GLOBEWOMEN SALUTES WOMEN’S ACHIEVEMENTS WORLDWIDE, LARGE AND SMALL, TO CREATE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR OTHER WOMEN AND GIRLS DURING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH.

 

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No. CCXL; March 5, 2016
THIS ISSUE’S HIGHLIGHTS:
I. WOMEN CEOs ON THE FUTURE OF WORK IN THE AGE OF DIGITIZATION AT THE 2016 GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN IN WARSAW
II. WOMEN’S CAREERS NOT PROGRESSING – MERCER REPORT AT THE COLLOQUIUM ON GLOBAL DIVERSITY
III. MARRIAGES OF EQUALS FUELING CLASS DIVIDE GLOBALLY
IV. NEW UAE CABINET NOW 1/3rd FEMALE

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I. WOMEN CEOs ON THE FUTURE OF WORK IN THE AGE OF DIGITIZATION AT THE 2016 GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN IN WARSAW

Over 1,000 women leaders in business and government from over 70 countries will come together in Warsaw, Poland on June 9-11, 2016, for the 2016 Global Summit of Women under the theme of “Women: Building an Inclusive Economy in the Digital Age.”  The 2016 theme underscores the belief that women hold the key to bringing about the necessary changes in the economy, as well as in workplaces and communities, in order for the global economy to grow and for societies to flourish.

As part of the 2016 Summit’s focus on showcasing the innovation, creativity, and resilience which women bring to the workplace, women CEOs from three continents are featured in a plenary session on “The Future of Work in the Age of Digitization and Mobility.”  Confirmed panelists for the session include Maria Blasé, President, HVAC and Transport, Latin America for Ingersoll-Rand; Beata Stelmach, CEO for General Electric Poland and the Baltics; Maria Dolores Dancausa, CEO of Bankinter of Spain; and Sylvia Coutinho, CEO of UBS Brazil.   The CEOs will share their views on how the availability of technological tools has affected the workplace and what women can expect in the coming years.

Women CEO Panelists: (from left to right) Blase, Stelmach, Dancausa, and Coutinho 

To see more of the CEOs, Corporate Executives, and Government Leaders participating in the 2016 Global Summit of Women and for information on how to join them in Warsaw, please visit www.globewomen.org/globalsummit.

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II. WOMEN’S CAREERS NOT PROGRESSING — MERCER REPORT AT THE COLLOQUIUM ON GLOBAL DIVERSITY

Despite two decades of efforts to achieve gender diversity and equality in the workplace, women are still not progressing in their careers, reveals a new global report from Mercer entitled “When Women Thrive, Businesses Thrive.” The research shows that women make up 41 percent of the workforce globally, but their largest representation is as support staff. In addition, women make up 40 percent of the workforce at the professional level and 36 percent at the managerial level, but account for only 26 percent and 19 percent, respectively, at the levels of senior manager and executive.

If current approaches to gender diversity remain unchanged, the Mercer report indicates, only one-third of executive posts will be held by women worldwide over the next 10 years. The trajectory for women in the United States and Canada is especially grim — if Diversity and Inclusion practices and programs continue “as is,” women’s representation in the highest executive ranks is expected to only increase from 24 percent to 26 percent by 2024.

Haig Nalbantian, Senior Partner at Mercer, presented the findings of the study at the Colloquium on Global Diversity: Creating a Level Playing Field for Women, which took place at the Time Warner Centre in New York on February 25-26.  A by-product of the Global Summit of Women, the Colloquium is the leading executive forum on gender diversity within a global context for the past 15 years.  Joining Nalbantian in the Colloquium’s opening panel on “The Science of Inclusion: Using Big Data to Assess Progress on Gender Diversity” was Jeffery Halter, President of YWomen.  Halter shared with the senior diversity and inclusion executives in the audience how to put the Mercer findings into action within their companies.  Among Halter’s recommendations are for companies to engage more middle managers, most of whom are men, in their diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Summit President Natividad discusses Developing a Culture of Diversity with University Presidents.

