Posted under Career Management, Career Planning, Women on October 19th, 2007
A recent blog post on the Executive Recruiter’s Exchange network caught my eye – the heading read:
“No women at the top at Apple”
The article, based on an Oct 16, 2007 story in the San Diego Mercury News highlighted the fact that the glass ceiling is still prevalent, especially in California. The fact that Apple Computers, one of the top technology companies in the world, does not have a single woman in the executive suite, in a state considered to be one of the most progressive in the nation is a real eye opener. A 2007 survey by UC-Davis reported that only 9% of companies in Santa Clara County, California, which is home to Silicon Valley, have promoted a woman to a top position. This sad scenario is reflected in businesses throughout the country, despite the fact that women are increasing their involvement in male-dominated industries and are pursuing graduate degrees in record numbers in business, science and engineering.
A study by Catalyst, a New York non-profit that works to expand opportunities for women in business, found that companies with women directors achieved higher profits. Catalyst’s latest study, released this month, showed that Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women on their boards attained significantly higher financial
performance, on average, than those with the lowest representation of women board directors.
These companies, that have given women opportunities to advance to higher levels, deserve to applauded:
- Hewlett-Packard is among the top 25 companies in the 2007 UC-Davis survey.
- Kyphon, eBay, Cisco Systems and Intuit each have four women on boards or in top posts.
- An additional 12 Silicon Valley companies have three women at the top: SJW Corp., Applied Micro Circuits Corp., Netgear, Credence Systems Corp., Palm, SVB Financial Group, Synopsys, California Water Service Group, Omnicell, Adobe, Google and Sun Microsystems.
- Safra Catz is President, Chief Financial Officer and member of the board of directors at Oracle
- Meg Whitman is President, CEO and board member at eBay
- Susan Decker is President of Yahoo
So what needs to happen for more women to break the glass ceiling and get the recognition they deserve? Companies need to realize the rich perspective that women bring to the table and make hiring decisions with diversity in mind.As an executive coach, I work with women who have struggled with this issue. In many cases, they possess the intelligence and skills to succeed in senior leadership roles, yet don’t get promoted due a lack of aggressiveness that for many women is inherent in their female upbring. Coaching can help women step beyond their limitations and achieve goals they never thought possible. It’s a step in the right direction, if the men making the decisions will give them a chance.
Posted by Julianne Franke
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