Young Women Misbehavin'

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Misbehavin’ Notification: Scholarships Help Women Advance Their Careers through Education

Posted by YWM on December 15, 2011

Ten women are getting early holiday gifts, thanks to Career Advancement Scholarships from the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation.  This enables them to move closer to fulfilling their dreams of finishing school and advancing their careers.

BPW Foundation established the Career Advancement Scholarship Program in 1969 to provide financial assistance to financially disadvantaged women seeking to further their education. Scholarships are provided to women 25 years of age or older, who wish to advance in their careers or are soon to enter or re-enter the workforce.  This year’s scholarships focused on recipients pursing bachelors degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) or related fields. These fields are careers where women are traditionally under-represented.

“BPW Foundation scholarships have a profound effect both on the women who receive them and on their communities.   Many recipients use the degrees they earn with the help of a BPW scholarship to work in careers that directly impact the quality of life in their communities,” explained Dr. Sheila Barry-Oliver, Chair of the BPW Foundation Financial Aid Committee. “That is why BPW Foundation has the application and screening process done through BPW Foundation state and local Legacy Partners. They know the women in their communities.”

Scholarship recipients must have been accepted at an accredited educational institution and be within two years of completing their degree.  Over the years, demographics have shown that the average recipient is a 37 year-old single mother of two children.  Twenty-five percent of the recipients have received public assistance at one time or another and 40 percent of the recipients are the first in their immediate family to earn a college degree.

“Once again I am so impressed by the quality of the applicants and heartened by their stories and drive.” BPW Foundation CEO Deborah L. Frett said. “I am so pleased to be part of an organization with a program that has such a profound impact on women, with limited opportunities but unlimited potential.”

Career Advancement Scholarships are made possible through the long time generosity and commitment of BPW Foundation donors.  For every gift given, 97% directly funds our programs supporting working women, their families and successful workplaces.

Each woman is receiving a $2000 grant. Following is the list of scholarship recipients, their home states, and degree aspirations:

Career Advancement Scholarships

Laura Schumacher, Grass Valley, CA 95949, BSN

Layne Jackson Hubbard, Denver, CO, BS, Neuroscience

Leslie Venable Adams, Denham Springs, LA, BSN

Erin R. Dunphy, Beverly, MA, BSN

Jeannine Padilla, Ronan, MT, BS, Computer Science

Christina Palmer, Weddington, NC, BSCE (Civil Engineering)

Anastasia Mercier, Franklin, NH, BS, Psychology/Health Science

Kristin E. Leonard, Jersey Shore, PA, MS, Forensic Anthropology

Susan R. Ledford, Spartanburg, SC, BS, Accounting/BA Psychology

Michelle Lopez Michaelson, Little Elm, TX, BSN

Posted in Career Advancement, Education, Misbehavin' Notification, Non Traditional Jobs, STEM, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

From Gen Y Women to Employers: What You Need to Know about Intergenerational Workplace Dynamics

Posted by knbarrett on December 15, 2011

Kara Nichols Barrett

By Kara Nichols Barrett, lead project researcher

Business and Professional Women’s Foundation new report – From Gen Y Women to Employers: What They Want in the Workplace and Why it Matters for Business – explores Gen Y women’s career choices and the opportunities and challenges they face in the workplace. Results from our national survey of Gen Y (born 1978-1994) women challenged popular perceptions of Gen Y women in the workplace. Over the last few weeks, we’ve examined key misconceptions related to work values, work-life balance and gender in the workplace.

Today’s topic is intergenerational workplace dynamics. Over 660 Gen Y women told us about:

  • the severity of generational conflict and discrimination in the workplace;
  • their personal experiences with generational conflict and discrimination in the workplace;
  • the common sources of generational conflict and discrimination in the workplace;
  • their responses to generation conflict and discrimination; and
  • their recommendations to help employers improve intergenerational workplace dynamics.

Here are the top three messages from Gen Y women to employers about intergenerational workplace dynamics.

