The Downtown Women's Club womensDISH blog

New Study: women build own glass ceiling

First women cause problems on boards by being "too tough" (yesterday's post), and now we create our own glass ceilings because we underestimate ourselves.  At least that's what a new gender study says. Click here to read about it on Chris Flett's blog.

A new study shows female managers are more than three times as likely as their male counterparts to underrate their bosses’ opinions of their job performance.

The discrepancy increases with women older than 50, the study states.

“Women have imposed their own glass ceiling, and the question is why,” said Scott Taylor, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management who conducted the study.

*  *  *

“Younger women tended not to be as off-base in their predictions than middle-aged or senior women,” Taylor said.

Taylor said managers may need to learn better ways to communicate to female employees that they are valued. Women may need to learn how to better seek positive and critical feedback, he said.

Taylor says the findings could indicate why many women don’t rise to head companies or why there is a wage disparity between men and women.

I'm not so sure I agree that women underestimating what their bosses think of their performance = glass ceiling.  I do think it may be a contributing factor. But, the part I found most interesting was the generation gap here. For years I've been listening to the Boomers' complaints about Generation Y being "entitled."  My response has always been "That's not such a bad thing. Especially if it means that they feel entitled to be treated just like their male peers."

I think it would be more interesting to track the younger respondents to see if they change their views over the years, or if not ... what effect this new attitude will have on the future of business.

It's clear that change is not coming from the top, so this may be one of our first signs that change is coming up from the bottom.

Developing the Teenage Entrepreneurial Spirit

It's only April but some people are wondering what to do with their teenagers this summer. With the unemployment rate being what it is...entrepreneurship just maybe the answer.

Sue Shellenbarger discussed a few possible business ideas for teens in her recent Wall Street Journal article Cupcakes and Cattle Breeding: Teens Turn to Summer Start-ups.  I did some research on my own and came up with the following selection of organizations encouraging teen entrepreneurship:

• National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship
• Junior Achievement
• Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, or ICIC- the Growing Up CEO program
• Teen Business Link, the SBA site for teenagers interested in starting a business
• Independent Means, the leading provider of financial education products and programs in the United States.
• Also see Entrepreneur magazine, Teen Business Sites for more organizations.

Starting a business at a young age is a priceless (no pun intended!) experience. I encourage you to support your teenager and be prepared to learn along the way as well.

Let us know how it goes.

Susan C. Hammond
www.schammond.com

If you let me play sports ... I won't end up like Rihanna

When I read this article in the NYTimes about how teenage girls are supporting Rihanna standing by the man who beat her, my heart fell.  Earlier in the week I had been lamenting how girls my son’s age seem to be participating less in sports than their older sisters. Volunteering as a recess monitor last year, I only saw one or two girls ever play with the boys.  Yet, I witnessed more than one crying when they tripped and fell, and not because they skinned their knees, but because they got grass stains on their new designer jeans or mud on their Uggs.  Huh?  That's not the playground I grew up on.

I’ve also noticed that the only role models young girls have these days are pop singers – Taylor Swift, High School Musical, Hannah Montana, and even my favorite, iCarly ,has a catchy single.  Where are the girls who play sports on Disney or Nickelodeon? 

Admittedly, with no women’s soccer capturing the headlines, and the demise in popularity of women’s tennis and the Olympics, our daughters are seeing less female athletes than I did growing up in the Seventies.  Fortunately, we can still find movies like A League of their Own, Bend it like Beckham, Gracie, The Longshots, and She's the Man. All should be required viewing for young girls ... and boys.

But, I’d really like Nike to bring back the commercial “If you let me play sports.”  Because that basically said it all, didn't it?

If you let me play.
If you let me play sports,
I will like myself more.
I will have more self-confidence.
If you let me play sports.
If you let me play.
If you let me play I’ll be 60% less likely to get breast cancer.
I will suffer less depression.
If you let me play sports,
I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me.
If you let me play,
I’ll be less likely to get pregnant before I want to.
I will learn what it means to be strong.
If you let me play.
If you let me play sports.

