post author By LiisBeth Curator
Post date November 16, 2015
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Go Against the Flow is a new documentary film and movement that wants to empower young women to be risk takers and entrepreneurs. After college Go Against the Flow founder and Campaign Planner for LinkedIn, Charu Sharma, used all of her $22,000 savings alongside a grant from her employer to make a documentary film on revolutionary female co-founders of Cloudflare, Getaround, Kabam, Zinepak, Mightybell, Bridge Up: STEM, Women Who Code, Rockhealth and Malala Fund.

In Go Against the Flow, award-winning entrepreneur Charu Sharma brings together audacious female entrepreneurs who went against the flow and pioneered their own destinies. There has never been a better time to start a business, and no better way than to go in with your eyes open having learned from these great success stories. Baroness Joanna Shields, UK Minister for Internet Safety and Security

LinkedIn hosted an exclusive premier on November 11th, 2015. The film’s mission is to empower one million viewers by end of 2016. Sharma is asking for your support to help her raise the funds she needs to her bring the film to wider international audiences of high school and university students.

To actively help bring this documentary film to young women in high schools and universities donate to their Kickstarter campaign before it closes December 11th!

For more about the movement visit goagainsttheflow.com or follow Sharma on Twitter.

Tags CharuSharma, Curated, Entrepreneurship, Film, GoAgainsttheflow, LinkedIn

Activism & Action Systems

Moving the Needle on Pay Equity

Post author By LiisBeth Curator
Post date November 13, 2015
No Comments on Moving the Needle on Pay Equity

The gap has narrowed since the 1970s, but progress has stalled in recent years, and the pay gap does not appear likely to go away on its own.

The AAUW (American Association of University Women) recently released Fall 2015 report, The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap, provides up to date pay gap statistics by state, race, and in the United States; how it affects women of all ages, races, and education levels; and what can be done to close it. The news overall is discouraging. According to the report, the pay gap has barely budged in a decade and at its’ current rate, the gap will not close for more than 100 years. The report found that women are paid about 90% of what men are until the age 35. This is when women’s median earnings typically drop to 75 – 80% of men’s. As noted in the report, the wage gap is not a women’s issue, its a family issue . For answers to these questions and more read the full report here.

In the book Feminine Capital (2015) by Barbara Orser and Catherine Elliot, the authors note that women entrepreneurs are generally committed to pay equity through their own enterprises; a great step.

However we also know this can reduce your enterprise’s competitiveness as it raises your cost structure vis a vis your non-pay equity committed competitor down the road. Progress in isolation can lead to unsustainability. We need to make sure ALL enterprises observe pay equity standards.

Tags Curated, GenderPayGap, PayInequality

Systems

Hands Across the Water: Re-inventing Bonds

Post author By LiisBeth Curator
Post date November 9, 2015
No Comments on Hands Across the Water: Re-inventing Bonds

Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts launched the Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute (GWEI). Working to connect African and Atlanta-based women entrepreneurs in agribusiness, technology, manufacturing and media/entertainment, the inaugural event, years in the making ran from November 1 – 4th.

Participants traveled from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia to join with local participants from the City of Atlanta to take part in intense, high-level training sessions covering topics such as marketing strategies, building and managing wealth and social responsibility.

Dean Dr. Jacqueline Royster is the Dean of the Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts in Atlanta. She believes that once women feel the power that they hold, they will know they can use it. She addressed the need for a focus on collaboration, not competition, among women from around the world when it comes to business practices:

“We are in many ways more alike than different. We have to spend the time getting to know personally who we all are and how we can connect and what kinds of things we can do together,” she said. “So that it is a deliberate choice to do what we do so that it is an intentional act to do what we do.”

The fact that women share so many commonalities to their approach to business and entrepreneurship makes this initiative so important. Managing director of the GWEI, DeShawn Jenkins talked about the power of women working together to overcome the similar obstacles they face in entrepreneurship:

“We were learning that women overcoming fear, women taking challenges, women really working together and to have that transatlantic opportunity is something that we really understood,” Jenkins said. “As we climb, we pull up. And so as we are working together and realizing that not only we can do that in our own city, but we can do that in various countries and continents.”

With the success and excitement from this year’s event, Jenkins said that they are already planning the next steps for GWEI.

“There’s been two challenges, one to take it to Ghana and the next to take it to South Africa,” she said

That said the city of Atlanta has been a good incubator for the initiative. According to Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta is ranked in the top ten metro areas for entrepreneurial activity, and women-owned businesses have grown by 63 percent from 2002 to 2014.

Original source: The Atlanta Blackstar

Tags Curated, Entrepreneurship, start ups, women entrepreneurs, WomenInBusiness

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