CORPORATE WOMAN ARCHIVES
Catherine Fox's corporate woman column.
2009
JUNE 23
The latest data on the significant under-representation of Australian women on boards and in management ranks is another important plank in the compelling argument for greater gender equity in organisations.
JUNE 16
What a relief to discover the glass ceiling that has so hampered women in the workforce has disappeared, according to Marks & Spencer executive chairman Stuart Rose.
JUNE 9
The first rung of the career ladder is usually assumed to be equally accessible to men and women in the workforce.
Providing women with the finance to start their own sustainable businesses throughout Uganda is a special focus for the country's former vice-president, Speciosa Wandira.
JUNE 2
The human resources role is being tested more than ever as executives find themselves increasingly focused on the bottom line, writes Catherine Fox.
MAY 26
Katie Page, chief executive of Harvey Norman and a director of the NRL, last week described the scandal over the Matthew Johns affair as appalling and disgusting but said the retailer would not be withdrawing its sponsorship of the game because of the actions of a minority.
MAY 19
Sometimes the debate about women and promotion becomes so complex, intense and emotional that it's easy to lose sight of why we are having it, and we may even wonder if the whole struggle is worthwhile.
MAY 12
Has a cohort of men with very similar backgrounds and ways of thinking been part of what led to the financial meltdown?
MAY 5
Let's start making the very real and rewarding work of caring for children more visible, Elizabeth Broderick, federal sex discrimination commissioner, told the National Press Club last week.
APRIL 28
There have been millions of people watching talent show contestant Susan Boyle from Scotland in the past couple of weeks and millions of words written about the grey-haired woman who defied expectations and sang so beautifully.
APRIL 21
Enough about Michelle Obama's arms. Yes, they are toned. Yes, she looks great. But could we move on?
APRIL 14
Tough times have some benefits, writes Catherine Fox.
APRIL 7
Women who are in their first few years in the workforce are one of the most sceptical groups when it comes to discussions about sexism or a gender divide.
MARCH 31
It is interesting to see which organisations make it as an "employer of choice" each year but even more interesting to note what some of them claim they are doing to tackle gender equity.
MARCH 24
Human behaviour is horribly complicated and yet at times also surprisingly predictable. The more research that is conducted on brain function, evolutionary psychology and the burgeoning arena of behavioural economics, the more we can identify why we make the same mistakes over and over, or ignore the evidence in front of our eyes.
MARCH 17
It's your call, and you need to make it fast. so how do you avoid the wrong
decision?
MARCH 13
There's something about a badly behaved woman, or one who has publicly failed
or been in a contentious position, that both fascinates and attracts disproportionate
amounts of vitriol.
MARCH 10
There's an alarming waste of talent and missed business opportunity as Australian companies ignore the advantages of promoting women, and it's time businesses committed to firm targets for women in senior management roles, according to the lobby group Chief Executive Women.
MARCH 3
As the Henry tax inquiry continues to consider input from interest groups on ways to overhaul our complex system, attempts are being made to get issues of particular concern to women onto the agenda.
FEBRUARY 24
There's a considerable gap between the reality of jobs today and the policies that govern the norms of the workforce, a seminar on part-time work in Sydney heard last week.
FEBRUARY 17
There's been some commentary in business circles over the past few weeks suggesting more women at the top of financial institutions may well have prevented the excesses that contributed to the global financial crisis.
FEBRUARY 10
Some of those attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week were particularly struck by one feature of the talkfest: there were very few women participating in or attending the forum.
FEBRUARY 3
As the financial crisis deepens, layers of jobs are cut and many highly paid executives face a worrying future, the knives have been coming out.
2008
DECEMBER 2
When word got out last week that the Rudd government was considering stalling the introduction of paid parenting leave it was described as a classic case of belt tightening.
NOVEMBER 25
The bad news about Australia's international standing in tackling gender equity just keeps on coming.
NOVEMBER 18
It was a remarkable display of unity, all the more unusual because it involved seriously competitive business types at a time of unprecendented financial upheaval. By Catherine Fox.
NOVEMBER 11
We need to drive it forward and there are a lot of men who believe in the issue, which helps. By Catherine Fox.
NOVEMBER 4
The reaction to the appalling Australian Census of Women in Leadership - released last week - was officially "disappointment" but informally there was a much blunter response.
OCTOBER 28
It is a disappointment, but not a major surprise, that the latest statistics show women's representation in senior roles of our leading businesses is sliding backwards.. By Catherine Fox.
OCTOBER 21
A few years ago, McKinsey consultant Joanna Barsh was interviewing some senior business women to find out what made them tick, and found herself taking a personal interest in the results.
OCTOBER 14
There's a wide range of issues over which Laura Liswood, an American workforce diversity expert and senior adviser to Goldman Sachs, could be losing sleep. By Catherine Fox.
OCTOBER 7
Motherhood can knock many women sideways with its incessant demands, as writer Monica Dux discovered when she had her first child a couple of years ago. By Catherine Fox.
SEPTEMBER 30
There's a terrific forum next month in Melbourne called the Business for Millennium Development Summit 08. By Catherine Fox.
SEPTEMBER 23
You couldn't call the last couple of years a period of rapid progress for women in the workplace. In fact, a senior woman in a large organisation recently described the present climate, around a few key issues such as flexible work, as not just going backwards, but going into free fall. By Catherine Fox.
SEPTEMBER 16
Since shooting to prominence, Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has attracted more than her fair share of attention. That was the point of putting her in the role. But some comments have reflected once again the contradictions surrounding women and positions of power. By Catherine Fox.
SEPTEMBER 9
Some lessons for young, university-educated women need some lessons in the realities of working life. By Catherine Fox.
SEPTEMBER 2
Sexual harassment in the workplace is disturbingly widespread, and it's almost seen as part and parcel of the job in some environments. By Catherine Fox.
AUGUST 26
Would someone please tell Leisel Jones, Libby Trickett, Sally McLellan and Anna Meares that women aren't competitive? These outstanding athletes are sure messing up the well-worn idea that us girls just don't want to win. By Catherine Fox.
AUGUST 19
Joseph Healy remembers the awkward feeling of being the only bloke at a table of senior executives when he attended a forum in July. The executive general manager of National Australia Bank's business banking division says the unusual experience reinforced his belief in the importance of supporting and encouraging women in the bank, particularly in the senior ranks. By Catherine Fox.
AUGUST 12
The day after West Australian Liberal leader Troy Buswell resigned last week, a group of women gathered in Perth for a conference on getting more women onto boards. By Catherine Fox.
AUGUST 5
The global economic slowdown is starting to make even the most optimistic advocates for equal opportunity in the workplace a little downcast. By Catherine Fox
July 29
No one ever said the fight for gender equity was
going to be easy, but then again, few women
would have predicted just how difficult the
progress towards greater parity has turned out to
be in recent years. Catherine Fox looks at the
complexity of challenging gender roles and the
need for fundamental change.
July 8
The pay gap and negotiation skills are hot topics in
just about every forum on women and work these
days. And so they should be. By Catherine Fox.
July 1
Legislated paid maternity and paternity leave has
proved a big talking point, but there's often very
little attention given to the long-term implications
for women. By Catherine Fox.
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