Shattering the “Golden Ceiling”
Before taking the stage to host the WBII annual International Women’s Day Event in The Hague, I searched for fresh material and statistics. The latest research results and comparative data analysis are predictably published every year around March 8, International Women’s Day.
Statistics can always be found to support either side of an issue. For instance, this year the International Herald Tribune focused on women and science. Only 16 of the 540 Nobel Peace Prizes have ever been awarded to women in science, but the fact that there were 3 awarded last year could be taken as a very positive indicator.
Fifteen years have passed since the Beijing Declaration, but The Gender Wage Gap remains, with women earning 17.6% less than men on average worldwide and the disparity is over 30% in Korea and Japan. What strikes me when I review these statistics each year is how little the statistics change and how slow the wheels of progress actually turn.
It was a thrill to wake up on March 8 and see that the Golden Ceiling had been shattered on the Eve of International Women’s Day! What, you ask is the Golden Ceiling? It is, of course the “Glass Ceiling, Hollywood style! And now, thanks to Katherine Bigelow’s big win of the most coveted golden statue in Hollywood, the Golden Ceiling is finally shattered. It took 82 years for a woman to win the Most Important (and genderless) category of Best Director.
The broader statistics in the film industry are quite disappointing. Of the top 250 films made in 2009, only 7% had a female director. There is still a long way to go, but International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate progress. Katherine Bigelow’s Oscar is “a first” for women in a competitive industry with tremendous global visibility. Her high profile victory will undoubtedly inspire others and just the mention of it brought cheers and energy to the crowd gathered at our event on Monday night!
Filed under Entrepreneurship, Inspiring, Women | Comment (0)
Resolution Inspiration from a 92 Year-Old Diva
Are you struggling through the early days of your resolution to lose weight, hit the gym, or “fill in the blank” with any other healthy habit? Experts say that your odds of succeeding are greater when you make long-term lifestyle changes instead of trying crash diets or other fads. Sure, that’s obvious, but how long- term are we talking about here? This 92 year-old woman(not pictured above) sets an example for all of us to follow in thinking long past January!
As the clock ticked toward midnight on New Year’s Eve, the topic of conversation inevitably turned to resolutions. Mae, a young Filipino Au-Pair, shared diet tips that recently helped her lose a few kilos, but Mae has the look of a skinny fourteen year old girl that couldn’t gain weight if she tried, so none of us reached for a pen or (insert your favorite smart phone here) to take notes. Mae then mentioned that she was not the Au-Pair for a brood of small children, but one little old lady. Mae caught our attention when she said she was dieting with the old woman, who asks Mae to bring in the scale each week. When the needle is moving in the wrong direction, she requests salads and fruit to drop the extra kilo(s). Maybe you’ve been clinging to the excuse that it gets too difficult to lose weight after 30, 35, 40, etc., but obviously this woman doesn’t buy into it. Continue reading »
Filed under Inspiring, Just Life, Just for fun, Women | Comment (1)
The Cleavage Campaign
- We have more to offer.
What do you think of the German Political Campaign poster making headlines around the world this summer? Scandalous, using sex to sell? Objectifiying women’s bodies to get votes? A sleazy superficial PR stunt in a time of serious political and economic issues to address?
As a modern feminist, personally engaged in the daily pursuit of helping women achieve professional success and equality, I have to ask myself, “Why do I love this campaign poster?”.
My first reaction was shock at the sight of Chancellor Merkel’s Cleavage. Somehow I missed the global coverage (or lack there of) by tabloids like the NY Times, when she revelaed debuted the dress at the Opening of Oslo’s Opera House last year.
It was the reactions of the German voters interviewed on the streets by CNN this week that won we over to Vera Lengsfeld’s camp(aign). Many of those interviewed were not impressed, some amused, but most were uptight and therefore support Vera Lengsfeld’s claim that Germans need to both wake up and lighten up, in general.
Vera Lengsfeld ’s decision to build a campaign around this photo is to some, offensive, but to me, brilliant. Irony wins. First of all, she is from the Christian Democartic Party. How funny is that? From a Marketing perspective, she knows her target market (not conservatives). Her electoral district is known as alternative and overwhelmingly in support of the more liberal Green Party.
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Trashed-The Evidence of The Effort
In honor of Earth Day, here is a photo of the recycling spot on our street. Yes, our neighborhood is trashed! Yes, to accumulate this many bottles, some of the neighbors must have been trashed too!
It was shocking to see the recycling bins overflowing for so many days, but it also makes me smile. This photo represents where we are today in relation to environmental issues; awareness and good intentions! The demand for recycling obviously exceeds capacity at the moment and I believe programs will expand exponentially to meet the market demand!
Along with a group of my Business Students, I visited the largest factory of recycled plastic products in all of Europe yesterday and saw the innovative products they are making. While remarkable, the complexity and limitations of using recycled household plastics reinforced my belief that Reduce is the R that will soon come to the forefront and make the biggest environmental impact!
Will the willingness to recycle carry over into a desire among consumers to reduce waste? Perhaps the new economic climate and corporate cost cutting will drive some of the wasteful and environmentally unfriendly packaging out of our household products? Let’s hope big innovations in waste reduction are just around the corner…
Filed under In the news, Just Life, Social Issues, Unsolicited Advice, Women | Comment (0)
