Tweet of the Day

Do I really have to point out why?

#WWedsChat with Adclub: Q3

Leading up to the 2011 Adclub Women's Leadership Forum, the Adclub twitter avatar sent out questions to the working women to see their responses. The following question caught my eye:

TheAdClub

Q3: To those who are seeking a new job, which is more important- the opportunity or the pay? #wwedschat

The first two answers were typical, it's about growth and the opportunity for improvement. But the last one nailed it:

KatrinaKibben

A# I'm not looking but the last time I did, I wasn't settling. Both $ and oppt are impt for my long term goals #wwedschat

As someone who just successfully finished a job search, I couldn't agree more. This has always been my sentiment, I will not settle. I you are talented, work hard, and have great results, then there is no reason to take a step back in either category (pay or opportunity).

Work It at the Gym!

Nope, I am not saying do your work at the gym. Instead I'm saying just go to the gym.

K and I are both huge proponents of exercise. Whether you are female, male, young or old, getting a good work out into your day really helps stimulate the brain making you smarter, happier and more awake. Now who wouldn't want that?

But yesterday while I was running on the treadmill I realized something else: when I'm working out I feel good about myself. I feel like I can do anything. I had a good playlist going, and I was ready to conquer the world. So if you don't already, get your bod to the gym and feel good about yourself!

Want to know what I was listening to? So do I, but I think my iphone was playing some of these artists:

1. Discovery http://www.myspace.com/discoverdiscovery

2. Eric Hutchinson http://www.myspace.com/erichutchinson

3. John Brown's Body http://www.myspace.com/johnbrownsbody

4. Amanda Blank http://www.myspace.com/amandablank

5. Roisin Murphy http://www.myspace.com/roisinmurphy

Female execs talk advancement

The Boston Business Journal posted an article yesterday highlighting female executives and their advice on how to advance as a female in the corporate world. I pulled some of my favorite quotes:

"We need to give ourselves a break and acknowledge that no one can 'have it all' at every moment of every day. I think 'having it all' is as much a myth as the fairy-tale prince, and it can pressure women into feeling that they must achieve perfection in every facet of their lives. We need to set realistic goals, balance our professional and personal lives in ways that matter to us as individuals, and recognize that there are many definitions of success."
- Sandy Lish, Principle and founder, The Castle Group

"The workplace is full of incredibly talented women also pursuing family life, elderly care, education, etc. Today's knowledge economy, combined with the latest telecommuting and remote workplace technologies, means there is no reason not to provide flexibility to employees - female and male. Face time is not a good substitute for impact, and a life that works means a leader who works hard and well."
- Tiziana Dearing, CEO, Boston Rising

"Exclusion of women from the ranks is insidious but not willful. Tips to prevent it include: (1) incentivizing men and women to mentor, share networks, offer exposure to decision-makers and recruit from the pipeline of women, (2) eliminating double-standards such as 'maternity leave' and 'flextime' versus men's 'family leave' or 'time off,' and preventing men from shirking flex-time pays for flex-hours, and (3) training women in rainmaking and leadership. Organizations must create an environment where women can advance."
- Lisa Cukier, Partner, Burns & Levinson


Read more: Women execs talk advancement | Boston Business Journal

How do you reach a woman?

I pulled this from an article I read on BzzAgent's blog today. They make an amazing point about how marketers don't seem to be targeting women, yet women control 85% of the purchase decisions in a home. So what's the problem? This "problem" happens to be one of the major reasons T and I started Playing with Cards - THERE'S NO FEMALE CREATIVE DIRECTORS. According to the article, only 3% of advertising agency creative directors are women, making the creative side of advertising heavily male dominated. Maybe agencies should really think about who they're trying to reach when they looking to hire the people in charge of doing it.

Hail to the "Tech" Female

An article popped up today on BostonInnovation talking about how "2010 marked the first year that women became the majority of the US workforce. At the same time, the technology industry is thriving in this digital era. Data shows that women make strong leaders and company founders, often bringing more efficiency and profitability to the table than men. So, why is it then that women are still largely absent from this sector?"

Here are some snapshots from their infographic:

Click here to see more

Equal Pay Day

I just discovered on one of my favorite blogs, BrandFlakes For Breakfast, that April 12 is Women's Equal Pay Day. The day symbolizes how far into 2011 women must work to earn the amount of money men made in 2010. Pretty crazy stuff that it takes us 3-4 extra months to earn money for the same exact jobs. I had never heard much about this "holiday," but apparently there are rallies and "un-happy" hours with 78% discounts on drinks (women on average earn 78% of men's pay). All around the world, women take a stand on their respective days:

New Zealand: February 18.

European Commission: March 5: 17.5% pay gap

Switzerland: March 11: 19,3% pay gap

Canada: March 18

Germany: March 25: 23% pay gap

Belgium: March 30: 26% pay gap

Austria: April 14: 27% pay gap

France: April 15: 16,5% pay gap

Australia: on September 2011: 19% pay gap

This video is part of Belgium's campaign for Equal Pay Day:

Women's Leadership Forum

Too bad I'm in Turks and Caicos, otherwise I would love to attend this event. It's on this Monday starting at 11am. There are some speakers that caught my eye, like Pam Hamlin the president of Arnold Worldwide, Maya Luz a fashion designer from Project Runway, and Nergis Mavalvala a quantum astrophysicist and MacArthur Genius Award Winner from MIT.