Age Bias isn’t exclusively reserved for mature workers. We’ve read When Generations Collide, and books like it, that describe the workplace as a battlefield. Based on the literature, we too assumed Gen Y would sense the tension between generations. They do. But, not the way we expected. We assumed Gen Y would describe the generational conflict they experienced because of differences in values, communication style, technology use, and work-life balance.  Respondents reported something different. They described experiences with ageism. Robert Neil Butler, who coined the term in the late 1960s, defined ageism as a combination of three elements: prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory behaviors and institutional policies or practices that perpetuate stereotypes against a particular age group. Gen Y women provided examples of all three elements of ageism. Forty-percent of Gen Y women reported not being taken seriously because of their age, being called names such as “kid,” being held to different standards because of their age and being passed over for promotions because of their age.

The phenomenon of ageism in employment is typically applied to older adults. However, more studies are emerging that support the hypothesis that young workers can be disadvantaged in the workplace by age stereotyping. One study found that one-third of all business students had experienced age discrimination in employment – being given relatively low-paid jobs because of beliefs associated with their age and being given less responsibility because of beliefs associated with youth and trustworthiness.

Gen Y + Woman = SOL. What happens when a young worker – already subjected to discriminatory attitudes, policies and practices because of age – also happens to be a woman? The discrimination intensifies. BPW Foundation survey results suggest that gender and age have a compounding effect. Gen Y women who had experienced gender discrimination were more likely to report generational conflict or age bias than those who had not. Over 50 percent of Gen Y women who experienced gender discrimination also reported generational discrimination. Our findings corroborate with previous studies on the gender dimension of ageism in the workplace. One study described being a woman and being young as a “double jeopardy.” Being a woman seems to intensify the age prejudice at work.

You may have the right answer to the wrong question. Management strategies for addressing generational conflict in the workplace assume that workers from different generations clash because of their differences – be they work ethics, work style or communication. Interventions focus on identifying, understanding, appreciating and accommodating differences. Lessons from the literature on ageism indicate an alternate entry point – beliefs, attitudes and perceptions. Studies on ageism in the workplace indicate that it is beliefs about differences, not the differences themselves that lead to discriminatory practices and policies. Posing questions about the differences between generations versus the beliefs about generational differences will lead to different sets of solutions. Gen Y women report that generational diversity is important and recognize the benefits gained from workplaces that include a variety of professional experiences and perspectives. Developing efforts to identify and address age discrimination may be an important strategy for improving intergenerational workplace dynamics.

This research, funded by the Virginia Allan Young Careerist Grant, is part of BPW Foundation’s ongoing “Young Careerist” research project that since 2005 has been exploring the career opportunities and challenges facing today’s young working women.  The research gives voice to a distinct group of working women who are vital to developing a diverse and skilled workforce.  Research has been conducted using social media, focus groups and this national survey. To find all of the research and this report, visit our Young Careerist website.

Posted in Career Advancement, Gen Y, Research, Successful Workplaces, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

From Gen Y Women to Employers: What You Need to Know about Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

Posted by knbarrett on December 7, 2011

By Kara Nichols Barrett, lead project researcher

Business and Professional Women’s Foundation’s new report – From Gen Y Women to Employers: What They Want in the Workplace and Why it Matters for Business - explores Gen Y women’s career choices and the opportunities and challenges they face in the workplace. Results from our national survey of Gen Y (born 1978-1994) women challenged popular perceptions of Gen Y women in the workplace. Over the last two weeks, we’ve examined key misconceptions about  work values and work-life balance.

Today’s topic is gender in the workplace. Over 660 Gen Y told us about:

  • the severity of gender discrimination in the workplace;
  • the most common forms of gender discrimination in the workplace;
  • their personal experiences with gender discrimination in the workplace;
  • their responses to gender discrimination in the workplace; and
  • their recommendations to help employers promote gender equitable workplaces.

Here are the top three messages from Gen Y women to employers about gender discrimination in the workplace.

