|
GLOBEWOMEN ENEWS ISSUE NO. LXIX October 17, 2007
THIS ISSUE’S HIGHLIGHTS:
I. GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN LAUNCHES “LEGACIES OF WOMEN” II. LINKING CORPORATE PROFITS TO WOMEN’S BOARD PRESENCE III. SAUDI WOMEN AND THE FREEDOM TO DRIVE IV. AVOIDING WEBSITE MISTAKES FOR NONPROFITS
I. GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN LAUNCES “LEGACIES OF WOMEN” At the close of the 2007 Global Summit of Women held in Berlin, Germany last June, the Consortium of Women to End Cervical Cancer was announced by Summit President Irene Natividad. This was a first-ever initiative on the part of the Summit . Why would a business-focused global gathering of women leaders take on this effort? The answer, according to Summit President Natividad, is simple: “No economic advancement is possible for any woman without a healthy body. Since cervical cancer is the only form of cancer that is preventable due to new vaccines and screening, it was important for women achievers such as those who participate at the Summit to leave a legacy of a cancer-free world to the next generation, just as we want to leave a legacy of an economic future that has more options for women and girls.”
Joining the Summit as part of this Consortium are the International Federation of Business/Professional Women, European Women in Management Development, the International Alliance of Humane Values and Soroptimists International – all with established presence in every part of the world. This month, the Summit launches its Legacies of Women Forum in partnership with EWMD at the Technical University of the University of Graz, Austria. At this Forum, corporate executives such as Maud Pagel, Senior Executive Vice President of Deutsche Telekom; Tina Reisenbichler, President of EWMD and T-systems executive; and Aida Sabo, Chief Diversity Officer of EMC Corporation, a data storage company based in the U.S., will communicate through a dialogue with Summit President Natividad, their legacies of career experiences with the university audience. At the close of the forum, information on how to create a cervical-cancer-free world will also shared with the audience. The Summit will include clips from this first Forum on its website in November.
After Austria, other Legacies Fora are planned for South Africa, Vietnam (at the 2008 Summit), and Mexico. A similar pilot series is planned for four cities in the United States for 2008. “This initiative fits the Summit’s focus on solutions,” adds Natividad, “what a gift we can leave to the next generation if women linked arms to eradicate this cancer that only afflicts women worldwide.” For more information on the Consortium to End Cervical Cancer, please log on to www.globewomen.com, click to the Global Summit of Woment.
II. LINKING CORPORATE PROFITS TO WOMEN’S BOARD PRESENCE A recent study of the 500 largest U.S. companies showed that those corporations with the highest percentage of women directors turned out to be more profitable and efficient than companies with few women directors. This report echoes a prior study by Cranston University in the U.K., which found a similar correlation between good financial performance and more diverse boards.
Catalyst, a U.S. organization that focuses on women in the workplace, found that , on average, companies with the highest proportion of female directors earned a return on equity that was 53% higher than those with the smallest percentage of women directors. Currently, American companies have less than 15% women’s presence on corporate boards. The 2007 report by Corporate Women Directors International on women directors in the 200 largest global companies found an even lower percentage of female directors – 11.2% -- from companies based in 26 countries (including the U.S.).
The U.S. companies with the highest percentage of women directors, according to Catalyst, include General Electric, ExxonMobil and IBM. Those with the lowest include Citigroup, Apple and General Motors. (Source: FT.com, 10/1/07).
III. SAUDI WOMEN AND THE FREEDOM TO DRIVE Last month, Saudi women demonstrated for the first time to campaign for the right to drive in the only country in the world that prohibits women from doing so. Through texting and emails, more than 1,100 signatures were secured online and at shopping malls for a petition to be sent to King Abdullah.
Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam that bars women from traveling, marrying or renting lodging without permission from a male guardian. Saudi Arabia’s powerful clerics state that allowing women to drive would lead to western-style freedoms and an erosion of traditional values. The prohibition to drive applies to all women, Saudi or foreign, in a country where public transportation is limited and taxis are not usable by women since riding with male strangers is deemed unsafe. Wajeha al-Huwaider, an education analyst who co-founded this effort states that “We don’t expect an answer right away, but we will not stop campaigning until we get the right to drive.” Even if they are not successful, the women feel that they have at least “broken a barrier of fear that Saudi women had of asking for their rights,” adds another campaigner. (Source: Washington, Post., 9/23/07).
IV. AVOIDING WEBSITE MISTAKES FOR NONPROFITS A U.S.-based web services company, SilverTech, found that nonprofits made similar mistakes when planning a web redesign, so the following tips were suggested:
|
|
Copyright © 2007-2008 Globewomen. All
rights reserved. "Corporate Women Directors International",
Any Questions & Comments, contact
GlobeWomen at summit@globewomen.com.
Or, write to us: |