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At a diner in Hicksville I’m having breakfast with Barbara
Litrell, one of the foremost experts on women in business, and
when the server takes our order almost simultaneously we both
say, “No potatoes, no bread.”
There is little that can change our minds in that moment. We are
adamant that “carb’s” are evil, and so is caffeine but I
opt for the coffee due to sleep deprivation. Women of the new
millennium don’t eat carbs but do drink coffee. Evidentially
women of the new millennium do what they want, when they want,
how they want. So why are women still so low on the executive
board food chain?
Barbara’s Thoughts
Barbara Litrell doesn’t
want to dwell on the “whys” but instead intends to spend her
energy taking action to change things.
She is co-founder of Women Changing the Workplace and the
World, events that bring together “terrific women in
business.” It’s not about networking for a new position, but
networking for change. Most of the women who will meet on a
regular basis have “made it” and are now looking to
implement change regarding women in business.
Litrell is not new to
expanding the women’s role and recognition in business. She is
currently the president of her own communications company.
It’s a new venture for her after a highly profiled 28 years in
publishing which involved working with the New York Times,
McCall’s magazine and Working Women Network which publishes
Working Woman and Working Mother magazines.
Networking with other like
minded management people yields a different result according to
Litrell. They are not women who say “there is no
discrimination in the workplace.” They are women who are
looking to implement change. And that’s the direction she says she sees for women
in business in 2001 and beyond.
Where We’ve Been
As Litrell explains, the history of the women’s movement
in business can be comfortably placed into the four “f”s.
In the 70’s it was “find” a job, the 80’s had you
trying to “fit in,” the 90’s fostered “freedom.”
And now “Women who get it,” she says,
“are fueling change.”
The business landscape has
been changing, it’s just taking its time in doing that
according to Litrell. In the 80’s women were trying to fit in
the workplace which
was in essence a male environment. She says it took until the
numbers grew in the 90’s when you had more women in managerial
positions, for real change in the working environment to take
place. “As we get
to the point of critical mass, numbers begins to rule – you
don’t have to say I have to do it your way – my way is
really good.” Litrell says it’s up to women to take the
initiative to stop trying to fit in and instead create a better
workplace. “Unless women are willing to acknowledge the
different things women bring to the party, we’re going to
still behave like men.”
“Society needs to
continue to accommodate the fact that women are not going back
home,” says Litrell who adds that because women are now half
the workforce, are more educated, and more independent, the
workforce needs to change. There are over 9 million women-owned
businesses in the country. That figure is about 40 percent of
the businesses and soon that number will be 50 percent, so
Litrell says there is added momentum and incentive to make the
workplace a better place for women.
Where We Are
While women are still fighting to be named to corporate
boards the number of women who hold corporate officer positions
are on the rise. Charles Schwab announced last year that the
company is trying to bridge the gap in the number of male and
female investors by rolling out a series of woman-friendly
seminars. Along
with the seminars, the company now has one of the highest
percentages of female executives on Wall Street at 36 percent of
it’s workforce. Where
we are - women have
had enormous momentum.
Litrell goes on to talk
about how women are now taking a new approach to supporting
women in the workplace. Engaging in mentoring efforts with
females just entering the workforce, the progression of
implementing initiatives that effect women in the workforce. In
addition, she mentions flexible working policies, executive
training programs, opportunity for advancement, childcare
benefits and other subsidized programs which are designed to
support working mothers. Many companies have created work flex
programs to keep women – but Litrell says they’ve only
touched the surface.
In the December/January
issue of Working Woman magazine editors chose the top 25
companies that are the best environment for executive women. The
average work-life of a woman at these companies is 14 years. In
the magazines survey it spotlights these companies and many of
the issues mentioned above. She says the women are staying at
these companies because they are happy – plain and simple.
“In this job market
companies have been forced to figure out ways to keep their
employees.” says Barbara. The companies are saying, “We
value you as an employee and as a mother.” So they are coming
up with ways to keep these women.
Where We’re Going
There are a set of circumstances that Litrell says we need
to be aware of to move forward.
First, she speaks of the Clinton administration as being
a strong one for women, especially women in the workplace.
Clinton signed the medical
leave act as soon as he was in office and established the Office
of Women’s Initiatives. Litrell says that administration
allowed itself to be open to listening to the needs of women in
business. She fears in a slowing economy whether the office and
support of further women’s initiatives will remain a priority,
although she adds that there are some very vocal and strong
republican women who campaigned for Bush.
“In a slowing economy,
the fringes are the first to go,” says Litrell. “It will be
interesting to keep an eye on what companies and this new
administration will consider fringes.” It’s an issue many
will scrutinize in the various sectors of the workforce. Will
fringes involve childcare, part-time working initiatives, and
other programs that a good economy may afford?
It’s politics and
activism that will help define the direction of women in
business according to Litrell. Women taking an active role in
creating initiatives and designing a better blueprint for
corporate America to adhere to. “We need to surge forward. The
power of women empowers women.”
The more women involved in politics, the more likely we
are to have laws in place that benefit women, children and
families.
She says it’s vital at
this stage to make sure that women recognize their own strengths
and incredible talents and believes that women have a personal
way of managing people that can foster loyalty and morale.
The Future
Litrell retired from the
publishing industry last year, but she is far from the world of
the retiree. While at first she expected to travel and relax a
bit with her cats, one too many times she was asked, “You’re
not really retiring?” And with that she answered with starting
her own company, B. Litrell Communications in Manorville. As for
the future of women in business, here are the key elements
Litrell says we must address as we move forward.
- Technology: It is the foundation for the
future and women need to be at the forefront of the
learning curve. While we may be in a dotcom slump,
women need to embrace the technological fields at a
more rapid rate.
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- Venture Capital: More money needs to be
allocated for women-owned businesses. That means
more education and support is needed to help women
in creating their business plans and making them
more attractive to the lending institutions.
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- Mentoring: More programs need to be
established by women for women. Especially for those
just getting out of college. They need to be better
educated in the corporate life structure and how to
advance their careers.
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- Networking: Women need to nurture other
women in business and make an effort to do business
with women-owned companies.
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