Online Surveys & Market Research

New media is to teens what rock & roll was to Boomers

One of this week's top stories in the NYTimes was about how teenage use of new media might not be all bad.

Good news for worried parents: All those hours their teenagers spend socializing on the Internet are not a bad thing, according to a new study by the MacArthur Foundation.

“It may look as though kids are wasting a lot of time hanging out with new media, whether it’s on MySpace or sending instant messages,” said Mizuko Ito, lead researcher on the study, “Living and Learning With New Media.” “But their participation is giving them the technological skills and literacy they need to succeed in the contemporary world. They’re learning how to get along with others, how to manage a public identity, how to create a home page.”

Of course, if you go on to read the comments you'd think the parents were going to go all "John Lithgow from Footloose" on them and proclaim new media as the downfall of society - banning it all together.

 

Most of the commenters on the article agreed on the technology skill-building, but take Mizuko Ito to task for claiming it's teaching them literacy.  Despite my being an English major, I'm not sure I'm willing to condemn new media for lack of literacy.  The definition of literacy is "the ability to read and write."  It doesn't say "read and write like an American classics scholar." In fact one definition of literacy says "reading and writing in a level adequate for written communication."  Based on that definition, could it be that those of us who don't speak fluent "Text" or "IM" are the illiterate ones?

Upon reading that article and the comments, and with Footloose on the brain, I started thinking -- isn't this the very same dialogue teenagers in the 50s had with their parents about rock and roll?

Sure enough, here's an excerpt I found at http://www.history-of-rock.com/teenagers.htm about teenagers and rock and roll, that sounds eerily like the past decade.  Just substitute "new media" for "music" and "Phones and Facebook" for "Rock and Roll":

In the 50's expectations for teenagers changed. With a booming economy, parents could now help their children achieve more then they themselves had. More parents insisted they finish high school and paid for them to go to college.The parents generation had gone through both a depression and a world war that made them acutely aware of the most important things in their lives; the people they loved most and their happiness. Parents began to not want their children joining the arm forces and were more indulgent of their whims.

As a result youngsters began receiving allowances and had free time after school.They had more time to themselves to be social and form peer bonds. They began to have more fun and became less serious then prior generations.The new liberalized culture allowed teenagers to make decisions for themselves and that were often at odds with their parents. Music was one of the first places which these decisions were apparent. Before WWII a teens exposure to music was limited to  radio and an occasional record purchase.The adults decided what music would be allowed in the house. The music of the parents was "white" music, like that of Tin Pan Alley or melting pot black music adapted to white tastes, such as swing or the blues.

"Rock and Roll is an economic thing," says "pop" singer Jo Stafford, quoted in Billboard, October 13, 1958. "Today's nine-to fourteen year old group is the first generation with enough money given to them by their parents to buy records in sufficient quantities to influence the market. In my youth if I asked my father for 45 cents to buy a record, he'd have thought seriously about having me committed."

The good news?  Rock and roll helped cross some racial barriers, new media is doing the same. 

The interesting news?  What followed was a decade of activism, and I think we may be seeing the start of it with Senator Obama's election. 

The bad news?  They're remaking Footloose.

But, since it's Friday, I'll leave you with these words to make it through the day ...

I been working so hard
Keep punching my card
Eight hours, for what?
Oh, tell me what I got
I get this feeling
That time's just holding me down
I'll hit the ceiling
Or else I'll tear up this town
Tonight I gotta cut
...
Loose, footloose
Kick off your Sunday shoes
Please, Louise
Pull me offa my knees
Jack, get back
C'mon before we crack
Lose your blues
Everybody cut footloose

Kenny Loggins, Footloose, 1984.

 

Jon Stewart and Daily Show major source of political news for Gen Y

A social media survey sponsored by the Downtown Women’s Club reveals that while Baby Boomers and Generation X still read daily print papers for political news, Generation Y prefers The Daily Show and blogs. All generations cited relying on the online versions of daily newspapers as well as the major network newscasts and CNN.

