Daily Blog
More Work To Be Done
Women hold only 10.9% of board seats and executive positions in California's 400 largest public companies, according the fourth annual UC Davis Study of California Women Business Leaders.
Although the number has steadily increased over the past four years, from 10.2% in 2005 and 2006 to 10.4% in 2007, the shift is slow and incremental.
The study also found that half of those companies do not have women in top executive offices -- and almost half don't have any women on their Boards of Directors. A third of the companies surveyed had no women in either a top executive post or on their governing board.
The percentage of companies with a female CEO has, since 2005, stayed at 3 percent. Women held approximately ten percent of the 3,280 board seats of the surveyed companies, up from 9.4% in 2007.
The findings of the study indicate that some progress has been made towards gender equality in the boardrooms and corner offices of California. Unfortunately, that progress has been small. We at the Women's Conference are encouraged by the steady increases, but the lesson of this study is clear: there is much more work to be done.
To find out more about the survey's methodology and findings, visit the UC Davis site[1] or read their column[2] about the survey.
1. [http://www.gsm.ucdavis.edu/Faculty/index.aspx?id=3224]
2. [http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8833]
Please share your workplace experiences and your thoughts about the survey in the comments section!
Legendary Women Among Hall of Fame's 2008 Inductees
The California Museum's California Hall of Fame, created in 2006 by First Lady Maria Shriver, held a ceremony last week honoring its inductees for the year of 2008. The Governor and First Lady hosted a star-studded event on December 15th to welcome twelve new Californians into the 2008 Hall of Fame. Among those honored were several women whose inspiring stories are a testament to the values that we at The Women's Conference hold dear. Acclaimed actress and activist Jane Fonda was at the ceremony, both to present other honorees and to accept her own award.
Survey finds despite economy, California women remain optimistic about economic opportunities
A survey conducted by FedEx at The Women's Conference 2008 found that a majority of women are planning to cut back spending and travel this holiday season. Nonetheless, the survey also found that women are generally optimistic about economic opportunities. Of those women surveyed, 87% of women said that their household financial situation was the same or worse this year than in previous years. 73% said that they were spending less this year on holiday shopping, and more than half said that they planned to both travel less and spend less.
In Memory of Minerva Award winner Jane Alexander
Minerva Award winner, Jane Alexander, 86, died Sunday, December 14, 2008, in Greenbrae, Calif. She was diagnosed with kidney cancer in October of this year. A leading advocate of victim's rights and a tireless fighter for reform of the criminal justice system, Mrs. Alexander co-founded the nonprofit organization Citizens Against Homicide. Mrs. Alexander was honored by The Women's Conference with a Minerva Award in 2006.
Join us for a journey on the new Remarkable Women Legacy Trail!
On Monday, Nov. 17, 2008, the California Museum launched the new Remarkable Women Legacy Trail. The Legacy Trails highlight points throughout California that make our state truly unique. Go to http://www. californiamuseum. org/trails/ and join us for a journey! .
Celebrating Our Veterans
Today we celebrate the service of those who have defended our country. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed Armistice Day on November 12, 1919. On May 13, 1938, Congress officially approved the 11th of November of each year a legal holiday honoring those who fought in World War I. A shoe store owner named Al King along with The Emporia Chamber of Commerce campaigned to change the holiday to be a more inclusive celebration of all military veterans. On May 26, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed an amendment changing the word "Armistice" to "Veterans.
Congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama!
We hope that you excercised your right to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Now, please join The Women's Conference in congratulating Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America. Find on this post a YouTube video of his election night speech and a link to the transcript. President-elect Obama addressed the crowd on election night and said, "Change happens -- change happens because the American people demand it, because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
Empower through your Vote today!
Let's remember that the struggle for women's voting rights in America lasted for144 years and 94 years for African Americans. Let's not take our rights and freedom for granted! Provided on this post are links to resources about voting. Also, watch a video from KCAL-9 on the differences of political opinions in the California Governor and First Lady household.
Empowering live blogger video of conversation featuring Michael J. Fox, Russell Simmons
On the day of The Women's Conference, many empowering conversations happen at the same time. This year, the conference created a team of volunteer bloggers to cover the breakout sessions live from the audience level. What was captured was an authentic perspective of once-in-a-lifetime conversations full of insight and inspiration. You can view a video shot by live blogger Christina Gagnier of the extroaordinary presentation, "Men We Love Who Use Their Voices. " During the session, one of our other live blogger Calley Nye wrote, "[Michael J.
Relive First Lady Maria Shriver's Speech and more at The Women's Conference 2008
Thank you for joining us last week for The Women's Conference 2008. If you missed the live webcast or would like to experience the inspirational and empowering speeches and conversations, you can view a replay of selected taped sessions. Stayed tuned this week and throughout the year, as we offer extra footage and individual segments of the leaders and visionaries who participated in this year's conference. Click here to launch our on-demand video player of The Women's Conference 2008. Choose from the menu on the right of the player to watch each segment.
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