Following its tradition of supporting those in need due to extraordinary events, the Global Summit of Women is donating an initial US$5,000.00 to the World Food Program of the United Nations for the victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. It is estimated that food donations will be needed for many months since Haiti’s economy is in tatters, and its infrastructure and housing have been devastated by this natural disaster. The Summit urges all within its family to donate whatever they can to either the World Food Program, Save the Children or the UN Foundation. Haiti is in such weakened state that its people will need assistance far longer than the immediate relief efforts, so please be generous. Many of you have already responded, but more is needed.

The Global Summit of Women raised US$33,000 at the 2008 Vietnam Summit for victims of the earthquake in China as well as for those devastated by the tsunami in Myanmar. Donations were given through the All China Women’s Federation for the women and girls in Sichuan province and to the World Food Program, which was distributing food to Myanmar. Similarly, US$10,000 was raised and given at the 2002 Barcelona Summit for the training of Afghan women in livelihood projects upon the occasion of the Interim Vice Chair of Afghanistan Sima Samar’s speech to the Summit.

III. THE ECONOMIC RISE OF U.S. WIVES

Surprise findings from U.S. Census data in a recent report by Pew Research Center indicate that U.S. wives are increasingly better educated than their husbands and that one in five are the major wage earners in their households. Whereas in the past women who married gained economic status, now the reverse is true.  American men now get an economic boost when they marry, especially when they marry women with equal or higher level of education.  Men are still the dominant wage earners since women are paid less, but the percentage of women who earn more than their husbands grew from 4% in 1970 to 22% in 2010.  (Source:  Washington Post, 1/19/10.)

These economic changes come at a time when American women comprise the majority of college graduates.  This clearly shows that education plays an important role in income.  The report also showed that high earning women now exercise more economic authority within a marriage over major purchases and household finance.  Does economic independence lead to a higher rate of divorce?  Not necessarily.  Statistics show that the more economic independence a woman gains, the more likely she is to stay married.  In states where fewer wives have paid jobs, divorce rates tend to be higher, according to a 2009 report from the Center for American Progress. (Source:  New York Times, 1/24/10.)

Women still carry a higher burden for double work, however.  Even among dual earning couples, women still do about two-thirds of the housework, according to a University of Michigan survey of Families and Households.  But men’s contribution to housework has doubled and their share of childcare has tripled.  American couples who share employment and housework are less likely to divorce compared with couples where the man is the sole breadwinner.

IV. RANKING COUNTRIES IN TERMS OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS LEADERSHIP: THUNDERBIRD REPORT

An Assistant Professor at Thunderbird’s Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship, Amanda Bullough, recently developed a ranking of 115 countries based on women’s participation in business leadership.  Her results challenge the assumption that developing countries can be lumped together as less progressive in terms of women’s progress.  Her paper found several developing economies with high rates of women in business – Ghana, Rwanda and Botswana, for example – which were in the same cluster as Switzerland, Canada and the United States.

Meanwhile, developed countries such as Germany and Japan ranked low in women’s business leadership participation.  The lowest level in Dr. Bullough’s scale were countries with minimal participation of women in business leadership – India, Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  “Until you can establish security and health care and basic nourishment, you’re going to have a tough time getting anybody – women or men – involved in entrepreneurship or business leadership,” states Dr. Bullough.  She also added that “countries with high proportions of women in political leadership do not necessarily have high proportions of women in business leadership.”

The fifth or highest level for countries with complete equality of women and men across industry and occupational roles has yet to be achieved, in her view, by any country.  (Source:  A, Bullough, “Institutional Factors Affecting Women’s Participation in Business Leadership Around the Globe.”)

Find us on Facebook!  Join the GlobeWomen Group or friend Irene Natividad!