Do Women in Business Really Matter?

Posted June 8th, 2008 by Susan Gunelius in Equality

I read an unsettling article on CIO.com today called “Do Women in Business Really Matter?“ It disturbs me for a few reasons, bus most of all, I can’t believe CIO would allow such a one-side, politically incorrect article to be published. That says a lot about their brand, and not good things.

Rather than swaying you by summarizing the article in my own words here, I’d like to ask you to take a look at the article (use the link above) then return here to Women On Business and share your opinion.

4 Responses to “Do Women in Business Really Matter?”

Lucy on June 9, 2008 2:16 pm
There was an article in this weeks Sunday Times (one of the top UK newspapers) which was discussing the positive discrimination at board level practised by Norway, which said:

” … refers to American research showing companies with the most women in top positions return higher profits than those with the least number of female directors.

One study last year by the influential New York think-tank Catalyst, which ranked hundreds of Fortune-500 companies by the percentage of women on the board, found the top quarter outperformed those in the bottom quarter with a 53% higher return on equity.

While another 2007 report, by the international management consultants McKinsey, looked at 89 top European companies and found those where women were most strongly represented on both the board and at senior-management level outperformed others in their sector in return on equity and stock-price growth.”

Need we say more, really?
Susan Gunelius on June 9, 2008 2:54 pm
Well said, Lucy! I think that sums it up very well!
Elizabeth Gordon on June 9, 2008 2:58 pm
Wow. Michael Hugos wasn’t kidding when he said he was in the mood to drop the politically correct BS. His call for a premature end to affirmative action type programs is ridiculous, especially given the premise upon which it is based, that they haven’t really worked. I loved Nell Merlino comments on women’s view of technology as a means to an end as opposed to the implied male flip side of loving gadgets for gadgets sake. It shows that women are results oriented and focused on the larger picture rather than the minutia.

Historically there have been inherent differences in the way that men and women run businesses and view their business objectives, specifically the emphasis on community and life/balance. However, as a new crop of Gen Y businesspeople enter the workforce they have a more evolved sense of self than young people ever have, and I am hearing from them these same values echoed in each of their business presentations. So perhaps it is not purely about gender but rather finding the appropriate balance between male and female qualities that both sexes possess.
Susan Gunelius on June 9, 2008 3:09 pm
I think you hit the nail on the head, Elizabeth. It shouldn’t be about gender or race but about finding the right mixture of skills, experience and personalities to create the best combination for business success.