It’s a problem. Recent studies depict our generation of women as optimistic about gender equality in the workplace.  Employers are told that we don’t perceive gender discrimination as a major problem in the workplace. A study commissioned by Levi Strauss & Co. found that less than one in five Gen Y women in the United States believe that their gender is an obstacle in attaining their work-related goals. Another study found that of all the generational cohorts, Gen Y women are most likely to believe that deliberate discrimination is declining. It’s easy to take these reports and decide that Gen Y women believe gender discrimination is a thing of the past. Not so fast. Just because we expect gender equality doesn’t mean that’s what we experience in the workplace. According to the BPW Foundation survey, almost 50% of us have observed or experienced gender discrimination in the workplace. And, we believe it’s a problem. Over 75% of us believe gender discrimination is a moderate or severe problem in today’s workplace.

It’s a problem that goes beyond deliberate or hostile actions. Yes, deliberate and hostile forms of discrimination still exist. We have experienced sexual harassment, exclusion from professional opportunities and unequal compensation. But one of the most prevalent forms of gender discrimination that we face is stereotyping. It’s a form of discrimination that is much harder for employers to recognize and root out. We recognize that most people don’t think women should be judged by higher standards. Most people would agree that’s unfair, right? Yet, we experience it in the workplace all the time. Why? We inevitably categorize a worker as either a “man” or a “woman.” Cordelia Fine, an academic psychologist and author of Delusions of Gender, argues that when we make the categorization of “man or “woman”:

“We perceive them through the filter of cultural beliefs and norms. This is sexism gone underground- unconscious and unintentional.”

Research also suggests that this “unconscious” prejudice and discrimination is also potentially more harmful for women’s work performance than more blatant forms of discrimination. If you’re concerned about the business costs of gender discrimination – lower productivity and employee morale to name two – and want to tackle discrimination in your organization, you’ll need to identify and address both the explicit and hidden forms of gender discrimination.

 It’s a problem that requires thorough examination. Addressing gender discrimination in the workplace requires more than a policy fix.  How organizations and individuals treat men and women relate to our socially constructed categories of “man” and “woman.” Far too often cultural beliefs and assumptions about men and women workers go unquestioned and examined. As a first step, we suggest that you examine stereotyped assumptions about men and women employees within your organization.

  • How do your organizational policies reflect cultural beliefs and assumptions about men and women?
  • How do your organization’s hiring and promotion practices reflect cultural beliefs and assumptions about men and women?
  • How do interactions between colleagues and supervisors reflect cultural beliefs and assumptions about men and women?

This research, funded from the Virginia Allan Young Careerist Grant, is part of BPW Foundation’s ongoing “Young Careerist” research project that since 2005 has been exploring the career opportunities and challenges facing today’s young working women.  The research gives voice to a distinct group of working women who are vital to developing a diverse and skilled workforce.  Research has been conducted using social media, focus groups and this national survey. To find all of the research and this report, visit our Young Careerist website.

Posted in Career Advancement, Equal Pay, Gen Y, Gender Discrimination, Research, Successful Workplaces, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Stand by Your Brand

Posted by YWM on November 23, 2011

By Joan Grey, BPW Foundation Veteran PR Associate

I recently had the opportunity to attend the NOVA Women’s Business Conference at the National Conference Center in Leesburg. During the meeting I gained a whole new appreciation about how to think about branding.

Branding is a contemporary buzzword that means how you differentiate yourself or your business by having a clear, consistent, and memorable identity. For instance, Mother Teresa and Madonna have very different but note-worthy personas. Appearance aside, most people would not mix up these two women, though each has been able to attract and hold a large following (that has continued even after Mother Teresa’s death). And most people probably know something about the two, even though they have never personally met either woman. Mother Teresa and Madonna have distinctive brands, whether or not they set out deliberately to achieve that.

During the meeting we were able to select tags to attach to our name badges.  If you’ve gone to a conference, you know the usual labels: Presenter, Exhibitor, Board Member,–boring.  This conference offered the opportunity to brand yourself. Here are some of the choices that were available to add to our name badge: Official Smarty Pants; Trouble maker; Go green; OCD; Slacker; Know it all; I could be President; Plays well with others; I color outside the lines. We were instructed to pick up to four labels.  I chose just one, “Go green”, but came up with some ideas for tabs I would like to have seen: High energy, Re-invented the wheel; and Visionary.

