Resources We Rely On
In the course of our work, we come across some wonderful reports on how women are faring in the world of leadership and other fascinating tidbits. Here are some of our favorites.
This section of Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In website is a veritable gold mine of videos and other resources to help women advance their careers and help all of us identify and interrupt gender bias. Includes titles like Negotiation, What Works for Women at Work, Mentorship Matters, Team Dynamics, The Power of Stories, How to Manage your Inner Critic, and Taming Adrenaline, among many, many others.
Catalyst
For more than 50 years, Catalyst has been the byword for reliable research on the presence (or absence) of women in leadership roles in business. Their studies have proven the business case for female executives, among other things.
I highly recommend visiting their site and poking around in their Knowledge Center. I also recommend getting on their mailing list to learn about statistics like this: “In 2013, women held only 16.9% of corporate board seats in 2013, indicating no significant year-over-year uptick for the eighth straight year.” With data like this, we can take action in our own behalf.
Courtesy Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
Did you know that for every female character in a speaking role in family-rated films (G, PG and PG-13), there are roughly three male characters? And that the ratio of male-female characters has been exactly the same since 1946? Thanks to this organization, we now have the facts at our fingertips.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Academy Award®-winning actor Geena Davis for her efforts to engage, educate, and influence the media and entertainment industry about the need for gender balance in the media, for reduction of female stereotyping and especially for the creation of a wide variety of female characters for entertainment targeting children 11 and under. As she says, referring to young girls, “If she can see it, she can be it.” She has an excellent site and weekly email newsletter – eye-opening and empowering!
Benchmarking Women’s Leadership in the United States
In October 2013, Colorado Women’s College at the University of Denver released a groundbreaking study evaluating women in leadership positions across a range of for- and not-for-profit organizations. The study marks the first time that women in leadership roles across 14 sectors were examined, with the results compiled into one comprehensive. Results provide hard data showing that women are outperforming men, but they are not earning salaries or obtaining leadership roles commensurate with their higher levels of performance.
The Shriver Report
Founded by Emmy award-winning journalist and producer Maria Shriver, this organization produces groundbreaking reports chronicling the status of American women and the shifts in culture affecting women today. It provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary look at how American families live and work today, giving clear insight into one of the most important social trends of our time: the emergence of women into all areas of society.
Shattering the Glass Ceiling: The Growth of Women in Leadership Positions
Created by Marysville University, this visual resource guide was created for businesswomen, female leaders, and entrepreneurs. It provides timely and detailed insights and resources on the following topics: gains and losses by female leaders; real-world female leadership examples; challenges women face as leaders; women in politics, business & STEM; influential women in today’s world, and more.