Cohasset, MA , October 8, 2008 - The Downtown Women's Club (www.downtownwomensclub.com), a professional network and career website for women, surveyed 800+ business women about social media.  In one question, respondents were asked how they got their political news and information.  The following are the top 6 responses that respondents cited as political news sources  either “most or all of the time” broken down by generation.

Top 6 sources of political news for Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y

	Boomers	Gen X	Gen Y
1.	Daily newspapers (online)	Daily newspapers (online)	Daily newspapers (online)
2.	TV newscasts (major networks)	TV newscasts (major networks)	TV newscasts (major networks)
3.	Daily newspapers (print)	CNN.com	CNN.com
4.	CNN (TV)	CNN (TV)	CNN (TV)
5.	Weekly magazines (Businessweek, Time, Newsweek)	MSNBC.com	The Daily Show
6.	MSNBC (TV)	Daily newspapers (print)	Blogs

Daily newspapers (online) were cited by approximately 48% of each generation as a main source of political news, followed closely by major network newscasts with an average of 45%.

Breaking from tradition, a surprising 23% of Gen Y respondents stated that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was a major source of political news and information, followed by blogs at 18%.  Daily print newspapers were cited by only 12% of Gen Y’ers as a regular source of political news and information ranking it 11th behind MSNBC.com, MSNBC (TV), Social networks, and Fox News (TV).

Complete social media survey report to be released later this month.

About the Downtown Women's Club (www.DowntownWomensClub.com)

Founded as a networking organization in Boston in 1998, the Downtown Women's Club (DWC) has evolved into an in-person community with chapters around the country and an online network and website designed for smart and sophisticated businesswomen around the world. With our expanding club system and virtual services, no matter where they work, live, or play, individuals can join the DWC and network with dynamic corporate executives and entrepreneurs from a variety of industries.

Is Generation Y really Lost?

Trust me.  This is one brilliant video.  Watch to the end.  And then watch it again.

Can Gen Y and Women Force Changes at Law Firms?

Ending the Gauntlet), with links to two articles about women and gen y in the legal fields (one of which I had earmarked to blog about - so thank you Lauren!)

Dear Friend:

Recently, articles appearing in The New York Times and the ABA Journal recognized both the issue of women's advancement and the link to emerging Gen Y/Millennial Generation demographic data, further strengthening the business case for change.  It is encouraging to see the national media beginning to focus on these important subjects.   

Each writer interviewed a number of experts, and I am honored that they quoted portions of their interview with me.

You can access the full articles at the following links:

New York Times article

ABA Journal article

Sincerely,

Lauren

Lauren Stiller Rikleen, Executive Director
Bowditch Institute for Women's Success

Gen Y: Get career help from your parents this Thanksgiving

Whether your parents are very involved in your life or tend to be more hands-off, moms and dads (and stepmoms and stepdads) can play an important and useful role in your job search and career planning. If you’re comfortable asking your parents for help with your career, there is a lot they can do to support you at any stage. Why not use every resource you’ve got—especially one that loves you? And why not approach your loved ones for help while you're all eating turkey and feeling grateful? (Just be sure to ask for help before that L-tryptophan kicks in and everyone falls asleep.)

The thing is, there are some areas where it is totally appropriate and encouraged for your parents to help with your career planning and job search. At the same time, there are other situations where it is totally inappropriate for your parents to be involved. So, be careful! When in doubt, ask someone outside of your family (such as a trusted professional friend) whether parental involvement would be Kosher or not.

Here are my personal tips on when to green light Mom and Dad’s help this holiday:

Rehearsing for interviews. Just as our parents can be our biggest supporters, they can also be our biggest critics--because they want the very best for us, of course! Your parents or relatives can help you prepare for any upcoming interviews by running through questions, helping to choose an appropriate interview outfit or videotaping a rehearsal. The more practice you have interviewing, the better.

Reviewing any assessments you've taken. When you take any assessments tests—online, with a career coach or in a book (a free assessment is available on my website), your parents can be a great help in reviewing the answers. For instance, they may remind you of activities you loved as a child that you may have forgotten about, but that show up as strong interests on an assessment test.

