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Usa: lotta alla disparità salariale tra uomini e donne
Negli Usa la disparità salariale tra uomini e donne persiste. L'American Assocation of University Women ha di recente pubblicato una serie di documenti approfonditi inerenti la questione.
Lo stesso ha fatto la National Organisation for Women.
Altre due organizzzaioni aiutano le donne nella lotta per la parità salariale.
Il National Commitee on Pay Equity e Wage offrono informazioni dettagliate su leggi esistenti, azioni di sensibilizzazione, iniziative legislative e modalità per le lavoratrici su come calcolare e confrontare la propria busta paga.
Census statistics released on Women's Equality Day--August 26, 2008--show that the gap between men's and women's earnings changed by less than one percent from 2006 to 2007, narrowing only slightly from 76.9 to 77.8 percent. Based on the median earnings of full-time, year-round workers, women's earnings were $35,102, and men's earnings were $45,113.
It is important to note that women's choices regarding work are not made in a vacuum. Factors that impact women's decisions include: workplace discrimination, either experienced or anticipated; a lack of women-friendly policies and resources in the workplace; persistent stereotypes that steer women and men toward different education, training and career paths; different societal expectations for wives compared to husbands and mothers compared to fathers; and myriad forms of sexism, both subtle and blatant.Usa: donne ricercatrici del paranormale
Il sito Ghostvillage riporta una serie di interviste che, ricordo, non sono recentissime riguardo alle donne leader nei gruppi di ricerca del paranormale, molto diffusi negli Stati Uniti.
Dalle interviste, tutte estremamente interessanti, emerge un quadro in cui, a fianco della quasi totale assenza di aprte discriminazioni, si lamentano le difficoltà che le donne incontrano in qualunque altra attività lavorativa oltre alla carenza di donne leader.
Coloro che sono appassionati di ricerche sul paranormale troverano queste interviste utili per più puntuali ed approfondite riflessioni anche se, in Italia, almeno stando alla ricerca da me fatta per l'articolo a cui faccio riferimento nella presentazione, davvero non sussistono problematiche di tale natura.
http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2008/features_02162008.shtmlhttp://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2008/features_03022008.shtml
http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2008/features_03052008.shtml
http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2008/features_02192008.shtml
http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2008/features_02222008.shtml
http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2008/features_02252008.shtml
http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2008/features_02282008.shtml
Usa: Ursula Burns prima donna di colore a capo di grande azienda
Xerox's announcement today that CEO Anne Mulcahy will retire on July 1 and transfer control to her president, Ursula Burns, marks two firsts: the transition of power from one woman to another at a large public company, and the first to be run by a black woman.
The women's partnership earned them media attention--partly, perhaps, because a female tandem at the top is so unusual.
Several years ago, when she was asked on a women's panel how she gained the confidence to be ambitious, Burns quickly responded, "I came from a very poor single-parent household, but [had a mother] who was extremely confident and had nothing but outstanding expectations of me and my siblings. There was no expectation that I would be anything but great at whatever I did."
http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/21/xerox-ceo-mulcahy-burns-forbes-woman-leadership-tech.html
http://www.women-omics.com/951-0-woman-to-woman-succession-at-xerox-as-mulcahy-steps-down.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/22/technology/companies/22xerox.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=new%20ceo,%20xerox&st=cseNorvegia: progressi nell'avanzamento di carriera per donne ricercatrici
"In Norway, the Research Council of Norway, the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions, the University of Bergen and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have all agreed to the principles in these documents. NTNU and the Research Council of Norway have also signed on as pioneer institutions, and along with about 20 other European institutions they will take the lead on implementing the documents
"The Charter emphasizes, among other things, that the institutions should establish more flexible employment terms so that the careers of both women and men do not suffer because they have to combine work with family life. In addition, greater importance will be attached to the breadth of a researcher’s qualifications, which will be positive for many women researchers."
The Minister of Research and Higher Education must ensure that gender equality is incorporated into the mandate that lays the foundation for the national plans. Here Norway needs to lead by example
Israele: successo per iniziativa di microcredito per donne beduine
A Bedouin woman who wants to start a sheep dairy has just received the 1,000th small-business loan granted by SAWA, a unique microfinance program in Israel.
Chagit Rubinstein, a native Israeli, created SAWA ("together" in Arabic) modeled on Grameen Bank, which provides collateral-free group loans to rural Bangladeshis.
Given the similarities between the Bedouin communities of Israel's south and the Bangladeshi villages where Grameen operates, she decided to concentrate her efforts on this population.
The program took root slowly. For six months, Rubinstein commuted from her home in the northern port city of Haifa to the communities of the south, seeking connections through organizations and individuals.
She recruited the help of Nuzha el-Huzail, a Bedouin social worker with a PhD from Ben-Gurion University.
"I realized that a Jewish-Israeli coming to a Bedouin village by herself wasn't the right way to do it," she says. "I had my first meetings in Segev Shalom, near Beersheva, only after I hired Nuzha as program manager in March 2006."
"There is no doubt that SAWA is changing attitudes," el-Huzail says.
It is also changing lives. "We see big changes in how [participants] dress, talk, and look," Rubinstein says.
One woman used her SAWA loan to replace her old manual sewing machine with a second-hand electric machine and to purchase an electrical system to power it. After she paid back that loan, she used a second loan to open a store where she sells the clothes she makes.
"Now, three years after she started, she is opening another store in Beersheva that her daughter will run," says Rubinstein.
Rubinstein hopes to expand the project to other disadvantaged populations, including Ethiopian immigrants.
Usa: ancora difficoltà per le giornaliste sportive
A woman ran a seminal and nearly successful race for the Democratic nomination for president, and the Republican Party placed a woman on the national ticket for the first time. A woman is sitting in Walter Cronkite's chair. But give a woman a notebook or a microphone and ask her report on sports and it becomes a gross-out contest for the numskull players and their overgrown frat-boys fans.
The U.S. District Court in New York ordered the New York Yankees to grant a woman reporter from Sports Illustrated the same locker room access it granted male reporters, and Major League Baseball was forced to open its locker rooms to women reporters.
The Sun sent me to the Orioles locker room to report on the scene, and manager Earl Weaver refused to let me enter unless I had a note from my father.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.reimer03aug03,0,7679461.column
Tanzania: aperta banca per donne
Tanzania has launched a bank aimed specifically at women in what officials say will be an empowering move.
Margareth Mattaba Chacha, the managing director, said: "We know some women hesitate to come forward - they are too shy and think they don't know anything.
"But here we're going to have a big group of professionals to take women through step-by-step until we really reach our women."
Margaret Sitta, Minister of Community Development, Gender and Children, said the bank would empower women, but stressed that the accounts were open to all.
Gran Bretagna: persiste la disparità salariale tra uomini e donne
The Women and Work Commission, which was established to consider how to close the gender pay gap, said it had widened to 22.6% from 21.9% in 2007.
Three years after its first report, the commission said women were still being pushed into "traditional" jobs.
Among the 43 recommendations put forward in the review were:
• Work experience placements for girls in occupations where women are traditionally not well represented
• Buddy programme to team girls together on placements in non-traditional sectors to help with their confidence
• Similar buddy system for apprenticeships and diplomas to allow participants to speak to successful women in similar jobs
• A careers adviser trained in challenging gender and socio-economic stereotyping for every school
• In childcare, the government should consider what could be done to boost wages and professionalise the sector, which still attracts mainly women workers
Kat Banyard, campaigns officer of the Fawcett Society - which campaigns for equality between men and women - said she was disappointed by the focus of the report.
"The largest single cause of the pay gap is discrimination, the solution is not less segregation of roles, but paying women what they are worth," she added.
