The conundrum of the glass ceiling

In ICEVED (original source: The Economist)

It's been at least a week since I posted only because I could not find anything worthwhile relative to women escaping from corporate America! Then came this. Here's the lead paragraph:

It is 20 years since the term "glass ceiling" was coined by the Wall Street Journal to describe the apparent barriers that prevent women from reaching the top of the corporate hierarchy; and it is ten years since the American government's specially appointed Glass Ceiling Commission published its recommendations. In 1995 the commission said that the barrier was continuing "to deny untold numbers of qualified people the opportunity to compete for and hold executive level positions in the private sector." It found that women had 45.7% of America's jobs and more than half of master's degrees being awarded. Yet 95% of senior managers were men, and female managers' earnings were on average a mere 68% of their male counterparts'.

And so it goes. Here's my favorite part -- get ready to applaud:

Chris Clarke, the America-based CEO of Boyden, a firm of headhunters, and a visiting professor at Henley Management College in England, argues that women are superior to men at multi-tasking, team-building and communicating, which have become the essential skills for running a 21st-century corporation. Maria Wisniewska, who headed a Polish bank, Bank Pekao, and is an international adviser to the Conference Board, says: "The links between the rational and emotional parts of the brain are greater in women than in men. If so, and if leadership is about making links between emotion and intelligence, then maybe women are better at it than men."

Read the entire article here.

Institutionalized bias against female-owned businesses by banks (U.K.)?

In Management-issues.com -- at the heart of the changing workplace.

The boardroom glass ceiling may finally be starting to crack, but for women who want to get on in business it is becoming increasingly clear there is another significant gender imbalance to be tackled -- finance.

[Laurel here ... check out this snippet from the article that will compel you to read the entire piece: "She recounts one example of a woman who went to a bank for funding and was disdainfully turned down, only for the banker to tell her husband all about it when they next met at the local Rotary Club."

Securing finance -- the next glass ceiling?

Ain't no glass ceiling here, only stars to reach for

In San Antonio Express News

This is a wonderful article so if you need a boost, you'll find it at "Nearly 40 percent of all business owners are women."

In a hurry? Below are the highlights:

• There's no glass ceiling at Crystal Ward Darby's home-based public relations consulting business in Leon Valley. Darby works as hard and as long as she pleases. She takes on only those projects that interest her.

• ... where success is measured by a feeling of contentment and not an artificial bottom line designed to please shareholders.

• "If I'm happy when I wake up in the morning, that's good enough for me."

• "There came a time where I knew that I needed to call my own shots and be my own boss," ... "I knew I could do this because my son, who was 18 at the time, told me I could do it."

• [Laurel here ... "Yeah and my favorite part!"] -- Darby is one of a rapidly expanding breed of women -- those leaving corporate headquarters and venturing into self-employment.

• From 1979 to 2003, the self-employment rate for women increased 33 percent, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Women now represent almost 40 percent of all business owners.

• More than 10 million female business owners employ 19 million workers and generate $2.5 trillion in annual sales, according to the Center for Women's Business Research.

• Between 1997 and 2004, women-owned businesses in the nation's top 50 metropolitan areas grew at almost twice the rate of other firms in those areas.

• [Laurel here ... "Another great comment!"] -- "But it's accurate to say that more women than ever before are stepping up, taking that risk of going out on their own."

• "Just say what you need, and we can find a woman who does it," said Margot Dorfman, who heads the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce. "Business is no longer just a man's profession."

• [Laurel here ... "Check this out too!"] -- The reasons so many women are choosing to be their own bosses are as diverse as the women and the businesses they run. Many are fulfilling lifelong dreams. Others simply want out of the corporate rat race. Some know they can do it better than incompetent bosses they've suffered.

• "I love every part of this business, and I mean that. I love to see a plan work," Salvatore said. "It's beautiful, like a birth."

Where Have All The Women Gone?

In internetnews.com

It appears women are leaving the American IT workforce faster than male executives can say, "Go fetch me a beer, darlin." But apparently, in the Silicon Valley, "You go, girl!" means "We're outta here.'"

[Laurel here ... where do you suppose they are all going?! Ahem ...]

Official: Women's businesses likely to continue growth trend

In Las Vegas SUN: Business headlines

Women-owned businesses are not only here to stay but their numbers are likely to increase dramatically.

"Women are in fact transforming the face of business," says Executive Director Sharon Hadary of The Center for Women's Business Research. "It is a defining economic and social trend today. I expect that trend to continue into the next few decades."

Read all about it here.

Happy Independence Day!

This week we celebrate our one-year anniversary of both our
Escape From Corporate America website and blog! Thank you for your kind readership. We look forward to spending more time with you in the future.

And as we all gather today to celebrate this Fourth of July, let's remember the Declaration of Independence (freedom) and one of it's famous lines: "the pursuit of happiness" because it ties in nicely here. After all, our Founding Fathers encouraged it and we do too! Thomas Jefferson conceived of the pursuit of happiness as an "unalienable right" and a "self evident truth." We can all interpret it different ways because happiness ultimately lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Freedom is a choice. Go find your freedom and happiness today. Enjoy!