McKinsey & Company

Women leaders, a competitive edge in and after the crisis

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This report provides a perspective on several levers that could raise the priority of gender diversity and increase the efforts to achieve it within organizations. The first one is to convince the skeptics of the benefits of having more women in top management: after all, there’s still a long way to go to persuade most executive boards and male business leaders of this. The second is to make gender diversity development a priority within organizations. The third lever is the most important for long-term effectiveness: implement appropriate programs. Based on our survey and our experience of companies that are highly committed to this issue, the success of gender diversity initiatives depends above all on deploying comprehensive programs that comprise a broad range of measures. It is not enough simply to provide more flexible working conditions or career management. Reaching a critical mass of women in the top management of organizations requires a critical mass of measures, if we want to create deep-seated and sustainable change.

Meet the Woman who Discovered a Whole New Type of Galaxy

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Now a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory, Mutlu-Pakdil analyses data collected from telescopes to help unravel the mysteries of the universe—especially how galaxies form and change over time.

While Mutlu-Pakdil and her team continue to study the intriguing object, she hopes that her work and her story will inspire other immigrants and students, especially those from underrepresented communities.

Illustration of Charlotte Moore, by Daniel Hertzberg

This Computer Was an Astronomy Star: Charlotte Moore Sitterly

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Computer used to be a job title, referring to a person who performed calculations on behalf of higher-ups who didn’t want to churn through data for hours or weeks at a time. In the early 20th century, most computers were women. (In the 1940s, one wag suggested we use the term kilogirl as a measure of digital computing power, where one kilogirl equals 1,000 hours of labor.) In 1920, a 22-year-old named Charlotte Moore, after dazzling the mathematics department at Swarthmore College, joined Princeton’s Department of Astronomy as a computer. She rose to astronomy’s highest ranks, a solar specialist who published five monographs and more than 85 papers.

Ellen Ochoa, Director of Johnson Space Center

Ellen Ochoa Was The First Latina To Go To Space, Now She Shares Her Top Career Lessons

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In 1993, Ellen Ochoa became the first Latina to travel to space after a career in STEM that built up to that moment and yet one of her top career lessons comes from a different part of her life.
“From my Marine friends, I learned to keep focus on two things: (1) accomplish the mission and (2) take care of your people,” shares Ochoa. “If you do #2 well, then your team will take of #1.”
As she thinks back on the things that helped her when exploring a career in STEM, particularly during a time when diversity was less present, Ochoa credits professors who mentored her and helped her visualize the future she wanted for herself and encourages Latinas at the start of their careers to do the same.

The Average Age of Motherhood and Fatherhood are 26 years and 31 years respectively

Read this before you have a baby (especially if you’re a woman)

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It seems so obvious: having kids affects men and women differently. Sure, emotionally and financially but most clearly in the simple way mothers and fathers spend their time. And when you actually look at how 10,900 Americans carve up 24 hours, the conclusion is pretty stark: if you’re a woman who enjoys paid work or relaxing activities, having kids will cramp your style. Being married with kids also isn’t looking like a great idea according to the numbers.

Three People Sitting, Looking at an iPad

Resources for Women, Minorities, & Other Audiences

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MyPerfectResume has created resources specifically set up to meet the needs or address the interests of various groups, such as women, persons of varied nationalities or ethnic backgrounds, and so on. The Riley Guide also provides pages of resources and information specifically intended for military personnel, ex-offenders and former felons, and disabled individuals – but there may be some overlap with those resources and the ones listed on this page. You’re certainly not limited to these resources, but they may have ideas or topics which speak directly to you. Even the resources listed under specific affinity groups may be useful to a broader audience. The Riley Guide’s page of Business & Employer Rankings also covers top employers for diversity groups.

50 Ways to Fight Bias Cards

50 Ways to Fight Bias: an activity that helps you combat bias at work

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Gender bias is holding women back in the workplace. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it harder for women to get hired and promoted and negatively impacts their day-to-day work experiences. This hurts women and makes it difficult for companies to level the playing field.

Pairing a card-based activity with a short video series, 50 Ways to Fight Bias gives people the tools to address gender bias head-on.