"Women are also being paid less by employers than their male counterparts, yet employers are under no obligation to check that women are not paid less."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8173445.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8044720.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8163866.stm
Usa: difficoltà di carriera per le donne nere avvocate
The study is the fourth and final in Catalyst’s Women of Color in Professional Services Series examining how the “intersectionality,” or combined identities of gender and race/ethnicity, puts women of color at a unique disadvantage in the workplace. Despite widespread existence of systems created to develop and advance women of color, research has shown that more than 75 percent of these women will leave their employer within five years, costing an amount potentially greater than each person’s total salary and benefits.
Yet retention and advancement of women of color attorneys is still a challenge. Law firms are well positioned—and it will be to their advantage—to take the next critical step to address the unique differences among women, which can lead to more successful outcomes.”
These challenges emphasize the importance of recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach to tackling workplace inclusion cannot meet the needs of an increasingly diverse talent pool. Furthermore, the report found stark differences between groups of women of color in their perceptions surrounding workplace culture and diversity. For example, black women compared to Asian women and Latinas were more likely to believe diversity programs fail to address workplace biases, feel that partners, as well as other supervising attorneys, receive insufficient training on how to work effectively with diverse cultures, and cite a lack of access to challenging work assignments on client engagements.
Gran Bretagna: in aumento donne lavoratrici nel settore edilizio
"Currently women make up less than 1% of the construction workforce at the trade level," Mr Tutt says. "Astins aims to make that 8% by 2013.
In order to make a start in tackling the looming crisis Astins decided to target the 50% of the UK workforce that has historically been ignored in the industry - women.
So the firm set up one of the UK's first professional qualification courses in construction trades specifically aimed at women, an NVQ level two specialising in dry lining - or making partition walls to the uninitiated.
To make the London-based course more attractive it has offered fully subsidised places to the lucky apprentices and even free accommodation to those living outside London.
"I see no reason why the women couldn't match that in the long term. It's not going to be in the next couple of years but once they've honed their skills in the next four to five years that's an achievable amount."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8127161.stm
Norvegia: il Gender Equality Award migliora l'impegno delle università per la parità di genere
“One of the measures is that we will appoint more women to professor II positions, especially at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Among other things, we will bring in professors from abroad,” says Grønmo.
“Another measure relates to our work to strengthen opportunities for women to qualify for academic positions. We have therefore started what we call a ‘women’s faculty lunch club’, in which women in academic positions form a network across disciplines. Through this network they can share experiences about opportunities to gain additional qualifications and other topics.”
Leadership training is a third measure made possible by the prize money. Grønmo explains that the percentage of women in leadership positions at the departmental level is low and that this measure focuses in particular on the areas of medicine, dentistry and psychology.
“We will also conduct a survey of the working environment with a focus on gender issues at the Faculty of Social Sciences, and some of the prize money will go to writing grants for women researchers so they can be exempted from teaching duties,” he explains.
“We focus primarily on two things in our gender equality efforts: recruiting more women researchers and qualifying female employees for professor-level positions,” says Haaland.
Haaland also focuses on talent and quality when he explains the reasoning behind the institution’s gender equality efforts.
“We want to draw on all available talent, and gender balance in recruitment can enhance the quality of our work. Also, more women on our academic staff will be important as role models for the candidates in our study programmes,” he believes.
http://eng.kvinneriforskning.no/nyhet/vis.html?tid=63954Usa: Diane Sawyer seconda donna a condurre un telegiornale di una grande rete
Diane Sawyer will take the helm of “ABC World News” in January
After graduating from Wellesley College in 1967, Sawyer scored her first TV gig, working as a "weather girl" at a Louisville station.
"That was literally the only job held by a woman at the station at the time," she told the Times in a 1994 interview.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/09/diane-sawyers-journey-to-abc-world-news.htm
l
Germania: importante disparità salariale tra uomini e donne
the study also found that women in Germany earn 23 percent less than men – well above the EU average of 16.6 percent less. The gender gap is larger in only Cyprus, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Estonia. The smallest wage gaps are in Italy (4.4 percent), Portugal and Slovakia (both at 8.3 percent).
European trade unions sharply criticised salary development in Germany, The unfair difference between male and female salaries is a scandal, said General Secretary for the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Reiner Hoffmann, told the paper.
"The employers in Germany must finally change and give women equal rights in payment,” he said. “Other countries show that it’s possible.”
Regno Unito: discriminazione nei confronti delle donne nel mondo della finanza
Women in some of the UK’s leading finance companies receive around 80 per cent less in performance related pay than male colleagues, an inquiry by the Commission has found. The disparity is a major factor behind the massive gender pay gap in the finance sector.
Recommendations in the report include:
- Appointing a board member to set the tone, champion the issues and drive change
- Incorporating equality and diversity into organisational and individual objectives
- Undertaking annual equal pay audits and publishing the data
- Ensuring maternity, paternity and parental support schemes are in place and effective
- Monitoring the implementation and impact of policy on gender equality
The Commission has now begun the third phase of its Inquiry which will involve collaboration with finance companies, employees, industry associations, leaders, regulators and trade unions to develop more targeted solutions to the gender inequalities identified in its report.
Danimarca: l'azienda Maersk si impegna per aumentare il numero di donne manager
Maersk was also aiming to increase the proportion of other high-level managerial positions from 9 to 15 percent. By 2014, every fifth middle manager would be a woman, Pejter said.
She told DR News the targets meant Maersk had to become better at attracting and retaining female employees. The target was no different from any other company target and there would be consequences if it was not met, Pejter added.
Gender Equality Minister Inger Støjberg welcomed the news labelling it a ‘milestone’ in Danish gender equality politics and predicted that other companies would follow suit.
http://www.cphpost.dk/business/119-business/46870-maersk-promotes-female-managers.html
Usa: Obama nomina Chai Feldblum lesbica ebrea, Commissaria della Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today:
Chai R. Feldblum, Nominee for Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Chai Feldblum is a Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center where she has taught since 1991. She also founded the Law Center’s Federal Legislation and Administrative Clinic, a program designed to train students to become legislative lawyers. Feldblum previously served as Legislative Counsel to the AIDS Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. In this role, she developed legislation, analyzed policy on various AIDS-related issues, and played a leading role in the drafting of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and, later as a law professor, in the passage of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. She has also worked on advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights and has been a leading expert on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. As Co-Director of Workplace Flexibility 2010, Feldblum has worked to advance flexible workplaces in a manner that works for employees and employers. Feldblum clerked for Judge Frank Coffin and for Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and B.A. from Barnard College.
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/facinfo/tab_faculty.cfm?Status=Faculty&ID=251
“We commend President Obama for his nomination of Chai Feldblum to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Professor Feldblum’s commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans makes her eminently qualified for Commissioner of the EEOC.”
On Monday, President Obama announced his nomination for Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and I couldn't be happier about his pick: Chai Feldblum, Professor of Law at Georgetown, who also happens to be an out Jewish lesbian.
http://jwablog.jwa.org/chai_feldblumGermania: difficoltà per le donne a raggiungere posizioni apicali nelle aziende
Research conducted by the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) has found that women are still struggling to reach the top positions in Germany’s leading companies.
According to the study, only 42 of the 1,721 executive committee members at Germany’s top 600 listed companies are women. This corresponds to just 2.4 percent. The study also found that just 8.2 percent of those sitting on Boards of Directors were female.
“Even more shocking than the low proportion was the fact that, over the last ten years, significant change has not been made,” Professor Lindstädt added.
“Many more businesses should be forced to publicise the proportion of women in their top three positions as part of their Corporate Governance Reports. That way we can gain more transparency on this important point,” he said.