Visit the Ad Club for more information.

Tweets of the day: from @okcookiepants at #NERDWHM

Sexual Harassment on Business Trips

I found this article recently on the New York Times that talked about how women deal with sexual harassment on business trips. One of the main issues with sexual harassment, generally speaking, is that women simply don't report it. Ironically enough, my last post was about how people who speak their minds are called a bitch. Similarly, women who speak up about sexual harassment are "problems."

A group of young women from around the world started an organization called Hollaback!, which uses social media and crowd-sourcing to raise awareness about the issue. It's basically a storytelling platform for women who have experienced sexual harassment. I think it's an awesome way to give women a voice - check it out!

Tweet of the day: Lord_Voldemort7

How can you support Int'l Women's Day?

Mashable tells you how:

International Women’s Day is a big deal. And this year it is celebrating its 100th birthday. International Women’s Day (IWD) takes place on March 8, every year. It’s a time not just to celebrate the achievements of women worldwide but to raise questions about discrimination, equality and basic human rights.

The day’s etiquette, like most holidays, is understandably vague: How do you publicly show your support? Is there a color to wear, petition to sign or event to attend? While some may choose to shower appreciation on their female loved ones, social media offers a bunch of ways to show your support for a variety of social good initiatives focused on women’s rights.

Below you can find some interesting social good campaigns ranging from Twitter auctions to Daniel Craig dressed in drag (yes, really). The common thread, however, is the desire to not only “love” but to make an impact. Let us know in the comments what other sites and campaigns you’ve found, and share how you’ll be celebrating International Women’s Day.

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What You Can Do: Read More

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100 Years of Celebrating Women

Brought to you by Google!

Women, where are you? SXSW 2011

Stacey Higginbotham, a writer for GIGAOM, discusses the lack of women at South By Southwest Interactive and how women are actually succeeding in technology:

Women: Wherefore Art They?

(Reposted from GIGAOM)

> Wither the Female Tech Founder?

> Where Are The Women in Startups? Um, Everywhere!

> Breaking Glass Ceiling - Fearless Women in Technology

> Sausagefest: Getting more Women Into New Media & Tech

Women in technology is perhaps the easier topic to handle given the issue has received mainstream attention this year from TechCrunch and the Wall Street Journal. Personally, I think the issue is bubbling up because of two reasons: for one, women have always been entrepreneurial and now it’s easier for them to create “tech startups” that might appeal to other women and men without requiring deep technical expertise on their parts or on the parts of their audience (I am not saying women can’t be technical demigods, just that they are underrepresented in the traditionally tech-heavy professions).

The second reason is that those who build and create consumer businesses are realizing that their audience is no longer comprised solely of male geeks, but a wider swath of humanity that includes women, and so designing products and services that appeal to them and put their experiences first can make lots of money (I’m not saying men can’t design perfectly wonderful products aimed at women, just that a female perspective has more value as more women adopt technology). I wrote about the dearth of women last year, but this year, women are getting a share of the spotlight at SXSW. Let’s see how we use it.

I’ve been attending SXSW Interactive for nine years and have seen the conference grow from a relatively manageable festival for the emerging world of web design and blogs to a conference that tries to be all things to almost all of the softer segments of technology and geek culture. As that culture has expanded, so has the show, but the trends bubbling up each year are also good reflections of how the spread of technology is reshaping our culture.

Inspired by Bonnie Raitt

“There were so many great music and political scenes going on in the late '60s in Cambridge. The ratio of guys to girls at Harvard was four to one, so all of those things were playing in my mind.” ~Bonnie Raitt

Although John Prine is the original song writer of Angel from Montgomery, this has always been my favorite Bonnie Raitt song. There's a few lines in here that, like good lyrics do, continue to sit in my head:

If dreams were thunder and lightning were desire

This old house would've burnt down a long time ago

also

How the hell can a person go to work in the morning

and come home in the evening to have nothing to say

Back to the Beginning

My very first post on Playing with Cards was about being on an all boys' little league team. Last night over dinner my brother and I were talking about recent drama concerning my mom and the town board. My mom is the president of the Rec board in a wealthy little town outside of NYC. Recently a woman on the town board has been asking my mom to resign, because she thinks my mom won't follow through with the town's ideas (more like this woman's personal ideas).

The reason I'm writing is not really about this recent particular issue. It's about what my brother told me. He said the reason my mom ever became involved with the Recreation Department was because of me, and my experience on the all boys' baseball team. I had no idea. Apparently she was very much aware of my discomfort and had recommended to the board creating a girls' little league. The town really liked where her head was and requested she join the board.

This is the woman who has taught me everything about speaking my opinions and pursuing my dreams no matter what society may still believe. She always said, if you see a road block, figure out a way around it.

I'm writing for my mom today, because I want her to realize why she had once joined this board. She needs to not let the bureaucracy get to her, and stick to her passion. Even though right now it seems impossible to stay in the fight, hold tight, you'll figure out a way around.

Career or marriage?

This 5 year old says career - vehemently.