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| Taking a Closer
Look: Business Women’s Day The climate of the modern business world is changing. Despite discouraging statistics aboutcorporate mobility for females, women are determined to move ahead. And American Business Women’s Day, held on September 22, offered a chance to examine and celebrate this eminent change. Professor Diane Baker of Else School of Management believes that education and determination are the keys to women’s success. Still, she is dismayed by the slow rate of change. “In 1975, women made 59% of male earnings for the same work. In 1997, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that this statistic had only risen to 74% in 24 years,” says Baker. “Although part of this pay gap can be attributed to women’s choice of careers, educational background, career interruptions and amount of experience, a significant portion is due to discrimination,” states Baker. She advises her female students to seek out jobs that are directly involved in operations and production. “These jobs are particularly critical to an organization’s survival,” says Baker, “and ultimately can lead women to more promotion.” In November 1998, Business Week reported that 11.2% of top level positions in Fortune 500 companies were filled by women, up from 8.7% in 1995. Still, 125 Fortune 500 companies don’t have a single female in the upper tiers. CEO Carly Fiorina of Hewlett-Packard and Jill Barad of Mattel are two shining examples of women who have found success in a male-dominated industry. And while it is still true that more men than women study traditional fields such as management and economics, the gap is narrowing. Millsaps business students Mary Lambdin and Catherine Hall are optimistic. Lambdin, a Natchez native who plans to attend graduate school, says, “I feel confident about breaking the glass ceiling. My abilities and maturity will help me reach my goal of working with a small accounting firm, where I feel my chances for upward mobility are better.” “I do think that males have an upper hand because of their historical place in upper management positions,” says Hall, an aspiring marketing professional from Meridian. “But more and more women are moving into those positions each year, inevitably creating a path for the rest of us. I hope to be a role model one day by showing that my strengths, not my gender, determine my level of success.” PREVIOUS PAGE | PAGE 1 OF 1 | NEXT PAGE |