Perhaps one reason for this might be the fact that women who are successful in these economies face less social criticism than German women, who confront, for example, accusations that they are abandoning their maternal duty,
Israele: Suheir Assady prima donna araba a capo di un dipartimento medico
Dr Suheir Assady is the first female Arab physician to head a medical department in Israel
As the first Arab woman in Israel to attain such a position, she is breaking the glass ceiling twice.
Assady comments: "At Rambam we can be very proud that 16 [women] hold very good positions ... a lot of residents and doctors are women - 30% so I am in a good league."
Germania: importanti disparità salariali tra uomini e donne nel pubblico impiego
Congratulazioni alla Cancelliera Merkel per la sua rielezione. Ovviamente mi felicito che un paese importante come la Germania abbia confermato per la seconda volta di voler essere guidato da una donna. Da adesso in avanti la figura del cancelliere potrà essere associata ad una donna come ad un uomo.
Questo non significa che le donne tedesche abbiano raggiunto la parità assoluta come si evidenzia dall'articolo riportato, l'ultimo di una serie. Esiste a quanto pare un importante problema legato alla disparità salariale nel mondo del lavoro. Mi auguro che la cabcelliera Merkel se ne occupi con la massima urgenza e che abbandoni il disgraziato progetto di ampliamento delle centrali nucleari.
Female German public officials earn almost a fifth less than their male counterparts, according to a new study published in daily Die Welt on Monday.The wage gap for the government jobs averaged 18.7 percent, the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB) study found.
The difference was particularly stark in middle and high positions, where the difference was 23.2 and 22.6 percent. Meanwhile female judges were found to earn 20.1 percent less than their male colleagues.
Norvegia: aumento di donne nel Dipartimento di fisica e tecnologia all'Università di Bergen
“I have taken gender equality into account ever since I started in my position six years ago,” says Jan Petter Hansen, head of the Department of Physics and Technology at the University of Bergen. At that time only one woman was employed as a professor in the department. Today four more women have been hired in academic positions, and new, promising female doctoral and post-doctoral research fellows are in the system.
“It’s clear to me that if we want to recruit the researchers of the future, the best researchers, we have a much better chance of getting a hold of them if we can choose from among the entire population. And then the students who come here need to see that we have female lecturers who teach the subject and that physics is not a discipline for only half the population,” he continues.
However, Hansen feels that he has gotten good support from the top administration, noting it is crucial that the leadership backs up the efforts of the department heads who are “involved in the struggle on a daily basis”.
“What is enacted at the highest level, what the Rector says, is all-important. A clear signal must be sent about the leadership’s vision on practical policy, and the University of Bergen has done this. I perceive gender equality to be an integral part of all the university’s activities, from the top administration to the faculties to the academic departments.”
Based on six years of experience as head of a highly male-dominated department, Hansen has some advice for politicians who want to ensure that gender equality efforts continue within the research groups:
“Rather than short-term, piecemeal measures, there needs to be a long-term plan with a ten-year perspective that awards new, permanent resources to successful groups. This could be viewed in connection with academic plans drawn up by departments which currently have an unacceptable gender balance,” he concludes.
Regno Unito: mobilitazione per la parità salariale tra uomini e donne
On Equal Pay Day individuals and groups across the country will be taking action to mark the day that women effectively receive their last pay cheque of the year. This is because the 17.1% full-time gender pay gap is equivalent to men being paid all year round while women work for free after 30th October. Equal Pay Day 2009 is calling on the Government to get tough on pay inequality in the UK.
Usa: le donne sono maggiornza della forza lavoro
Se questa è sicuramente un'eccellente notizia rimane il fatto che il contratto sociale deve cambiare e che devono essere rimossi tutti gli ostacoli alla realizzazione delle piene pari opportunità in ambito lavorativo e non solo tra uomini e donne.
Il rapporto Shriver, che analizza nel dettaglio la tematica, affronta esattamente tutte le questioni irrisolte per la forza lavoro femminile.
Francia: il Ministro del lavoro, Xavier Darcos, promette legge per la parità sul lavoro tra uomini e donne
Je veux un texte de loi qui concerne toutes les entreprises de plus de trois cents salariés dans le premier semestre 2010",
Le ministre souhaite aboutir à un "système de transparence". "Ecarts de salaire, formation, promotions : j'envisage une publication obligatoire des résultats, y compris des points noirs, explique-t-il. Au-delà, je suis résolu à aller vers un système de bonus-malus. Si l'évolution est positive, l'entreprise pourra recevoir une aide à la formation ou à l'amélioration des postes de travail des femmes. Si elle est négative, je soumettrai aux partenaires sociaux l'idée d'une pénalité assise sur la masse salariale affectée d'office à des actions favorisant l'égalité entre hommes et femmes."
Usa: poche donne leader nelle istituzioni ebraiche
Despite notable gains for women in the past year, a Forward survey of 75 major American Jewish communal organizations found that fewer than one in six are run by women, and those women are paid 61 cents to every dollar earned by male leaders.
The numbers are especially striking when compared with the overall composition of the Jewish communal work force. Women comprise about 75% of those employed by federations, advocacy and social service organizations, and religious and educational institutions, but occupy only 14.3% of the top positions. Of the 11 female leaders identified in this survey, three are in interim roles.
When asked to put these numbers into historical context, Shulamit Bahat, who for decades was in the executive leadership of the American Jewish Committee, said she was “rather stunned” by the statistics. “I thought greater gains had been made,” said Bahat, currently CEO of Beit Hatfutsot of America.
Gorovitz, the first woman to break the glass ceiling in the federation system, concurred, crediting the women who mentored her during her own career. “It is incumbent on us to ensure that we have diversity in our professional ranks, that we are mentoring all our staff equally, so that we have positive role models,” she said in an interview just a few weeks into her new job. “Unfortunately, sometimes the Jewish community is not great at doing this.”
Gran Bretagna: campagna per il recultamento delle ragazze nel settore delle costruzioni
A drive is under way to encourage more women in mid and west Wales to enter occupations usually dominated by men.
Local Labour AM Joyce Watson has set up an online forum, Women in Construction, in collaboration with colleges across the region.
She said about 75% of working women in Wales were found in sectors such as cleaning, catering and caring.
The forum is designed for women already working in the construction industry and those wishing to join it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8338730.stm
Usa: ancora poche donne leader nel mondo del lavoro
Women account for just 18 percent of top leadership roles in 10 sectors, including business, nonprofit groups, law and religion, according to the new report, "Benchmarking Women's Leadership."
"Women's leadership is stuck in every sector of American society at a time when we need their innovation ... when we need their talent, and the research tells us [to] bring in the women if you want to change things," said Marie Wilson, president of The White House Project, the nonprofit organization in New York that produced the report.
In pockets of corporate America, it's far below that number. Among the Fortune 500 companies, only 66 have females on their boards, according to the report. In the corporate ranks, women are known for promoting greater transparency and for being more averse to risk. The bottom line, too, gets a boost when women are at the top. For instance, there's a 34 percent greater return on equity and shareholders' investment, according to the report.
This has prompted some firms to consider putting more money in the hands of women.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/YourMoney/white-house-project-reports-womens-leadership-hurdles/story?id=9068095
Usa: studio a favore delle pratiche family-friendly nei luoghi di lavoro
A major new study by researchers at Harvard and McGill Universities — the largest ever to look at working conditions worldwide — finds the United States far behind other economically successful nations in terms of adopting policies that support workers and families. The new study finds that 14 of the world’s 15 most competitive countries provide paid sick leave, 13 guarantee paid leave for new mothers, 12 provide paid leave for new fathers, 11 provide paid leave to care for children’s health needs, eight provide paid leave to care for adult family members, and seven guarantee breastfeeding breaks to nursing mothers on the job. At the federal level, the United States offers its workers none of those supports. Raising the Global Floor: Dismantling the Myth that We Can’t Afford Good Working Conditions for Everyone examines policies, protections and supports in 190 of the world’s 192 United Nations countries. It is the most extensive study ever conducted on these issues.