What a clever idea!  And choosing labels was a great ice-breaking opportunity also. What makes you stand out from the crowd? What are the words or phrases you would choose for yourself? Are you a powerful, non-conformist, connect-the-dots person? Are you resilient or a trail blazer or progressive? What are your personal labels? And what’s the label for your company or business? If you asked friends and relatives; customers, clients, or stake-holders; how would they describe you? A word of caution—take care about defining yourself negatively, even in jest.

Here are three aspects of your brand to consider:

  • Reputation: What are you known for? What makes you valuable in the work place? What skills, talents, and expertise do people seek from you?
  • Connections and access: Who do you know?  Who do you know that knows someone else?
  • Influence: Can you move people to take action?

When an organization speaks with one voice, it reinforces its position in the marketplace. A job seeker becomes a more memorable candidate when she can articulate the aspects that differentiate her from others looking for employment.  With holiday party season upon us, put a selection of labels out at your events with the nametags and watch connections being made.   Or, better yet, respond to this post with your unique identifiers.

Posted in Career Advancement, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out – A Challenging Decision: Entering a Military Academy

Posted by danielleac on November 7, 2011

Read the latest article of BPW Foundation’s every-other-week Joining Forces feature that brings us the voices of women veterans telling their stories.  If you are a women veteran who would like to share your story, please contact us through our Joining Forces for Women Veterans Facebook page, or email dcorazza@bpwfoundation.org.

This week’s blog brought to us by Liz Mclean, an Air Force Academy graduate from a small town who has transitioned into the civilian world in search of fulfillment after serving on active duty for four and a half years, both stateside and abroad.

A Challenging Decision:  Entering a Military Academy

While in high-school, the unwavering goal to enter a military academy, to break away from a broken home or home town mentality meant having to be “well-rounded.” You need not just excel academically, but excel physically, also. You have your bright-eyed young female who graduates high school with a 4.5 GPA, runs circles around everyone else athletically, writes for the local paper, studies abroad in Italy, spearheads charity organizations….and doesn’t have time for the typical boy scene.

But she does it and is accepted to the Air Force Academy where she is asked to enter a whole new world of discipline and must redefine her next set of goals. While she realizes that she has in fact been accepted to college, she can’t help but wonder “What’s my next challenge or goal? Am I doing well enough?…I need more.”

An introduction to a military academy would start with your waist long blonde hair being chopped to a shaggy cut of Zach Morris; your femininity and external identity stripped away. You find yourself surrounded by 1200 driven clones (about 10% of which are women), running to class on marble strips…trying to find a way to stand-out without fashion or accessories.

Your confidence as a woman and a human being are completely broken down, to only be built back-up through the most rigorous challenges. Your definition of self is formulated by your ability to balance a full engineering class load, learn a foreign language, speak in front of varied audiences, excel in every graded physical aspect, discipline yourself to make your quarters and uniform sparkle, be tested on leadership…..and still find a way to be conspicuous. From earning your jump wings in the only existing free-fall program,  to volunteering to be the first wave of cadets to ever deploy…you strive to standout in a positive light.

Through all of this you become more professional, and you forge friendships with the few other women who share your common yet unusual ambition and level headedness. These friends will be part of only a small number of others like you will encounter in life, the type of friends that never seem to slow down, but instead, help push each other to the most extreme dimensions.  

While attending school, you also find the love of your life who sees you for who you truly are; uniform and all. Your relationship is challenged by the rules of the military institution, implemented in part because of the abysmal sexual assault scandal that has unjustly taken the institution by storm. As a woman, you feel more alienated than anything because you have to overcome the stereotype of being easily offended and pay for other peoples’ poor judgment. No doors will be closed when with members of the opposite gender, no sitting on the same horizontal surface and no showing any sign of affection whatsoever. Through all of this, (you and your now fiancée) still find yourselves connecting and consistently on the same page as a GI power-couple.

The academy teaches you to be able to take on nearly any challenge placed in front of you…multi-tasking to the ultimate dimension.  You are transferred from the young Zach Morris high-school graduate to someone who is much more polished and is ready to lead hundreds in any capacity. When graduation comes (and your class has been whittled down to less than 800 from 1200), for the first time in your life you cry tears of joy as you catapult your cap into the sky. You are ready for your next dare in life…and you still wonder at the end of it all “What’s my next challenge or goal to achieve? Am I doing well enough?…I need more.”