 A highlight of the program was a panel of University Presidents sharing their perspectives on “Developing a Culture of Diversity.” Since companies hire and recruit graduates from higher education institutions, this session was included for the first time given recent student protests nationwide against racism and sexism on campuses in several states. The panel included the President of Pace University Stephen Friedman, President of Brandeis University Lisa Lynch, and President of Roosevelt University Ali Malikzadeh, all of whom shared their initiatives for addressing proactively the challenge of an inclusive higher education institution.

For photos from the Colloquium, click here.

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III. MARRIAGES OF EQUALS FUELING CLASS DIVIDE GLOBALLY

With more marriages of equals in recent years, the U.S. is becoming more segregated by class.  What social scientists call assortative mating — the idea that people marry people like themselves with similar education and earnings potential – has risen sharply since the 1970s in a pattern that mirrors income inequality.  As advantaged men and women marry other advantaged men and women, the gap between the rich and poor has grown.

Even though the typical husband still makes more than his wife, the marital pay gap among opposite-sex couples has shrunk significantly in the decades since women started entering the work force in larger numbers. Today, wives make 78 percent of what their husbands make, according to survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an increase from 52 percent in 1970.  In opposite-sex marriages in which both spouses work some amount of time, 29 percent of wives earn more than their husbands, up from 23 percent in the 1990s, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The change is happening internationally, too. In 40% of couples in which both partners work, they belong to the same income bracket, up from 33 percent two decades ago, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which includes 34 countries. (The New York Times, “Rise in Marriages of Equals Helps Fuel Divisions by Class,” Feb 28, 2016)

Researchers say the rise in assortative mating is closely linked to income inequality, a topic which will be discussed at the Global Summit of Women in Warsaw, Poland in June.  In a debate on “What Makes an Inclusive Economy,” panelists will address issues ranging from workplace culture, parental leave policies, and integrating refugees into the workforce.

Sharing their insights in the discussion will be Martha Brooks, Corporate Director of Bombardier and former President of Novelis Canada; Idar Kreutzer, CEO of Finance Norway; and Henryka Bochniarz, CEO of the Polish Confederation of Private Employers (Lewiatan). 

To see the full program at the 2016 Global Summit of Women, click here .

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IV.        NEW UAE CABINET NOW 1/3rd FEMALE

A recent Cabinet re-shuffle in the United Arab Emirates has resulted in women holding eight of 29 Cabinet-level positions in the country.  Its percentage of 27% is highest in the Arab world and also bests the majority of countries worldwide, including the US, Belgium, and Mexico, just to name a few with a lower percentage of women in government leadership.

The new Cabinet has positions specifically focusing on The Future, Climate Change, Tolerance, Happiness and Youth Affairs as well as an expanded focus on education.  The new Minister of Youth Affairs, one of the eight women, is only 22 years old.

A member of the UAE’s Federal National Council said that the changes are aimed to help youth get more involved in the country’s future. “This is a big motivation for the youth to engage in politics, to have a role in the government and the cabinet, to have an international presence,” the official said. (Al-Arabiya, “More Women in UAE’s Recent Cabinet Reshuffle,” Feb. 10, 2016)

Other countries have recently taken steps to increase the number of women ministers as well, such as Canada, whose new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed women to fill half of its new Cabinet, and the U.K., which recently reached 33% women following a new appointment.

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Join us in Warsaw, Poland for the 2016 Global Summit of Women

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*** June 9-11, 2016 ***

REGISTRATION IS OPEN AT WWW.GLOBEWOMEN.ORG/GLOBALSUMMIT

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CONTACT US
Global Summit of Women
1100 G St. NW, Ste. 700
Washington, DC 20005  USA
tel: 202-835-3713 / fax: 202-466-6195
email: summit@globewomen.com

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