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Are Women Discriminated Against?

Yesterday, I wrote a provocative piece about a list that I felt was exclusionary. I promised Valeria that  today I would write a piece asking another question: Are women discriminated against? I promised her I would write this post because if the answer is "yes," than I was terribly wrong to be offended by the W List. In fact, we need to do much more work to break down barriers than I realized.

It's a tough question. In 1973 I joined NOW because the answer was obvious. Yes, women were discriminated against in every part of our society. Today, I don't know the answer. But I know the perception, at least in business.

About 70% of women and 57% of men believe a glass ceiling prevents women from getting ahead in business, according to a study of 1,200 executives in eight countries, including the U.S., Australia, Austria and the Philippines conducted by Consulting firm Accenture in 2006. As for anecdotal evidence, most of the women I know well believe that have been and continue to be discriminated against in the workplace and in politics.

However, the same study reports confusing data. Women make about 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. However, the same percentage of men and women, 58%, felt they were fairly compensated. In the U.S., 67% of men were happy with their salaries, compared with 60% of women. But American women were almost as satisfied as men with the professional levels they had achieved.

Here's some more data to chew on, taken from the Center for Women’s Business Research:

• As of 2006, there are an estimated 7.7 million 51% or more women-owned firms, accounting for 29.7% of all businesses in the U.S. Majority (51% or more) women-owned firms in the U.S. generate $1.1 trillion in annual sales and employ 7.2 million people nationwide.
• Between 1997 and 2006, the percent growth in the number of 51% or more women-owned firms was nearly twice that of all U.S. firms (42.3% vs. 23.3%). Employment among 51% or more women-owned firms grew 0.4%, and annual sales grew 4.4%.
• Nearly 10.4 million firms are owned by women (50% or more), employing more than 12.8 million people, and generating $1.9 trillion in sales.
• Three quarters of all women-owned businesses are majority owned by women (51% or more), for a total of 7.7 million firms, employing more than 7.1 million people, and generating $1.1 trillion in sales.
• For the past two decades, majority women-owned firms have continued to grow at around two times the rate of all firms.
• Despite the fact that 60% of Fortune 1000 corporations spend more than $1 billion with outside suppliers annually, women-owned businesses account for only 4% of this market share (as of 2003).
• Women-owned businesses with $1 million or more in revenue are more likely than their smaller counterparts to have large corporations (34% vs. 12%) and government (31% vs. 8%) as their primary clients.

The question the above statistics bring to my mind is this: Are women-owned businesses growing at such a rapid rate because that is the best way for women to overcome a subtle but real male-dominated business environment that discriminates against women unconsciously and without malice but with harmful effects? Again, I don't know the answer but I think the question is worth discussing.

Another Side of Iraq

Before getting into the post, I need to share that I am an Associate member of an Order of nuns, The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. Our calling is peace through justice. We are not political, and represent as many views on this war as can be found in society. But we do take our mission seriously, and today I want to share the following with you.

Oxfam (Oxford Committee for Famine Relief) recently released a report about the staggering humanitarian crisis in Iraq.  This crisis is often overlooked in all of the other reporting on the war.  Oxfam's report is based on research from the UN, the Iraqi government and the NGO Coordination Committee in Iraq (NCCI), a network of non-profit NGOs working in Iraq.

Oxfam and other aid organizations have had to cease operations in Iraq due to the insecure environment and, in some cases, lack of financing. They now provide aid "at arm's length" through organizations still working there.

Oxfam's report calls for an immediate response to help the nearly eight million (almost a third of the population) Iraqis in need of emergency aid.

• Four million Iraqis - 15% - regularly cannot buy enough to eat.
• 70% are without adequate water supplies, compared to 50% in 2003.
• 28% of children are malnourished, compared to 19% before the 2003 invasion.
• 92% of Iraqi children suffer learning problems, mostly due to the climate of fear.
• More than two million people - mostly women and children - have been displaced inside Iraq.
• A further two million Iraqis have become refuges, mainly in Syria and Jordan.

The Good Shepard Sisters are involved in providing services to urban refugees, caring for 1,500 Iraqis in Syria.  According to the Sisters, one of the greatest needs is for medical care and treatment of psychological trauma.  Additionally, there is vulnerability to trafficking of women and children who are desperate to leave their dire situation.

Suggested Actions

• Pray
• Keep informed online by visiting the NCCI and Oxfam websites where you can also get a copy of their report.
• Join Oxfam's eCommunity
• The New York Times, BBC and other major news organizations have picked up this story.  Continue to monitor them for more information or and write letters, e-mails to the editors for updates.

Oxfam International is a confederation of 13 organizations working together with over 3,000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice.

Have We Gone Mad?