Stay tuned for more from Liz McLean……

Read another Liz McLean blog.

Posted in Career Advancement, Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Military, Uncategorized, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Misbehavin’ Notification: Scholarships Help Women Advance Their Careers through Education

Posted by YWM on October 27, 2011

Five women, including one veteran, are one step closer to fulfilling their dream of finishing school and advancing their careers, thanks to Career Advancement Scholarships from the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation.  A total of $10,000 was divided among the recipients.

BPW Foundation established the Career Advancement Scholarship Program in 1969 to provide financial assistance to financially disadvantaged women seeking to further their education. Scholarships are provided to women 25 years of age or older, who wish to advance in their careers or are soon to enter or re-enter the workforce.  This year’s scholarships focused on recipients pursing bachelors degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) or related fields. These fields are careers where women are traditionally underrepresented.  One Seattle, WA recipient was awarded both a Career Advancement Scholarship and a Women Veterans Advancement Scholarship.

“BPW Foundation scholarships have a profound effect both on the women who receive them and on their communities.   Many recipients use the degrees they earn with the help of a BPW scholarship to work in careers that directly impact the quality of life in their communities,” explained Dr. Sheila Barry-Oliver, Chair of the BPW Foundation Financial Aids Committee. “Because of that fact, this year the initial application and screening process was made through BPW Foundation state and local Legacy Partners in Louisiana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington.”

Scholarship recipients must have been accepted at an accredited educational institution and be within two years of completing their degree.  Over the years demographics have shown that the average recipient is a 37 year-old single mother of two children.  Twenty-five percent of the recipients have received public assistance at one time or another and 40 percent of the recipients are the first in their immediate family to earn a college degree.

“I am impressed by the quality of this year’s applicants and heartened by their stories and drive. The inclusion of a woman veteran this year is very welcome as we work to support this important group,” BPW Foundation CEO Deborah L. Frett said. “I am so pleased to be part of an organization with a program that has such a profound impact on women, with limited opportunities but unlimited potential.”

Career Advancement Scholarships are made possible through the long time generosity and commitment of BPW Foundation donors.  For every gift given, 97% directly funds our programs supporting working women, their families and successful workplaces.

Posted in Career Advancement, Education | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Using Broadband Technology to Help Women Find Jobs, Build Careers and Expand Their Businesses

Posted by sherrysaunders on October 25, 2011

Excerpts from a presentation by BPW Foundation CEO, Deborah L. Frett at the
WIPP Conference on Using Social Media and Technology to Build Business Opportunities
Monday, October 24, 2011, Portland, ME

Deborah L. Frett, BPW Foundation CEO

Business and Professional Women’s Foundation since its inception has supported workforce development programs and workplace policies that recognize the diverse needs of working women, communities and businesses. Established in 1956 as part of BPW/USA, we were the first foundation to focus our attention on working women and how to help them establish successful careers in equitable workplaces.  Over the years we have focused on issues such access to credit, equal and fair pay, women in non traditional jobs, young careerists, women veterans, work-life balance and equal opportunity. As new issues arise we have been there to research, educate and advocate on behalf of working women. An issue that wasn’t around in 1956 is the impact and growth of the Internet, e-mail and social media on today’s working women and women business owners.  Who could have imagined?

Wanting to learn how women use high-speed Internet or broadband technology, BPW Foundation conducted an online research survey in March of this year.  The purpose of was to explore the opportunities in business and personal advancement that technology has opened up and overall, how it has impacted women’s lives.

We know that the Internet has become widely available and essential for personal interactions, education, training and economic opportunities – think job searches, marketing, researching, networking and more. But along with others we heard that women were not as technically proficient in the use of new technology.

What we learned was that ninety-three percent of the women surveyed felt that high-speed Internet has improved their lives. We have found that women continue to use high-speed technology as a critical component of building their businesses and advancing their careers. This may not be surprising but it provided us with the hard facts and numbers to back up our assumptions.

