Broadly Speaking

July 19, 2012

The woman-centric news of the week has been Marissa Mayer's appointment as CEO of Yahoo. It's probably safe to say this information has generated as much as or more comment than the Anne-Marie Slaughter article on (not) having it all. Then came the news Mayer was pregnant - followed by swift assurances that she'd barely take any time off and would 'be working throughout' her maternity leave. Enough to leave a normal woman feeling exhasuted (and skeptical)? Manoush Zomorodi, who appears in episode 5 of The Broad Experience, doesn't hold back on Mayer's decision and her - and our - reaction to it. Dysfunctional boobs, anyone? 

Amanda Steinberg of DailyWorth has been a pregnant CEO herself and her take is pithy and just as uncensored (just do it; ignore the naysayers). The ladies from tech startup Skillcrush have a twist on that take themselves: this is fabulous news for women - we salute you, Marissa! Then there's Stacy-Marie Ishmael's view that Mayer's news, far from being encouraging, leaves glass ceilings everywhere firmly in place.

I read a couple of pieces within a day that made me think about the whole leadership question afresh. Both involved young - in the first case, very young - females. This piece from Live Science magazine describes a study where girls as young as six are already indicating they want to be viewed as 'sexy' and the second, published in Forbes Woman, is written by a 19-year-old who ascribes her generation's general lack of interest in leading anything to the fact that they're too busy trying to be, and look, perfect. She argues that being judged on your looks, as women in public always are, is so stressful, what sane young woman would want to put herself out there in a leadership role? All I can say is that when I was that age I had no interest in leading anything either. Now I'm beginning to warm up to the idea. But it's taken me 20 years of experience in the adult world, complete with office politics, mistakes made, opportunities ignored or missed, dreams achieved and unachieved, to realize I might like to do this. Yes, the pressure to look good can feel crippling, but confidence often comes with age. Perhaps if someone asks this writer again in 10 years, she - and her contemporaries - may feel differently.

Episode 5: female entrepreneurship

July 6, 2012

I put together this latest show because a) I've been immersed in the world of entrepreneurship for a while now, thanks to CUNY's entrepreneurial journalism program, and it's made me curious and b) I am a cynic, so when I read a bunch of articles and tweets hyping female entrepreneurship, I'm wary. The last story I reported on female entrepreneurs was back in the winter and it didn't leave me with the feeling that everyone and her mother was suddenly starting their own company. But to read these pieces you'd think tons of women were quitting their jobs and going it alone. Some have, certainly (or become entrepreneurs out of necessity, having been laid off) but there's much about this topic that gets left out of all the 'you go girl' comments. And there are many skills needed to become a successful entrepreneur, skills a lot of women haven't cultivated, including that of asking for money.

Visit She Means Business to find out more about the documentary, which aims to shine a light on the successes and struggles of women entrepreneurs and provide a few role models, and Manoush Zomorodi's site for more on her and her book on (much needed) on-camera skills.

Strutting Your Scientific Stuff

June 22, 2012

I was horrified and slightly amused when I first spotted this video earlier today.  Amused with a gasp thrown in.

I can hardly believe the European Union thinks this is the way to let young girls know that science is 'a girl thing'. Strutting models, high heels, pouts, giggles, lipstick motifs, and a guy who clearly can't take his eyes of these hookerlikes - er, I mean young women with a scientific bent. Why, in 2012, are bureaucrats making stuff like this? Were there any women among them? It's another depressing reminder that for too many people, 'female' is synonymous with 'sexy' - and that the EU thinks the only way to sell girls on science is to package it as a fashion show. As of this writing the video has almost 3,000 'dislikes' and only 100 'likes'. 

This reminds me of the post I wrote in May about some of the logos I received when I put out a design brief for The Broad Experience on a design contest site. Several came back including semi-clad or naked women in provocative positions. Bond girls are what come to mind when I say 'women and work'? And that was a female designer. Which makes me wonder whether any (presumably) sensibly clad female Eurocrats had a part in creating this '80s-esque video. This Washington Post piece on what is fast becoming a backlash includes some tweets from the scientific community. But from what I gather here, the people behind it don't seem to realize they're reinforcing any stereotypes.

Excuse me while I dry my nails next to a Bunsen burner.

Next time on the show - the buzz about female entrepreneurs

June 21, 2012

I've been bombared lately with a blizzard of tweets and articles about an explosion of women entrepreneurs. Like this one by Natalie MacNeil on Forbes and this earlier one by Meghan Casserly about Gen Y women's leap into entrepreneurship. Then there's Kathy Caprino's piece about the new film She Means Business. I know Kathy from Twitter, have interviewed her for a past story, and I've backed the She Means Business Kickstarter campaign - can't wait to see the film. I am also spending a lot of time at the moment attending networking events with female entrepreneurs, and my hat is off to them (and me!) They're motivated, hardworking, enthusiastic and smart.

But here's what gets me about the hoopla: last year I started reporting a story about female entrepreneurs for Marketplace, which aired in January. My story was spurred by another blast of tweets in the fall of 2011, and these were about the very opposite of what I'm hearing now: why there was a dearth of female entrepreneurs. The fall frenzy was kicked off by this Fast Company blog post. All the data I have seen points to this: that there are still fewer women-owned than men-owned businesses and that women-owned businesses are far less likely to make a lot of money, particuarly to exceed the much-vaunted million dollar revenue mark.  You can read more in this Kauffman Foundation report on why more women-owned businesses would mean a healthier economy and this AMEX Open report on the state of female entrepreneurship. So what's going on now? Why can't I go for more than a few minutes on Twitter without seeing a 'you go girl!' tweet with a link to one of these articles? (And some of them came out before She Means Business was announced.)

That's what the next episode of The Broad Experience will be about - the extent to which female entrepreneurship really is changing the world. Or not. I am thrilled that women are getting up the courage to quit unrewarding jobs and form their own businesses. I even count as a female entrepreneur myself now. But I don't quite trust what reads to me as hype over women going it alone. Several of the excited articles state that women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men. Yet I could find no data to that effect and when I checked with a source who's spent her life in this sphere, she said it was untrue - that it's old information that continues to be recycled. 

I'm hoping to interview the women behind the film She Means Business as well as Nell Merlino of Make Mine a Million, the nonprofit that helps women business owners break the million dollar mark. And I'll be very happy to have my cynicism knocked out of me.