“The world’s most successful and competitive nations are providing the supports the United States lacks, without harming their competitiveness,” Heymann said. “Globally, we found that none of these working conditions are linked with lower levels of economic competitiveness or employment. There simply is no negative relationship at all between decent working conditions and competitiveness or job creation. In fact, we found that a number of these guarantees are associated with increased competitiveness. Ensuring a floor of decent working conditions is crucial for the majority of Americans. The United States lags far behind most of the 190 countries whose labor laws we examined.”
Raising the Global Floor also finds that:
- 163 nations around the world guarantee paid sick leave; the U.S. does not.
- 164 nations guarantee paid annual leave; the U.S. does not.
- 177 nations guarantee paid leave for new mothers; the U.S. does not.
- 74 nations guarantee paid leave for new fathers; the U.S. does not.
- 48 nations guarantee paid time off to care for children’s health; the U.S. does not.
- 157 nations guarantee workers a day of rest each week; the U.S. does not.
- 148 nations guarantee a wage premium for mandatory overtime, including the U.S.
http://researchtoaction.mcgill.ca/public_html/wfei/
Usa: selezionate le vincitrici dello Stevie Award for women in business
Finalists in the 6th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business were determined by the average scores of preliminary judges worldwide. Every entry with an average score of at least 7.0 out of a possible 10 was automatically designated a Finalist and was eligible to be considered in final judging, which determined the Stevie Award winner in each category.
Andando al link troverete la lista delle vincitrici per ogni categoria.
http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/women/awards/414_2252_20190.cfmUsa: declino della presenza femminile ai vertici delle aziende di Chicago
The Chicago Network 2009 Census found women directors decreased from 15 percent in 2008 to 14.1 percent this year. And seven companies have no women directors, up from six in 2008.
The number of Chicago companies with no women executive officers grew to 17 from 16. And 34 percent of the 50 largest companies have no women officers.
The census also found that the percentage of women of color in business leadership is down. In all, 2.7 percent of all directors are women of color, down from 3.1 percent last year and 3.5 percent in 2007.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-chicago-womenlead,0,1459247.story
Usa: donne ancora in minoranza tra gli executives della California
Our fifth annual study details the presence of women at the very top of the 400 largest publicly held corporations headquartered in the state. Our findings paint a disappointing picture of female representation on the boards and in the executive suites of these high-profile companies.
It's clear that women continue to be an untapped resource. The same innovative thinking that drives the world's eighth largest economy is not propelling women into top leadership positions at the largest public companies in the Golden State.
- Women hold only 10.6% of the board seats and top executive officer positions, down slightly but virtually unchanged from last year's 10.9%.
- 118 (29.5%) of California’s 400 largest public companies have no women board directors and no women executive officers.
- Only 15 of these 400 companies have a woman CEO.
- The Bay Area has the county with the greatest percentage of women directors, San Francisco County (15.7%), as well as the county with the least: Silicon Valley (Santa Clara County, 8.2%).
Bolivia: alle infermiere si richiede di indossare il velo islamico
Per fortuna, grazie all'indignazione popolare, questa brutta vicenda ha avuto un esito positivo.
Par ordre du directeur, tout le personnel féminin de l'établissement devra se soumettre à cette mesure, rapporte La Prensa de La Paz. Cette nouvelle a fait grand bruit dans le pays. L'opposition à Evo Morales a traité le chef de l'Etat de "vendu" et le courrier des lecteurs du quotidien déborde de lettres indignées.
"Nous respectons les lois iraniennes en Iran, les Boliviens appliquent d'autres lois que nous ferons respecter", a finalement déclaré Ramiro Tapia, le ministre de la Santé.
http://www.courrierinternational.com/breve/2009/11/27/des-infirmieres-obligees-de-porter-le-voile
Usa: in aumento le donne nei consigli di aministrazione delle grandi aziende del New Jersey
That’s up from 16.8 percent of board members in 2008, the institute said. The percentage of women on corporate boards had remained at around 16 percent for the past four years, after rising from 11 percent in 2005, according to the Executive Women of New Jersey.
“There is more consciousness and awareness out there of not only need, in terms of getting the talent on those boards, but also that women bring something special and different,” said Mary Hartman, the institute’s director. “There is correlation between the percentage of women on boards and the success of companies.”
But Hartman, who also is president of the Executive Women of New Jersey, said these increases represent “pretty slow progress, and a lot of people would still like to see [that] number larger than it is.”
Germania: le donne parlamentari vogliono poter portare i figli piccoli al lavoro
Segnalo la notizia perchè potrebbe avere delle ripercussioni positive anche per le donne che si trovano ad esempio ai vertici di enti pubblici o aziende private. Essere una madre non significa non potere o dovere dedicarsi con impegno al proprio lavoro, in questo caso quello di parlamentare.
There are several mothers in parliament who have infants, the paper said. Free Democrat Judith Skudelny recently caused a stir when she brought her four-month-old baby daughter into a parliamentary session.
Since then, several female parliamentarians have been pressing Bundestag administrators for a new rule to allow babies if mothers can’t find alternative child care.
Supporters of the measure are also reviewing other options to accommodate politicians with babies, such as a day care room near the plenary hall of the Reichstag building, the paper said.
Norvegia: strategie per l'aumento di donne nella ricerca scientifica
It is pointless to start a search for female applicants one week before the application deadline. If you want to increase the number of women in a male-dominated field, you have to make long-term plans. This is according to Tor Grande, who recently stepped down as head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU
“I think I have been successful in giving our female researchers confidence.”
“We have many talented students, especially women, yet they choose other career paths. It seems to me that female research fellows and researchers in our field perhaps need a little more acknowledgement that they are doing a good job. The men seem to have a greater degree of innate self-confidence.”
He believes the challenge is often to increase women’s interest in having the jobs that are advertised.
“This involves an awareness of how you approach women. There are some things that are important for women which may still not be so important for men, such as showing that the job can be adapted to family life.”
Three of the women hired in the department in 2008 were encouraged to apply. Grande believes it was important that they received a clear signal that they were well qualified and had a good chance of being appointed to the positions.
“In my experience, this is an issue you have to work with over time. Applying for academic positions is a matter of maturation. It is crucial to understand that some women who are potential job applicants need some persuasion.”
“What advice would you give other leaders in male-dominated fields who want to recruit more women?”
“I would encourage them to be aware of talented women starting at the student level. Notice those who are most able, find them good mentors and encourage them to apply for research fellowships so that several of them gain researcher expertise. I believe we will reap the benefits five to eight years later.”
Germania: ancora poche le donne nei consigli di amministrazione
Chancellor Angela Merkel may run the country but women only make up 2.5 percent of the members of executive boards at the 200 biggest German companies, holding 21 seats out of 833, according to the study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin.
Among the 30 firms listed on the DAX blue-chip index, electronics giant Siemens is the only group to have a woman on its board, it said.
"There will be no change in this trend without binding rules," the study concluded, citing the example of Norway, which mandates that companies must reserve 40 percent of seats on executive boards for women.
http://www.thelocal.de/money/20100127-24863.htmlUsa: ancora poche le donne a Wall Street
Ms. Krawcheck had been forced out as head of a comparable unit at Citigroup in August 2008, a highly publicized departure. Hers has been the only comeback among the three highest-ranking Wall Street women removed during the financial crisis.
