If you look back at the headlines this year within major business publications you'll find something exciting: chatter wasn't all about the boys. Even this fair blog was even talking business. (How Glam indeed!) I mean, with the success of women like Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandburg, Virginia Rometty, Meg Whitman, and Rosalind Brewer, how could we not? But now that the year is winding down, we're starting to see what kind of impact women at the top of Fortune 500 companies is making--if any at all. And the news?
Well, according to one group, it's kind of a bummer. From a press release sent this morning by Catalyst, a nonprofit organization with the goal of expanding opportunities for women in business:
Bloomberg's Brooke Sutherland points out that "women held 14.3 percent of executive positions at Fortune 500 companies as of June 30 and 16.6 percent of board seats, figures that show 'glacial progress' in boosting female representation." Only 12 of the current Fortune 40 under 40 are women, FYI. So, y'know, we still have a ways to go.
I think are two ways to read this year. You can glass-half-full-it: We had to make one significant stride, and we did. It's a start, and it's a more than we began with when we rang in 2012. On the other hand, yes, these numbers really aren't anything about which to shout from the rooftops, and they continue a trend that is frustrating, and the reports look the same year after year--and we find ourselves butting our heads against the same systematic issues that don't seem to budge, including maternity leave, childcare, sexism in the workplace. Glass half-empty, if you will.
I want to know: Which of these two feelings are most dominant inside you as you're ending the year? Frustration or encouragement? Do you feel empowered to break the barriers, or do you feel discouraged by these numbers?
P.S. And because you deserve something to make you smile, here's Janice Min on why you can climb the ladder with a baby bump...and why Randi Zuckerburg is the Zuck we adore!
