Businesswomen still hit glass ceiling

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Businesswomen still hit glass ceiling [By Michael Kinsman] If you’ve been waiting for the day that women gain equality in executive suites and board rooms, you’ll need patience.

Research recently released by the University

Thiederman says she has seen very little

“Women may not play golf with men, or

of California at Davis shows that women hold

evidence that men consciously discriminate

maybe they weren’t in the service with them,

10.2 percent of the total executive officer

to hold women out of leadership positions

but they can have a comfort level with each

positions and board slots at the state’s 400

in the corporate world. Instead, she says,

other,” she says. “When this happens, I think

largest public companies.

some women simply aren’t as committed to

you will find more women in the executive

a career as men and choose to spend time on

ranks.”

That’s the same percentage as a year ago.

raising their families.

“As the epicenter of innovation, the eighth-

Thiederman acknowledges that some men

companies, or 31 percent of the total studied,

largest economy in the world in its own right,

might have inadvertently stifled the careers

have no female board members or female

and a trailblazer in social trends, California

of women because they prefer to have close

executive officers. More than 50 percent

should be in the forefront of women’s

associates who think like they do.

of the companies have no women in the

The UC Davis study found that 125

leadership in the corporate arena,” says

boardroom, and 48 percent have no women

Katrina Ellis, an assistant professor at the UC

“We have to face up to the truth that

Davis Graduate School of Management and

there are cultural differences between

author of the study. “The truth is, it is not.”

the genders,” Thiederman says. “Men

Chris Melching, chief executive of the

and women have different styles of

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Forum for Women

The survey shows that women hold 11.7 percent

communicating. But what we need to do is to

Entrepreneurs and Executives, is offering a

of all executive jobs in those companies and 8.8

find a way that they can be comfortable with

new placement service that identifies and

percent of all board positions.

each other for women to be accepted better.”

recommends experienced and qualified

Women make up 45 percent of California’s 17

Thiederman said one Texas financial

million-member work force.

institution has a two-way mentoring

She hopes that calling attention to the lack

program that pairs individuals with different

of women in key corporate positions will be

“I don’t think it’s realistic to expect women

backgrounds. One such match features a

a catalyst for change. But the UC Davis study

to hold 45 percent of those executive jobs,”

white male executive linked with a younger

shows she’ll still have to have patience.

said Sondra Thiederman, author of the book

Filipina. The idea is for them to get to

“Making Diversity Work” (Kaplan, $25).

understand each other’s cultural differences

in their executive ranks.

women for openings on boards of directors.

so they can work together more efficiently.

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