The survey shows that there are differences in high speed Internet access, use, and needs based on age, employment, military status, and geographic location.  Not surprisingly, women business owners and self-employed women use high-speed technology to build their businesses though marketing, but readily admit that they are not always aware of what they should be learning or doing to improve efficiency, and advance and maximize their results. In essence they d don’t always know what questions to ask to make the Internet work better for them.

We learned from the survey that there is a critical need to educate women on how to better and more efficiently utilize high-speed technology to empower them to remain competitive in the workplace, in their own businesses, and in their personal lives in this growing, digitally-based economy.

Additionally there is a clear need for continued focus on a competitive broadband market to allow for deployment, access and adoption that assures all women use of high-speed Internet for professional and educational development.

Some key findings include:

  • Women are constantly connected to high-speed technology, at home or away, on a range of devices.  Within sub-populations, mature women and those in rural areas are less likely than others to remain connected via mobile technology.
  • Given the need for multi-tasking by women today, increased Internet access and reliable Internet speed is essentially a requirement, integral to a variety of confidence-boosting behaviors and effective, educated decision making.
  • Women use high-speed Internet for personal and professional networking and social interaction, product research and personal business such as banking and secondarily for business marketing and development.
  • Few women in business utilize the Internet to access government procurement opportunities for professional exposure and business growth.
  • Nearly 60% of women are satisfied with their understanding of Internet pricing and provider options, but they would like to learn more about these and understand technical broadband functionality.
  • Women with experience in the military are more concerned than other populations about internet security and how they might use this technology to improve their personal security.

While there is a need for more research within some of the population subsets in our research, we found without question that broadband and mobile technology enhance the lives of working women and women seeking employment.

On the personal front, broadband access and handheld devices provide ready information and an ability to make educated decisions and respond instantly.  On the professional front, high-speed technology empowers women via their various connections to edit and add  to their resume, search for a job, write reports with a sleeping infant in their lap, download financial reports at their kitchen table at 3 am or join a conference call on their way home from caring for elderly relative.  And who knows what the future holds.

In conclusion we need competition, choice and education to strengthen the high-speed Internet market for women.  Without access to high-speed Internet, the digital literacy gap will only widen for women, hindering their successes.  Increasing Internet provider options to all communities and providing high-speed Internet options at a reasonable price is essential to bridge this gap.

We all know there are technologies around the corner that we cannot even imagine, but what ever they are we need to be sure that women are ready and able to easily use and access them.

Visit the BPW Foundation Website to read the full report

Posted in Broadband, Career Advancement, Internet, Research | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by YWM on September 23, 2011

Successful Workplaces

Gender inequality holds back business growth [Bloomberg]

Non traditional family roles promote gender equality [NewsWise]

Paid sick days laws gather momentum [Forbes]

The real impact of babies on career success [Business Insider]

Penalized for balancing work and family? [Wall Street Journal]

The business case for gender equality in the workplace [Computer Weekly]

Working Mom announces best companies for 2011 [Working Moms]

Empowered Workforces

5 ways working moms can own the “juggle”[The Glass Hammer]

Tyson’s pays 2.25 million in back pay to almost 1700 qualified female applicants [NJ.com]

Women earned more doctoral degrees than women for second year in a row [MJPerry.Blogsot]

Women still not landing top jobs in corporate America [Fox Business]

Women strategize to find right work-life balance [Detroit Free Press]

Equity

Hard work was supposed to lead to equality.  It hasn’t [Forbes]

Facts on the gender gap from the World Bank [Wall Street Journal]

Secretary Clinton says women key to future economic growth and security. [Forbes]

Women worry about having little gold in their golden years [Senior Journal]

Military and Veterans

Women are the fastest growing group of homeless veterans [News5]

Slow road, 30 yrs long, but VA is building up women’s health services [DC Courier]

Small Business

Women entrepreneurs help ignite the economy [NJ.com]

Women business owners need retirement plans [MySanAntnio]

SBA adds vets, women to mentor/protégée program [Washington Technology]

Important Odds and Ends

America’s richest women – only 42 in 400 richest list [Forbes]

OK Governor Mary Fallin on governing, business and why women should run for office [Forbes]

Confusion among the world of women racers: women records only set when they run against each other? [New York Times]

Women quoted in new book about Obama say White House was not hostile [Washington Post]

