Changing Corporate Culture: From “Entrenched Male” to “Gender Neutral”

by | Mar 9, 2016 | Balance of masculine feminine, Conforming to masculine, diversity and inclusion, gender bias, gender inclusive, gender parity, gender stereotypes, gender stereotypes, obstacles for women in business | 0 comments

Manpower Group commissioned research on “accelerating more women into leadership.” The report suggests that reaching “gender parity” will take time — and cultural change. It will take changing “entrenched male culture” to “gender neutral culture.” How can we do that?

Call It What You Will; It Is an Obstacle for Women

by | Feb 17, 2016 | double bind, double bind, obstacles for women in business, obstacles to gender diversity, women masculine style | 0 comments

One major obstacle for women in the workplace goes by many names – the double bind, a tightrope, the Goldilocks thing. Call it what you will, it is a lose-lose proposition for women. They are criticized for being too feminine and too masculine. How do we bring down the “Goldilocks thing”?

Gender Parity: A Realistic Goal?

by | Feb 3, 2016 | comfort principal, double bind, gender balance, gender bias, gender equality, gender parity, images of leadership, obstacles for women in business, obstacles to gender diversity, unconscious bias, unconscious mind sets, work and family | 0 comments

McKinsey has concluded that it will take 25 years to reach “gender parity” at the senior VP level and more than 100 years to reach parity in the C-suite. Is “parity” realistic and attainable even in a century? I don’t think so. Even if we could magically eliminate all unconscious gender bias, other factors would make parity unlikely. There are key reasons other than bias – like free choice. I will continue to help eliminate bias so choice is truly free.

The Slow Pace of Gender Equality: What Is the Root Cause?

by | Jan 26, 2016 | benefits of diversity, bottom line value of gender diversity, gender balance, gender inclusive, gendered definitions of leadership, images of leadership, invisible mind-sets, invisible mind-sets, Masculine Feminine Difference, obstacles for women in business, Organizational culture, progress of women, unconscious bias, unconscious images, unconscous mind-sets, understanding difference, value of difference | 0 comments

Yes, there is progress in seeing more women at leadership levels in business; but the pace remains glacial. We need to understand the reasons at the deepest level – so we can pick up the pace and capture the known benefits. I was invited to post a blog on the London School of Economics Business Review. I used the opportunity to express my thoughts on the root cause. I hope you’ll read it!

Women in the Workplace 2015: Is Gender Bias Part of the Story?

by | Oct 14, 2015 | comfort principal, double bind, double bind, Gender Balance, gender bias, Gender diversity, gender diversity in leadership, invisible mind-sets, Lean In, obstacles for women in business, unconscous mind-sets, Women in management, women masculine style | 0 comments

The numbers and graphs in the report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company, Women in the Workplace 2015, support some beliefs, and challenge some myths, about why women remain underrepresented at the executive level of American business. What about gender bias? The report concludes that women are more likely than men to perceive gender bias. Of course they do! One of the recommendations of the study is training to “interrupt gender bias,” including to assure men can see and understand the challenges women encounter.