Proofreading. You can never have too many people checking your resume, cover letters and any other professional correspondence. If your parents have good grammar and spelling abilities, ask them to check some of your career-related writing.

Networking. Your family members count as part of your network. Ask your parents if they’d be willing to brainstorm any of their contacts who might be helpful for you. You’d be amazed at how many people come to mind when they really think about it. And, if you're like most young people, I'll bet you haven't really spent time talking to your parents about your career goals.

Some people aren’t comfortable asking their parents for help and connections—it’s fine if you feel this way, and of course there are lots of other connections you can access. But if you are comfortable networking with your parents, then I’d make theirs the first Rolodexes on your holiday networking list. Happy Thanksgiving!

Millenials mixing up the workplace?

Morley Safer recently did a 60 Minutes story on "Millenials in the Workplace."  The segments were mostly rehashes of the usual complaints against Millenials, i.e. the very casual work wear, the i-pod addiction, the self-serving attitude.  Millenials, by the way, are those born between 1980 and 1995.  There are over 80 million of them.

While there was not much new in Morley's news segments, the commentary on these segments was enlightening.  All generations wrote in their comments and not surprisingly, the comments were all over the place.  Baby boomers defending the Millenials, saying their experience with them has been nothing but positive.  Millenials writing in to defend their generation, telling their story of working hard and being professional and saying that not every Millenial wears flip flops and scrubs to work.  And, of course, the many commentaries on how Millenials needing to "grow up and get a life."  These comments came from all ages as well.

Other than the amusement factor in watching the segments and reading the commentary, it reinforced my belief that having stereotypes is never a good thing.

Nancy Loderick

Redefining success - Gen Y style

Got the heads up from The Huffington Post about a new Wellesley College survey on recent graduate expectations, which seems to be summed up by the following quote from the blog post:  To "have it all" these women are willing to sacrifice a little bit of everything.

As with all surveys of new grads, those of us who have "been there, done that" will chide them for being naive (about the economy, divorce, the ability to even find a significant other with whom to raise a child, elder-care needs, lack of daycare, etc.).  However, we didn't resolve those problems, did we?  So, who knows maybe they will.  Especially if they can convince the young men to agree with them.

Here are some tidbits from the survey:

1. To "have it all" these women are willing to sacrifice a little bit of everything. They envision a life plan in which they combine work and family while letting go of hardcore notions of success. They no longer feel forced to choose between becoming the top honcho and PTA mom of the year.
2. Interestingly, if money were not an issue 42 percent of the women surveyed thought they might be a stay-at-home mom at some point in their life. Money weighs heavily on this generation and staying at home is seen as a luxury, not a prescription.
3. Even though there has been article after study after salacious news program broadcasting the difficulties women face re-entering the workforce, these young women have strong expectations about how they will be able to become mothers and careerists.
4. These women would also be happy working part time and splitting childcare more evenly with spouses. This younger generation expects both men and women to be involved in parenting. Even without the guarantee of a top salary, most of the women expect to share childrearing and return to the labor force.
5. This home formula may be the key to the gender revolution that stalled at the threshold of the family door. While countries such as Spain have social policies requiring men to become active dads, young U.S. women are at least discussing the possibility of househusbands or partners sharing the family responsibilities.
6. Considering these work plans, it is not surprising that most of the young women think that parental leaves should be for six months to a year. If that were the case, then stay-at-home parenting might become a normal part of a work path rather than a terminating factor. It would also make the work/family juggle less stressful if all parents left paid work to care for their children.
7. While these young women may be accepting of present career ladders and expect to find individual ways to move ahead, they surprisingly imagine their children cared for in public settings. The nanny solution is not theirs. While working full-time they would like to place their youngest child in an after school program. These young women do not want to patch together care giving solutions; they want a seamless approach to raising children. Young women want their communities to play a significant role in meeting the demands of raising kids and continued employment.

Click here to read the full story.