Out of the top Fortune 500 companies in the US, only 18 of them are run by women. Fortune profiles the top females, from new IBM boss Ginni Rometty to Indian-born Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo.
Women in the workplace
Australia loses a great entrepreneur
A funny and fascinating post on Diana Gribble — publisher of Crikey — and her work as a successful businesswoman. Read Di’s spot-on advice for women wanting to get ahead in the business world.
NY Times gets its first female editor
Investigator reporter and editor Jill Abramson will become the new executive editor of the New York Times, the first female to get the top job in the paper’s 160 year history.
What employees earn
According to an ABS survey from May 2010, the average weekly total cash earnings were $1,010.30 for all employees, $1,192.10 for male employees and $827.70 for female employees. The breakdown between different occupations is particularly enlightening, reports Richard Farmer.
Political snippets: Women keep going working
The steady growth in the number of women participating in the workforce continues.
Norway shows gender equality isn’t just about women
While Australia has a long way to go in terms of even understanding how gender equity can look in our workplaces and homes, our maverick “just do it” culture means we could quickly catch up to Europe if we chose to take a bigger-picture view, writes Claire Braund.
Business missing out by not appointing women to boards
What is wrong with the boards of big business? Their competence in running companies is put in question by their poor record in selecting senior line managers and new board members.
Wanted: a female Bill Gates
Women are no longer expected to be stay-at-home mums but it’s still rare for them to be CEOs of major businesses. Author Gloria Feldt explains how women are more likely to keep quiet, undervalue themselves and not ask for that big pay rise.
Taking care of business and strippers
It’s relatively common in old boy style businesses — ie. at Goldman Sachs in the US — for events to be held at upscale strip clubs or for sexy dancers to appear. But why do we tolerate this sexism in the office? asks Tracy Clark-Flory.
Why workplace sexual harassment may never be the same again
David Jones aside, the make-up of the new government will determine exactly how sexual harassment is dealt with in our workplaces. Luke Williams reports.
Most women pay dearly for making sexual harassment complaints
A turning organisational wheel always crushes the whistleblower. No wonder so many women just leave instead of complaining about sexual harassment, writes barrister Moira Rayner.
The blokes who should step aside for female directors
It’s time for Australia to fix its woeful record when it comes to female representation on public company boards. Here’s some suggestions of which men should clear out to give the ladies some room.
Goward: Kristina Keneally gives women a bad name
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally acts like a bitchy girl in parliament, making personal comments about dress and appearance. If she’s such a feminist, why resort to typical sexist remarks? asks Liberal MLA Pru Goward.
The perfect Michelle Obama turned me into a bad mother
One of Michelle Obama’s main priorities in the White House is addressing work/life balance. Journalist DeNeen Brown tells how covering the Michelle Obama beat destroyed her own work/life equilibrium.
French women get equality, as long as they’re beautiful
France is to become the second country in the world with a quota of women on company boards. But oh la la, is this turning into a policy to get wives and girlfriends of bosses appointed, pretty things who’ll be seen and not heard?
Why men don’t read books: all the editors are chicks
The old publishing industry mantra that “men don’t read” is rubbish, says author Jason Pinter. Men love reading — female-dominated publishing houses just aren’t printing anything they like.
A million reasons why women shouldn’t work at Wal-mart
Dee Gunter started working at Wal-mart at 46, after 20 years of retail experience. So why were teenage boys being promoted ahead of her? Over a million women have now joined a class-action suit for gender discrimination against Wal-mart.
Putting a stiletto through the glass ceiling
Finally, gender diversity on company boards is back on the national agenda, writes Paul Quinn. Companies listed on ASX now have to discuss their gender split and the BCA have started a mentoring program for women.
The Coalition doesn’t care about working women
Abbott’s paid parental leave plan may be aimed at winning over women voters, but really it just entrenches existing inequalities for working women. Plus, the Libs don’t care about equal pay, writes Mark Bahnisch.
If Abbott wants to woo women, he should start with wages
While the debate has this week returned to maternity pay for working women, the issue of equal pay standards remains. Progress on women’s pay has been stalled for 30 years, writes Eloise Keating.
graph pr0n 
The CEO gender gap
CXO visualises the number of female CEOs by industry and at the top of Fortune 500 companies. It’s not an encouraging picture: women may make up 40% of the global workforce, but equality is still a long way off.
Meet our top business ladies
From Kathmandu founder Jan Cameron to our first lady Therese Rein, Smart Company wraps the top female entrepreneurs in Australia, showing their earnings, background and business advice.
Mayne: Women directors not up to the job, says Chaney
It’s time to shame Australia’s corporate boardrooms into action on female representation: there is now a need for legislation, regulation and direct action.
Female writer reveals: why I’ve been posing as a man for three years
Copywriter James Chartrand isn’t James Chartrand at all — he’s a female writer who has been working under a male pseudonym for three years. Unsurprisingly, “James” enjoys more credibility, more work and higher pay than his female counterpart ever did.
France to force gender equality on boardrooms
The French Government is considering legislation to force all companies to reserve 50% of their board seats for women, in an effort to break the male-dominated culture of its business world.