“I don’t think I set foot in a restaurant where some woman did not come up to me and thank me for getting knocked around and going back in,” Ms. Krawcheck, 45, recalled in an interview at Bank of America’s corporate office in New York. “It was unexpected and quite fantastic.”
The outpouring over Ms. Krawcheck’s return reflects deep anxiety among women in the financial industry that their career paths are narrowing even as business picks up again.
Women have always been drawn to finance in smaller numbers than men. But after nearly two decades of increased hiring and promotion of women on Wall Street, their ranks appear to be shrinking again.
And a growing number of women run investment portfolios at college and prep school endowments. The Harvard endowment, the largest in the United States, is managed by Jane Mendillo.
But in the heart of Wall Street, the aggressive environment on the trading floor is often cited as a reason that women are rare at the top. Others cite the dearth of women to aid in career networking.
“It is more difficult for women to come back because the environment in financial institutions is generally more hostile to women,” he said. “This culture has developed over a very long period of time, and it has been exacerbated as the firms’ emphasis has shifted from traditional investment banking to sales and trading, which is an even more macho culture.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/world/28sallie.html?scp=1&sq=Wall%20street+women&st=cse
Egitto: discriminazione contro le donne giudice
The Council of State's association voted by an overwhelming majority against appointing women as judges in the council, Egypt's MENA news agency said.
Hossam Bahgat, an expert on human rights law and director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, criticised the judges' decision on Monday.
"I'm disappointed to see that there is a deep-seated bias prevalent among judges against women," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100215/wl_mideast_afp/egyptwomenrightsjustice_20100215191045
Usa: proposta legge per aumentare la presenza femminile nei lavori non-tradizionali
“For far too long, women have been under-represented in higher-paying jobs as a result of inadequate training, stereotypes, and lack of information” said Congressman Polis. “As our nation works to rebuild the economy, it is essential that we take action today against gender inequity in the workforce and promote diversity and equal opportunity. This legislation will help women, especially low-income women, gain the same access to high-quality, high-paying jobs that men have had historically, so they can support their families and play an even greater role in strengthening America’s economy in the future.”
two-thirds of working women are concentrated in only 5% of occupational categories, most of which are among the lowest paid occupations,
To address this gender inequity, the Women WIN Jobs Act will help recruit, prepare, place and retain women in high-demand, high-wage nontraditional jobs
Germania: Deutsche Telecom introduce quote per le donne nei consigli di amministrazione
Si stanno cominciando a rendere conto che senza le quote i passi in avanti per le donne nelle posizioni apicali sono scarsi o nulli.
Europe's biggest telecommunications group, Deutsche Telekom, said Monday it would introduce a 30-percent quota for women in senior positions by the end of 2015.
"Having a greater number of women at the top will quite simply enable us to operate better," chief executive Rene Obermann said. "Taking on more women in management positions is not about the enforcement of misconstrued egalitarianism. It is a matter of social fairness and a categorical necessity for our success."
http://www.thelocal.de/money/20100315-25883.html
“As an economist, I'm for self-regulation and creating voluntary incentives for companies to hire women,” Elke Holst, from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), told Deutsche Welle. “But, personally, I feel too little has happened and stronger action, such as legislation, may be necessary.”
According to DIW, only 2.5 percent of all executive board members in Germany's 200 largest companies (excluding the financial sector) are women, and only 10 percent of all seats on supervisory boards are occupied by women.
Overall progress in Europe has been slow, with the exception of Norway. In 2008, the Nordic country introduced a law mandating a 40 percent representation of women in boardrooms, with penalties for those companies that fall short of the quota.
According to a study conducted by the European Professional Women's Network (EPWN), the percentage of women on boards in Europe's 300 largest companies was 9.7 percent at the end of 2008, up from 8.5 percent in 2006 and 8 percent in 2004. Without Norway, the percentage dropped to 9.1 percent.
“We conduct the study only every two years because, as you can see, there has been very little progress,” said current EPWN president Monica Pesce, who is also president of the Professional Women's Association in Italy.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5357141,00.html
Norvegia: più donne nei consigli di amministrazione migliorano le performances
A higher number of women directors leads to greater emphasis on competence-building in the board. A high percentage of women also reduces the board’s conflict level. This has made Norwegian boards more effective, according to a new study from BI Norwegian School of Managemen
More countries are beginning to see Norway as a pioneer in the work to get more women elected into leadership positions in both the private and public sector.
Does it make a difference?
Morten Huse, Professor at the BI Norwegian School of Management, has been trying to find out whether more women directors have led to de facto changes in the work of corporate boards. And if so, what results can be attributed directly to the female factor?
They found that boards with high female representation spend more time working on strategic control than boards with fewer women.
This includes work relating to management strategy, to how the organisation performs its tasks and to health, environment and safety. These are areas that require high analytical and visionary skills.
The researchers found no differences in the boards when it came to solving more operational, routine board work (budgets, following up accounts). These are tasks the corporate boards solve equally well, whether they have few or many women in their midst.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=71042&CultureCode=en
Usa: fondi per aumentare la presenza femminile nei lavori verdi e non-tradizionali
Un'ottima notizia da oltreoceano.
The Women’s Bureau (WB) and the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Office of Apprenticeship (OA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announce the availability of Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Act (WANTO) grant funds of approximately $1,800,000 to assist employers and labor management organizations in the placement and retention of women in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations.
Unlike recent WANTO SGAs, which were limited to the construction industry, this SGA expands the focus to include a broader range of industries including advanced manufacturing, transportation, and construction, and “green” jobs in industries related to these three industries.
http://www.dol.gov/wb/federalregister3-30-2010.htm
http://www.dol.gov/wb/media/reports/whyisgreengoodforwomen_factsheet.pdfArabia Saudita: Lama al-Sulaiman, eletta alla guida della camera di commercio di Jeddah, promuove l'accesso al lavoro per le donne
That might not be news in most places. It was in her country, where al-Sulaiman is the first female to hold such a post in Saudi history.
“With King Abdullah, we are changing so that women can have far more opportunities,” said al-Sulaiman, wearing a black abaya long-sleeved robe and a headscarf, in a 10th-floor conference room overlooking the Red Sea.
“By including more women in the labor force, you increase productivity” and thus add jobs to the economy, said John Sfakianakis, chief economist at Riyadh-based Banque Saudi Fransi. “By employing them, the government will get a return on its investment in education.”
“Saudi women are participating positively in all programs of development by standing alongside their male brothers as students, employees, teachers, and businesswomen,” Abdullah said in a March 7 speech in Riyadh.
A women’s university in Riyadh that can house 26,000 students is under construction. And law and engineering degrees are now available for women, who previously were mostly restricted to studying medicine or education, al- Aiban said.
“What we’re doing today is creating opportunities for women within the limitations that exist in Saudi Arabia,” she said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aRiu1lPRlt2Y
Usa: Bloomberg ha discriminato le lavoratrici incinte
Dozens of women are suing Bloomberg LP, charging their careers were sidetracked after they went on maternity leave - and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found a pattern of discrimination.
"My belief is that the judge will want a jury to hear that issue," countered lawyer Richard Roth, who represents several of the 79 women in the class-action suit.http://www.nydailynews.com/news//2010/03/25/2010-03-25_bloomberg_suit.html
Merryl Lynch e Bank of America sotto accusa per discriminazione di genere
The lawsuit, Calibuso, et al. v. Bank of America Corp., et al., charges that Bank of America and Merrill Lynch have engaged in a pattern and practice of gender discrimination against their female Financial Advisors with respect to business opportunities, compensation, professional support, and other terms and conditions of employment.
"Bank of America and Merrill Lynch both have a long history of failing to provide equal employment opportunities to their female Financial Advisors, and since the merger of the two firms, the problems have only continued," said plaintiffs' attorney Adam T. Klein of Outten & Golden LLP of New York, New York.