A burning car today rammed into Glasgow Airport terminal in Scotland, triggering a new terror scare after the United Kingdom was already on alert over the discovery of two cars in London loaded with explosives. (Full Story)

I am in my 6th Decade, and my life is blessed in many ways. But again my heart aches and my brain is on fire with anger, frustration and confusion.

Will the madness never stop?

We are marketing fear in which everyone loses: sometimes their very existence.

Private or Public: You Be The Judge

It has happened again. Private information, including Social Security numbers, are adrift but no one knows where they are. I don't know whether or not to laugh or cry.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released a statement reporting that a hard drive containing employee information who worked for the Homeland Security agency from January 2002 until August 2005 is missing. You read it right: TSA is a department within Homeland Security. TSA is responsible for securing our transportation systems, including airports and train stations. Are you feeling pretty safe right about now?

This is not the first time that the government has lost critical information. Some of the VA's records went missing not too long ago. How does this happen? Although private companies have experienced loss of records, our tax dollars don't support them, and we can choose not to invest in private business, either by ignoring their stock or by not purchasing anything from them. How do we ignore the government?

What is to be done? Is government incapable of conducting business at any level? Is this just a case of mistakes happen to all of us? How do we hold government agencies accountable? Should we privatize some government departments?

Where in the World is Anna Nicole Smith?

When death comes stalking and takes a life, there is sadness, no matter who dies. And I respect that.

This post is not in memory of Anna Nicole Smith nor is it meant to demean or disrespect her life and death in any way. However, when the news media makes the death of a 39-year-old faux celebrity its most important story over any 24-hour period, one has to ask why.

What was the celebrity of Anna Nicole Smith that makes her headline news in her death?

Being a topless dancer and a former Playmate of the Year may be titillating but is it news. Marrying an old rich guy who dies leaving his millions to be fought over, like a mud-wrestling match, is good Court TV fodder, but is it news? Appearing on television and radio drunk or stoned is sad, but is it news? Having a failed reality show is definitely not news, nor is the tragic death of her son or the birth of her baby.

All of the above belong on Entertainment Tonight, but do they belong on the front pages of the New York Times or the LA Times, or taking up most of the air time on FOX, CNN and MSNBC?

What are we or what have we become when the death of Anna Nicole Smith supersedes news that matters in our lives? How can this death for even a day replace Iraq, Afghanistan, the Palestinian/Israeli dispute, global warming, education and politics?

Should a person whose credits represent mostly a sad and troubled life, with few accomplishments, ever be the focal-point of our news? Is this kind of reporting one reason why the fourth estate has become so diminished in our lives that most of us say we don't trust the news? Where in the world is Anna Nicole Smith that makes her headline news?

Does Hopewell Equal Hope?

Credit CNET (actually my habitual surfing of news organizations and the Internet) for my discovery of Hopewell, New Jersey. Well, not exactly. If you offered me a $1,000,000, I couldn't find Hopewell, New Jersey on a map. But I could tell you about The Hopewell Project and why I believe it is important.

Background: Energy is killing us. Well, actually it's killing those we send to the Middle East to ensure a steady flow of oil. But if we don't change our energy consumption and acquisition, it is likely that sometime in the future every American could face the enemy right here at home. Hopewell may prevent that scenario from becoming a reality.

The Hopewell Project is responsible for the house on the right. From the outside, it looks like any other home. But on the inside, its energy source comes from solar panels and a hydrogen storage system. According to a CNET article, "In the summer, the panels generate 60 percent more electricity than the super-insulated house needs."

The Hopewell Project's web site tells us that "The Solar-Hydrogen Residence is an ongoing initiative. The combined solar, hydrogen, and geothermal systems serve as a laboratory for testing alternative equipment and developing additional technologies for applications in domestic settings."

Anything that holds hope for us to wean ourselves off foreign oil is worth paying attention to. It could save our lives and those of our brave military.

Help stop the genocide in Darfur!

Everyday, the 2.5 million people chased from their homes in Darfur face the threat of starvation, disease, and rape, while the few lucky enough to remain in their homes risk displacement, torture, and murder.  Therefore, I call on you to write your elected officials and ask them to do the following:

1. Push for the immediate deployment of the already-authorized UN peacekeeping force.

2. Strengthen the understaffed African Union force already in Darfur until the UN force can be deployed.

3. Establish a no-fly zone.

4. Increase humanitarian aid and ensure access for delivery.

If you prefer, click here to sign the online petition to save Darfur and to get more involved.

SaveDarfur.org has a post called "Advertising Campaign" that's worth checking out...

Television"Voices from Darfur"

Reach out and help another this holiday season. Thank you for caring,

Lewis

Where Do We Go From Here?