Pre election polls underestimate the success of women candidates [NY Times]

British study says skirts over pants for success [Daily Mail]

Non-Traditional Careers

Catalyst publication: Checking the pulse of women in biosciences: what organizations need to know [Catalyst]

NSF grant to aid women faculty in STEM fields [NewsRoom]

Women still resist STEM careers [Guelph Mercury]

Posted in Career Advancement, Non Traditional Jobs, Small Business, STEM, Successful Workplaces, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by sherrysaunders on September 16, 2011

Equity

People still prefer a male boss but gap is closing [The Grindstone]

The education bonus and the gender gap [NYTimes]

Can women do more to make their way to the top? [Forbes]

Leadership gap blamed on women’s reluctance to compete [Forbes]

And then: Women just as ambitious as men [West Virginia Gazette]

Study: Gen X women successful at work; have fewer children [Huffington Post]

When gender and age work against your job search [Forbes]

At the top the spotlight can turn harsh [NYTimes]

Successful workplaces for women, families and business

Seattle city council votes for paid sick days [PaidSickDays]

Small Business

25 years of progress for women small business owners [SunTimes]

Women entrepreneurs talk about how to survive tough times [SunTimes]

Saluting Misbehavin’ Women

Two female members of Cultural Support Team in Afghanistan receive combat badges [dvidshub]

Important Odds and Ends

A picture of women’s health in US shows we need to be more proactive [Awesome.good]

Night shift moms [Parenting]

WH blog: Women and the Jobs Act [www.whitehouse]

Non-Trad Jobs

Breaking new ground: women in construction [BangorDailyNews]

Women with wrenches: number of women bike mechanics in NYC on the rise [NYTimes]

The problem with women and science it’s hormonal – or is it? [Time]

Gen Y

What it is important for the next generation of women to learn [www.pr.com]

Women Military/Veterans

New York Times Editorial: Justice for sexually assaulted and harassed women veterans [NYTimes]

PTSD: the war within women [ABCLocal]

Almost 1/3 or Iraq and Afghanistan women vets with PTSD report sexual trauma [UCSF.Edu]

Challenges faced by women veterans are different [Huffington Post]

Posted in Career Advancement, Link Love, Non Traditional Jobs, Small Business, Successful Workplaces, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Joining Forces: Women Veterans Speak Out

Posted by danielleac on August 30, 2011

Read the latest article of BPW Foundation’s every-other-week Joining Forces feature that brings us the voices of women veterans telling their stories.  If you are a women veteran who would like to share your story, please contact us through our Joining Forces for Women Veterans Facebook page, or email dcorazza@bpwfoundation.org

In the Spirit of Entrepreneurship..

by Danielle Corazza

I’ve got a lot to learn.

I’ve always been a fan of the idea of being my own boss, and in light of the newly enacted 5% set-asides for women-owned small businesses (WOSBs), on top of the existing 3% set-aside for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs), the timing seems right for me to strike out on my own. But first, I needed to figure out how to do it!

Thanks to a grant from the Small Business Administration, Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management has developed a program specifically for women veterans to learn how to be entrepreneurs: the Veterans as Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE) course.

After applying and being accepted, my books arrived a week later, with instructions on how to log into the online course that was going to be my guide for the next month (at the end of a month’s worth of online instruction there is a three day, face-to-face conference).

I’m not sure what I expected, but I don’t think I realized how much I needed to learn about the proper way to go about being in business for yourself. I mean, I’ve got an Masters in Business Administration.. I’ve written business plans for school assignments, and I’d consider myself a great proposal writer… but, I have never taken the time to drill down to the aptly named Nuts and Bolts of taking an idea and making it a reality..

Although a bit tasking (you try developing a marketing plan overnight!), the course so far is great. Not only is it thorough, but the other 199 women veterans I’m interacting with are inspiring and the camaraderie among us is growing tremendously as we each find our comfort zone.

Fingers crossed, as I’m not done yet, but I can’t wait to learn more!

(Danielle is enrolled in V-WISE’s Baltimore Session, for more information and a schedule of upcoming classes, visit their website.)

Posted in Career Advancement, Education, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, multigenerational, Small Business, Uncategorized, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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