The complaint charges that, among other things, Merrill Lynch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America, discriminates against female Financial Advisors in account distributions; partnership opportunities; upfront money, pay-out rate, and other benefits in its compensation plan; as well as in other opportunities for brokers to increase their income.
Danimarca: in aumento gli uomini che prendono il congedo di paternità
Experts say trend of men taking more time off work following their children’s birth is beginning of a social revolution
More men are choosing the pram instead of the desk, according to new figures that reveal an increasing number are opting to take the full ten weeks possible off work following the birth of a child.
In Copenhagen, the proportion of public sector fathers taking extended paternity leave is rocketing, with those taking the full ten weeks having almost doubled in the last four years. Nine percent did so in 2005, whereas 21 percent did so in 2009, with the average number of days off jumping from 26 to 38 over the same period.
The figures also hold true for Århus Council, where HR director Per Jensen noted a similar trend.‘We’ve seen a similar phenomenon, especially among academics, who take the full amount of leave offered,’ he told Politiken newspaper.
‘This is a very significant development in which we’re experiencing a whole new generation of men with different values. It’s happening mostly in the public sector, because that is dominated by women who generally promote the idea that family values should be a priority. But there’s no doubt the trend will spread to the private sector,’ he said.
Egitto: le donne lottano per poter diventare giudici
When women tried to join the bench on Egypt's top administrative court, the uproar from its judges was fierce. Women are too emotional, they insisted
Egypt has a century-old women's movement, and women have long served as government ministers and business executives, doctors and other professionals — not to mention the large numbers working in factories, small businesses and household industries.
But the dispute illustrated how so far, progress for women in the workplace has not soaked down in the public consciousness to create a widespread change in attitudes — particularly at a time when many popular Islamic clerics on television and other media promote a message that women's roles are inherently different from men's, and more centered around family and the home.
Women's groups picketed the State Council, defending their right for the position. They argued that the women had passed all the necessary standardized tests to become council judges.
"They say their decision to ban women from the bench is out of compassion for us, they want to spare women the tiring, difficult work," columnist Amal Abdel-Hadi wrote in the independent daily, al-Masry al-Youm. "These judges have obviously not worked as a public school teacher, a nurse or a midwife."
"Thirty percent of homes in Egypt have women as heads of households," she wrote, "and the reality is that Egyptian women will even travel abroad, leaving their families behind, to find a way to feed them."
The council's supervisory body overruled the assembly on Feb. 22, and council chief Mohamed al-Husseini called the ban unconstitutional. That sparked legal action by the judges in the assembly to oust him.
Finally, the prime minister referred the question to the Constitutional Court. On March 14, it ruled that all citizens are equal before the law, and backed the State Council's supervisory body's jurisdiction over the issue.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100406/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_women_judgesUsa: causa legale contro Novartis che ha discriminato contro le lavoratrici incinte
A few of plaintiffs' stories have been reported already, including that of the mother of twins who was repeatedly passed over for promotions given instead to men with worse sales numbers, and who heard a manager asking a recruiter if prospective sales reps were married or had children; the woman who said her manager explained he didn't like to hire young women, because "first comes love, then comes marriage then comes flex time and a baby carriage"; and the woman who claims she was encouraged to have an abortion
Israele: prima donna nominata Head Forest Ranger
“When I was young, I would look out my window in Ma’alot and see the beautiful trees,” Era said in an interview with Oded Shalom and Gidon Meron in last week’s Yediot Aharonot. “Who would have thought that the beautiful landscape would become my profession?”
Heitin, 29, was born in Latvia and immigrated to Israel at the age of 12. “For me, personally, the work in the forest gives me the feeling of getting away from the everyday race that everyone is in,” she told Yediot. “And yes, going around the forests, with the sounds and smells of the leaves, does it for me.”
Today, Israel is the only country in the world that has more trees than it did 100 years ago, thanks, in large part, JNF. In that sense, the trees tell a story of optimism and progress. But Era is here to ensure that the story of progress continues, not just with Israel’s forestry and infrastructure, but also with Israeli society in general — especially with the women.
Germania: donna immigrata denuncia datore di lavoro per discrominazione razziale e di genere
A woman born in the former East Germany is claiming discrimination after discovering the word "Ossi" preceded by a minus sign had been written on a job application rejected by a firm in western Germany. She's going to court.
Born in the former East Germany, Gabriela S. applied unsuccessfully for a job with a window manufacturer in the southwestern city of Stuttgart. When her application materials were returned to her, she found someone from the company had written the word "Ossi" preceded by a minus sign on her resumé.
"Ossi" is an term for eastern Germans that is often derogatory.
She is suing the company for discrimination based on ethnic origin. If she wins, the firm could be forced to pay her €4,800, or the equivalent of three months' salary.
Norvegia: progressi importanti per le donne nel mondo del lavoro
Norwegian politics since the fifties, have been to pave the way for making able women and girls visible in the labour market and to be eligible to high positions in the economy and decision-making processes.
Headwords are:
• Greatly extended and improved parental leave rules and benefits.
• Flexibility in work-life when having young children
• A rapid increase in kindergardens and day-care centers
Norway “invented” the father’s quota in 1993. Our parental leave scheme reserves today 10 weeks for the obligatory, nontransferable father’s quota. 90 per cent of the fathers make use of their right to the father’s quota, and the Cabinet intends to expand the father’s quota to 14 weeks.
These strategies have given very good results. Norway is today one of the front runners (no. 3 in the world) with regard to the level of equality between women and men. 80 per cent of all women aged 25 to 66 are in the labour force.
We believe that talents are equally distributed between men and women. A majority of university graduates are women, and increasingly also from business schools.
By introducing the quota-legislation, Norway was the first country in the world to demand gender balance on company boards.
Recent statistics also prove more women in management positions and in boards not covered by the law. Being on a board is a stamp of approval, they are visible and they have contacts - and as a result of this; offers of management position follows.
By this law gender equity in the business sector was put on the agenda and up for public debate – bringing in new perspectives and new stakeholders. Today women are more visible in corporate Norway than ever.
Still, it is of course important to keep in mind that any affirmative action is likely to fall through without a more or less gender equal society where women and girls are educated and working on equal footing as men.
Islanda: varata legge per la parità nei consigli di amministrazione
Anche se la notizia è riportata all'interno di un articolo che tratta di un argomento correlato nella stampa danese, ritengo giusto segnalarlo. Evidentemente in Islanda intendono seguire l'esempio vincente della Norvegia.
Iceland also recently passed a law that demanded boards that are comprised of more than three people have each gender represented by at least 40 percent before the start of September 2013.
http://www.cphpost.dk/business/119-business/48730-businesswomen-against-gender-quotas.html
Usa: le donne potranno chiedere giustizia per discriminazione di genere praticata da Wal-Mart
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that thousands of female Wal-Mart employees can sue the world's largest retailer as a single class over allegations that it paid them less than men and gave them fewer promotions.
The 6 to 5 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco is the latest step in a nearly decade-long battle to bring the case to trial. Wal-Mart said that it now plans to request that the Supreme Court review the ruling. But attorneys for the women said they hope the case will go to trial by the end of the year.
The original case named six plaintiffs led by Betty Dukes, a Wal-Mart greeter in California, who accused the company of paying them less than their male counterparts, despite having higher performance ratings and more seniority. They also claimed that they received fewer promotions and had to wait longer for them. The women are represented by the nonprofit Impact Fund and several other groups.
