Joyce Banda Becomes Malawi's First Woman President
ebony.comHolla!
From Ebony:
Malawi once again captured the attention of the world this weekend, not for its poverty or a pop star’s child adoption, but for its progress. On Saturday, April 7, 2012, Joyce Banda was sworn as the Republic of Malawi’s first female president and Africa’s second. The longtime women’s rights activist and outspoken politician, listed as Forbes’ third most powerful woman in Africa in 2011 assumed one of its highest offices.
“The fact that so many Asian countries have accepted women as political leaders and heads of state long before Americans have managed to put a woman in the White House has led some observers to believe that it must mean Asian societies are ahead of the Western world in accepting women in leadership roles. The truth is far more complex than the simplistic observation that this automatically means women will benefit from such role models at the pinnacle of their power. In the case of Park, she may have earned the position on her own merits more than other female counterparts, but that doesn’t mean her leadership will bode well for women’s rights in South Korea or the region during her tenure.”
—South Korea’s New President May Be Female, But She is No Women’s Rights Crusader
As Park Geun-hye becomes the latest Asian female head of state, Vishakha Desai wonders what, if anything, this means for women’s issues in the region.
Read the full story here
WTF?
- The United States is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures.
- Women hold 17% of the seats in the House of Representatives (the equivalent body in Rwanda is 56.3% female).
- Women are merely 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs.
- Women hold only 3% of clout positions in the mainstream media (telecommunications, entertainment, publishing and advertising).
- Women comprise 7% of directors and 13% of film writers in the top 250 grossing films.
- Courtesy of missrepresentation.org
Forbes' 10 Worst Stereotypes About Powerful Women
Forbes releases the 10 most hated stereotypes offered up by female leaders in politics, industry and media. Click HERE for a few thoughts on their list.
On Women and Leadership: High Heels Shouldn't Bring You Down
theradicalidea.wordpress.comAs Sheryl Sandburg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, said in her 2011 commencement speechat Barnard
College in New York, perception of success differs by gender. Women attribute their success to “working hard” or people helping them or “getting lucky”; men own their success and attribute it to being awesome. On top of that, for men, success and likability have a positive correlation-~-for women, it becomes a negative correlation: both men and women dislike women more as they become increasingly successful. This is a problem, because it serves as a deterrent for women pursuing leadership opportunities AND because it reinforces the idea that women aren’t meant to BE successful in careers, that their place is not at the top of companies or in office, etc. Other studies, though I forget where exactly I found them, indicate that men find women less appealing as they become more successful in their careers as well, creating another disincentive. Who wants to end up alone with nothing but an ever-increasing workload to keep her company?
That’s not to say it has to be that way. During a roundtable at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Gretchen McClain, the CEO and President of Xylum, Inc., discussed the need for women pursuing careers and pursuing leadership positions to find a way to balance their lives. Part of the problem is that women do more work in the home and are expected to devote more time to things like parenting than men are, which can put a strain on career ambitions because there appear to be diverging obligations. When men’s rights activists (my favorite…) point out that men “work more” because they take more overtime, they fail to acknowledge the fact that women are under pressure to take care of household duties that perhaps prevent them from taking on these additional work opportunities.
Unfortunately, as Sandburg points out, many women anticipate these future obligations and make choices early in their career because they anticipate leaving and having children. This is particularly problematic because employers already anticipate this-~-it’s why companies invest less in women and are less likely to hire women. As Sanburg states, women “lean out” of their careers when they SHOULD lean in: they choose easier specialties, they don’t fight for promotions, they anticipate the choices they will have to make to balance their personal lives before they have to make them. As a result, when the time comes, the choice isn’t really there: they have already let the opportunities they might have taken pass them by.
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“But I do want to give a shout-out to Angela Merkel and Dilma Rousseff and Portia Miller, Christine Lagarde, who are also on this list and prove once again that you actually can run the world in heels and pantsuits. Because the day is over when women leaders could only aspire to a supporting role. And by the way, I think we may have just found Kristen Wiig’s next movie. She can call it: “Bridesmaids No Longer.”
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, Remarks at the TIME 100 Gala
The Most Powerful Woman in the World?
guardian.co.ukRead this in-depth portrait of the head of the International Monetary Fond, Christine Lagarde - a talented business woman who is admired by politicians and leading personalities in the political sphere. Not only does she enjoy wearing designer labels such as Chanel, she is now the leading woman of one of the most influential institutions in the world. Taking over the position from the scandal-ridden Dominique Strauss-Kahn is not an easy task, so I hope she will prove her worth. We can’t get enough powerful, talented and fashion-minded female leaders in world politics :)
4 Pieces Of Practical Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
onstartups.com- Connections Count: Build Your Network
Early in my career, I received some great advice from a female colleague who told me to find the women I want to emulate and get to know them by asking them out for a cup of coffee. At first, I was a bit nervous to pick up the phone or write the email, because I knew these were busy women. In the past seven years, however, I have reached out at least once a month to female bosses, leaders and entrepreneurs. Only once to date has the recipient not been able to fit me in. I’m often touched at how openly and warmly they share experiences, both professionally and personally. It is through these meetings that I have honed in on my vision for the kind of female leader, mother and wife I hope to someday become.
Don’t forget when you are networking – with men or women – to present yourself confidently. That starts with a strong handshake and good eye contact. Speak confidently about your business or your idea. You want advice and mentorship, but don’t forget that you also have experience to offer and share.
- Let Others Help: Tap The Resources
There are a growing number of resources and organizations dedicated to helping women in technology, many started by female pioneers who had to make their way through unchartered territory just one generation ago. At Stanford, I was a member of the Women in Management club where leaders like Mayer came to speak about their ambitions and tactics for achieving their ideal balance in life. Today, I subscribe to Women 2.0 (http://www.women2.com/), a Kauffman-backed organization that offers content, community and conferences for women founders in tech. It’s inspiring to keep tabs on other female entrepreneurs, and I’ve attended several events in San Francisco where I got to connect with other female founders. Springboard Enterprises (http://www.springboardenterprises.org/) is another useful program that matches female entrepreneurs with coaches, industry contacts and investors. I have coffee every month with different female business owners who openly and warmly share experiences and advice. Check Meetup and local universities to find other groups of like-minded women near you. These are ideal places for networking, finding mentorship, sourcing investors and generating peer support groups.
- Don’t Forego Funding: VCs Are Becoming More Balanced
The venture community seems to be turning over a new leaf with the recent wave of successful startups with strong female customer bases. Women make up 60% of Zynga’s customers, 77% of Groupon’s customers, 82% of Pinterest’s users and 70% of all ecommerce buyers. I am a huge online shopper myself and I was able to leverage that authenticity to attract venture backing for my ecommerce startup last August. If your target market is women, you can leverage your experiences and build a better story of how your company will reach other females. Depending on your company you may also be eligible for government grants that are given to organizations run by women.
- Learn To Lead: We Need More Movers, Shakers and Mentors
Speak with conviction when you are speaking to others and avoid trailing off or framing things like a question. You are an expert in your own area and you should speak about it confidently. Know your weaknesses and build a strong team around you that can support you. Sometimes this means hiring other women – but mostly it means hiring the best person for the job. There were a few female engineers who applied for my company and I was definitely rooting for them, but at the end of the day they weren’t all the best candidates. To be a strong leader for my company, I needed to select the best person for the job. Put yourself out there as a mentor for younger women, both in your company and externally. You’ll be giving back to the next generation of entrepreneurs while also building your own network.
WE NEED MORE WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS! Please share any other tips or ideas you have in the comments.