It's the day after the election, and few took my advice to not vote. Record turnouts must mean that Americans did their homework and went to the polls armed with information and opinions. Way to go!

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Democrats gained a majority in the House and the Senate is deadlocked at 49, with two seats too close to call. No matter how the Senate turns, we must ask ourselves, where do we go from here?

Already pundits are telling us what the election means. Since none have any voter research available other than the results and exit polls that ask broad general questions, it is safe to say these pundits don't have a clue.

But our concern should not be for what talking heads write and say but for what our elected officials think the messages are that Americans sent yesterday. Usually, those who win think they have a mandate and those who lose think voters missed their key points. Neither is true, of course.

As a marketer I am biased toward research. But wouldn't it be great if elected officials got together in a bi-partisan fashion and asked non-leading questions to learn what Americans want their lives to look like?

One can dream.

For another excellent perspective, check out Full on Seth Godin's blog.

Don't Vote Unless...

As I write this, tomorrow is voting day in the US. I have been voting for one-year shy of four decades but never in that time has an election been so important. That includes the Vietnam War, during which I served 8-years in the military.

The outcome of this election answers Ronald Reagan's most important question: "Are you better off today than you were yesterday?" The "you" in that sentence is plural, if you believe what John F. Kennedy said two decades before Reagan uttered that political question: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?"

In this election the question and the statement should determine how we vote. If you like the direction government is leading us, you must vote Republican. If you don't like the direction we are being led, you must vote Democrat. If you don't know what the current direction looks like now and where it takes us in the future, I urge you not to vote.

Some 250-plus years ago, a famous statesman and philosopher said that the greatest danger to Democracy is that people vote and get to choose. His meaning was that most people have neither the expertise or the knowledge to choose wisely.

With the right to vote comes our most important responsibility. That responsibility comes with an obligation to know the issues and to know what each of us wants this country to be and to look like. Anyone who doesn't pay enough attention to the first and can't recognize the second probably should stay home tomorrow. It's the right thing to do.

Historically, the number of ballots cast represents only about 40 percent of U.S. citizens of voting age population going to the polls. I suspect that is too high based on the fact that most Americans when questioned don't know who Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld are. And an even greater number can not find Iraq on a map.

Up for grabs are 435 House seats, 33 Senate seats, governorships in 36 states, and thousands of state legislative and local races. In 37 states, voters also will determine the fate of ballot initiatives, including whether to ban gay marriage, raise the minimum wage, endorse expanded embryonic stem cell research and -- in South Dakota -- impose the country's most stringent abortion restrictions.

These issues are critical to our future. If you don't know these issues well and have a vision of what this country should stand for, take AARP's suggestion and don't vote.

In the words of Seth Godin, "In the right moment, something goes from ordinary to precious. From everyday to essential." It becomes "That magic moment". Don't blow it!

Sometimes Marketing Hurts

As a news and political junkie, I am suffering the pains that come with all addictions. For several years, the news has not been good:

• 9/11
• Afghanistan
• Iraq
• Growing threats from terrorism
• Run-away National Debt
• An economy flying for some, at a snail's pace for most
• Out-of-control immigration policies
• Rogue countries threatening everyone's peace and welfare
• Polarized nations, polarized governments and polarized peoples
• Young people unable to trust elected officials

And today on Seth Godin's blog in a post entitled Outsiders and the group, we are treated to a treatise by political activist Paul Weyrich who on NPR yesterday said, "It has been known for many years that Congressman Foley was a homosexual. Homosexuals tend to be preoccupied with sex - the idea that he should be continued, or should have been continued as chairman on the Committee for Missing and Exploited Children, given their knowledge of that is just outrageous." Seth asks why such hurtful words, even if sincerely felt, have to be uttered. It's the right question to ask.

I find the current state of our culture exhausting, frustrating, terrifying, confusing and incomprehensible. Sometimes marketing hurts. When we choose messaging such as Weyrich's words to sell an idea, product, service or candidate, we do harm.

When Republicans use marketing to accuse Democrats of an unpatriotic fervor to "cut and run," they indict millions of Americans unfairly and falsely. When Democrats accuse Republicans of serving only the rich and of not caring about the poor, they indict millions unfairly and falsely.

Both marketing messages are false and misleading, and the marketers creating them know it. Anytime we use marketing to separate people rather than to bring them together, we do harm. We create a system of "Us" and "Them". We create classes of people. suggesting some are better than others. We encourage consumerism of ideas, products, services and candidates based on half-truths, hyperbole, and the ability of the message to diminish another.

Instead, we should use marketing to do good. To sell ideas, products, services and candidates based on truth substantiated by facts, the absence of hyperbole and messages that speak to the value of our goods and services rather than the lack of value of other's goods and services.