India: imam estremista lancia fatwa contro le donne che lavorano
Darul Uloom Deoband, the self-appointed guardian for Indian Muslims, in a Talibanesque fatwa that reeked of tribal patriarchy, has decreed that it is "haram" and illegal according to the Sharia for a family to accept a woman's earnings. Clerics at the largest Sunni Muslim seminary after Cairo's Al-Azhar said the decree flowed from the fact that the Sharia prohibited proximity of men and women in the workplace.
"It is unlawful (under the Sharia law) for Muslim women to work in the government or private sector where men and women work together and women have to talk with men frankly and without a veil," said the fatwa issued by a bench of three clerics. The decree was issued over the weekend, but became public late on Monday, seminary sources said.
Usa: l'azienda farmaceutica Novartis riconosciuta colpevole di aver discriminato le donne
Novartis was found to have practiced gender discrimination in pay, promotional opportunities and pregnancy-related matters, the lawyers said following a six-year class-action suit.
The jury in the US District Court in Manhattan awarded compensatory damages of 3.3 million dollars in total to 12 women who worked as Novartis sales representatives and named as plaintiffs in the case.
The case was brought on behalf of about 5,600 current and former female Novartis employees in the United States.
"Today's verdict sends a clear and powerful message to Novartis and every corporation in the United States: women are equal partners in our workforce," said David Sanford, a lawyer for the women.
"The days of second-class citizenship are over. Play by the rules or be subject to great exposure -- financially and reputationally," he said.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iBLquLzdIsV9OxauX0cc7EGJUZyQQatar: giornaliste di Al-Jazeera si dimettono per protestare contro pressioni legate all'abbigliamento ed al look
Five female news presenters at the pan-Arab Al-Jazeera satellite television channel have resigned over conflicts with management over dress code and other issues, a journalist there said on Sunday.
The news presenters who have reportedly quit are Jumana Namur, Lina Zahreddin, Lona al-Shibel, Julnar Mussa and Nofar Afli.
The Al-Hayat daily reported on Sunday that they had resigned in the past few days after petitioning management in January over repeated criticism from a top company official for allegedly not being conservative enough in their dress.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100530/lf_afp/qatarmediajazeerawomen
Usa: Report sulle donne nel settore della tecnologia
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) has just released its free comprehensive report, Women In IT: The Facts, which addresses the current state of affairs for women working in information technology (IT) and computing careers. The Facts discusses reasons why women in the industry leave at staggering rates and what companies can do to attract and retain them.
“The percentage of computing occupations held by women has been declining since 1991, when it reached a high of 36 percent,” the report says. “Meanwhile, the percentage of jobs held by women in almost all other sciences has increased significantly.”
The Facts offers businesses extensive data about how the loss of women in IT affects corporate profitability and U.S. competitiveness. For example, “companies with the highest representation of women in senior management teams had a 35 percent higher return on equity,” but “56 percent of women in technology companies leave their organizations at the mid-level point (10-20 years) in their careers.”
The report also provides detailed advice about what companies can do to combat the loss of female IT talent. The primary recommendation is for companies to develop an “ecosystem of reform,” which author and NCWIT senior research scientist Catherine Ashcraft outlines in the report.
http://www.ncwit.org/news.press.php?action=display&pressrelease_id=601Gran Bretagna: pubblicato il gender audit per la Chiesa Episcopale di Scozia
The Gender Audit Report was presented to General Synod 2010 by Mrs Elaine Cameron.
http://www.scotland.anglican.org/media/news/files/Gender_Audit_Report_General_Synod_2010.pdfBrasile: in aumento le donne nel settore edilizio
The women -- who represent just seven of the 90 workers -- are a new face of the labour market in Brazil, and they worked hard to reach the top of the scaffolding surrounding this eight-floor building that is going up in Rio de Janeiro.
"They told me I wouldn't hack it as a construction worker, but here I am," says 23-year-old Daiana Aguiar, a married mother of one.
She adds that many people she knows doubt that "I really plaster or lay bricks."
She and her female co-workers can thank the Mão na Massa (roughly, Hands On) Project that has been promoting the insertion of women in the labour market since 2007.
The programme, which is also aimed at boosting the self-esteem of women workers, is an initiative of the Federação de Instituições Beneficentes (FIB), a network of close to 250 civil society organisations, with the backing of Petrobras and Eletrobras, the state-run oil and power companies.
The women received 460 hours of teaching and training: 180 hours of hands-on coursework, 120 hours of training in areas like bricklaying, painting, carpentry and plumbing, and 160 hours of classes on subjects like citizenship education, gender and health, and workplace safety.
In the last four months of the course, the women receive the equivalent of a basic basket of goods per month.
The government's special secretariat for policy on women reports that female participation in civil construction has steadily increased in this South American country over the last decade. From 2008 to 2009 alone, it grew three percent, thanks also to the boom in construction driven by the increase in family income and the greater availability of housing loans.
India: le chiese discriminano le donne teologhe
"Ordination is often denied [to us] on flimsy grounds. Even if we succeed in getting ordained, we are not assigned duties as pastor but are posted as Bible [studies] women and hostel wardens," decried the women in a statement issued following their June 22 to 26 seminar.
"Theologically trained women, especially those who are qualified in women's studies, find few takers for their qualifications. We work as teachers in schools or, if in a theological institution, we are asked to teach subjects like English or ethics," the statement noted.
Several women delegates at the conference commented about the "disappointment and neglect" they face in their churches after undertaking theological education with much enthusiasm.
"We're really disappointed by the response of the churches to ordination and empowerment of women in the churches. Some churches ordain women with much fanfare. But, the marginalization they face after ordination is shocking. It's really frustrating for us to hear that many of them are virtually unemployed."
Usa: l'aspetto estetico considerato importante per le donne lavoratrici
A patto che ci sia lo stesso identico atteggiamento nei confronti degli uomini e delle donne, non vedo quale sia il problema nel privilegiare, a parità di altre caratteristiche, persone esteticamente curate anche se, personalmente ritengo che in un luogo di lavoro una persona equilibrata, serena e collaborativa anche se non di gradevole aspetto sia molto meglio di gente prepotente, arrogante o con altri tratti negativi del carattere.
Occorre però, ribadisco, adottare lo stesso identico criterio di giudizio per gli uomini e le donne.
Newsweek recently conducted two new polls amongst corporate hiring managers as well as a telephone survey of the national public in order to determine once and for all whether or not looks matter in the hiring process and at the workplace.
57% of managers believe an unattractive (but qualified) job candidate will have a harder time getting hired and 68% believe that once hired, looks will continue to affect the way mangers rate job performance
• 63% of the general public believed that being physically attractive is beneficial to men looking for work, and 72% said looks were advantageous for women searching for jobs
• When asked to rank nine characteristics in order of importance, looks ranked below experience and confidence, but above where candidates went to school and their sense of humor
• 61% of hiring managers surveyed (60% of whom were men) said a woman benefits from wearing clothes that show off her body at work, yet 47% said that women are penalized for being too good-looking at the office
http://www.ncrw.org/public-forum/real-deal-blog/fast-fact-work-good-looks-matter
Gran Bretagna: ancora poche le donne nei consigli di amministrazione
In the top 100 public companies, women made up 12.6% of executive directors, little changed from last year's 12.2%.
Taking into account all 600 companies quoted on the London stock exchange, the figure falls to just 5%.
The findings, from headhunters Egon Zehnder, come as the US prepares to introduce boardroom quotas for women and ethnic minorities.
A UK Treasury Committee report earlier this year highlighted the lack of women in senior positions in the financial services sector.
Women make up 44% of employees in the banking, finance and insurance sector, but are significantly under-represented at senior levels throughout the financial services.
It stopped short of saying more women on boards would have lessened the impact of the finance crisis, as some of its witnesses had maintained.
But it concluded that "not wasting a large proportion of talent seems more than sufficient to conclude that increased gender diversity is desirable".
The government this week responded to the Committee's findings, pledging to ensure that talented women were not being denied the opportunity to contribute to business and commercial decision-making
The UK has so far not proposed quotas to ensure better female representation at boardroom level.
But Egon Zehnder's managing partner in London, Andrew Roscoe, said other countries' insistence on affirmative action could have an impact in the UK.
Rwanda: le donne pilastro dell'economia nazionale
Her job at the Agaseke Project, a government run cooperative, has earned Ndizigiye a steady wage, her first savings account, and a taste of financial empowerment.
"I can pay school fees for my children. I can buy them clothes and food, and when I go out to the street people can see that I am really smart," she said.
Women like Ndizigiye are the economic backbone of today's Rwanda. The 1994 genocide left behind a population 70 percent female and when the bloodshed stopped it was women who picked up the pieces and started to rebuild.
Today there are still more women than men, and lawmakers are pushing for reform to help them and Rwanda prosper.
"In Rwanda there is a saying. The woman is the heart of the house, so if your heart is working well the whole body I think is also to benefit," said Dr. Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, a parliamentarian for the Social Democratic Party.
Ndungutse wants women to leave her company to start their own businesses. But there are challenges. Many will need loans, and with high interest rates and Rwandan banks still dominated by men, startup money is still not easy to access.
"So now we are looking, how can we overcome that problem? We must have women in these financial institutions who can understand these problems, "she said.
Parliamentarian Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo acknowledges the challenges. He says the government is investing in programs to teach women how to successfully apply for loans. But he says the real solution lies in the minds of Rwandans.
"We have to accept as a Rwandan and we have to accept as men specifically that the woman in Rwanda has to be a key player in our lives and we don't leave you aside or behind any aspect of our life," he said. "Let us empower them economically to make them generate money."
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/07/22/rwanda.women.business/index.html
Israele: i gruppi delle donne si mobilitano perchè anche le donne possano diventare Direttori di Corte Rabbinica
Da che parte starà Isreale? Si pronuncerà a favore del concetto basilare di parità tra uomini e donne o invece favorirà i cosidetti diritti religiosi che considerano le donne come cittadini di serie b? Staremo a vedere.
Eleven women’s groups got together last week to challenge gender discrimination that is written into Israeli law. As it stands, the Law for Appointing Judges bans women from applying for the position of Executive Director of the Rabbinical Court. Although such a law would have no doubt have been thrown out long ago from the American legal system, in Israel Version 2010, getting this law revoked is harder, it seems, than bringing the mountain to Moses, so to speak.
Last Wednesday, a group of women’s organizations, including the Israel Women’s Network, the Center for Women’s Justice, Naamat, WIZO, Kolech, ICAR, and several others, appealed to the Supreme Court in a suit against Justice Minister Ya’akov Ne’eman, to repeal the law on the grounds that it violates the basic human rights of women and women’s freedom of employment.
The appeal followed the Rabbinical Court’s job announcement published few days earlier seeking a replacement for the current executive director of the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court, Rabbi Eli Ben Dehan, who has been in the position for some 20 years.
Two women have already expressed interest in applying for the position: attorney Atara Kingsburg, current director of the Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women, and attorney and religious pleader Lily Horowitz.
http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/129827/
India: fatwa islamica contro le donne giudici
| Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband has issued an edict saying that Muslim women should not become judges as it is forbidden in the religion. | |
The seminary posted the fatwa on its website after a question was posed to it on the issue. According to Supreme Court advocate Kamlesh Jain, such fatwas affect the mindset of people and pose hurdles for Muslim women who want to opt for this profession. http://www.deccanherald.com/content/86630/now-darul-uloom-fatwa-against.html | |
Namibia:Johanna Kwedhi è la prima donna comandante di peschereccio
She is a living example of the empowerment of women in Namibia.
Johanna captains the Kanus, one of the largest trawlers operating from Luderitz Harbour, an old port rebuilt for today's fishing boats. It's her responsibility not only to navigate a coastline infamous for shipwrecks, but to bring in a profitable catch.
And this is an industry not used to women being, literally, at the helm.
"My responsibility is to command," Johanna says, working her six-hour shift at the bridge with her male chief mate and second mate.
"I have 23 crew members on board, they are all under my authority. My shipmates on board the vessel are wonderful. Each and everybody has his duty."
And then she adds, "We have procedures we have to follow, and if we don't we will have to see what happens."
"She is the one who gives the order, what have to be done for the day," says Chief Mate Aaron Alweendo. "The orders came from him - I mean from her!"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10893469
India: docente universitaria ottiene il diritto di insegnare senza il burqa
Eleven days after The Indian Express reported that a 24-year-old teacher of West Bengal’s first Muslim university had not been able to hold classes for more than three months because she refused to heed the student union’s diktat to wear a burqa, Sirin Middya has won her battle.
The university administration contacted Middya on Monday, asking her to resume duties without a burqa, assuring that she would face no problem. The student union too said the teacher was free to decide what she wore, as long as it was “decent”
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/burqa-in-university/658211/
Gran Bretagna: le donne manager guadagnano meno dei colleghi uomini
The research by the Chartered Management Institute is the latest to highlight the continuing gender gap, despite 40-year-old legislation making it illegal to pay men and women differently for the same work.
The gap is partly attributable to men having seniority or getting bigger bonuses. But even at junior management level, the study found women earn at least 1,000 pounds a year less than men.
The institute surveyed more than 43,000 managers in 200 organizations. It found that women's salaries are growing faster — up 2.8 percent last year, compared to 2.3 percent for men. At current rates, women's salaries will equal men's in 2067.
The Equality and Human Rights Commissions says reasons for the persistent gap include women's heavier family responsibilities and "stereotyping women's capabilities and skills."Canada: appello per un maggior numero di donne nei consigli di amministrazione delle aziende
Au Canada, Bâtirente et Vancity Investment participent à cette offensive concertée qui cible 54 sociétés dans le monde, dont sept au Canada.
Il s'agit du transporteur aérien West Jet, de la société de fonds communs CI Financial, du détaillant d'équipement de sport Groupe Forzani (Sport Expert), du producteur de pétrole et gaz ARC Energy, de la société aurifère Red Back Mining, de la société de technologies industrielles ABB Canada, ainsi que du spécialiste en gestion énergétique Schneider Electric Canada.
Ces entreprises ont toutes un point en commun: leur conseil d'administration ne compte qu'une seule femme... ou pas du tout. La liste n'est pas définitive.
D'autres sociétés pourraient s'y ajouter bientôt.
Il faut dire que les femmes n'occupent que 14% des sièges au sein des conseils d'administration des 500 plus grandes sociétés canadiennes répertoriées par le Financial Post, selon la version 2009 d'une enquête de la firme Catalyst.
Pour l'instant, les entreprises visées ont reçu une lettre de la part de la coalition qui leur demande de nommer davantage de femmes parmi les membres du conseil et de la haute direction. Dans un premier temps, la coalition veut lancer un dialogue avec les sociétés. Mais si les discussions achoppent avec les dirigeants, la coalition pourrait soumettre des propositions directement aux actionnaires lors de la prochaine assemblée annuelle des entreprises.
Les membres de la coalition sont tous signataires des Principes pour l'investissement responsable des Nations unies. Cette initiative découle de l'application des Women's Empowerment Principles qui ont été développés par le Fonds de développement des Nations unies pour la femme (UNIFEM) et du Pacte mondial de l'ONU.
Le débat se déroule aussi au Parlement. En mars dernier, la sénatrice Céline Hervieux-Payette a déposé le projet de loi S-206 visant à assurer la parité entre les hommes et les femmes au sein des C.A. des sociétés par actions, des institutions financières et des sociétés d'État.