Where’s the Poultry? - Building Gender Balanced Business

January 14th, 2009

As inauguration day approaches, women are watching Obama’s cabinet appointments in the same way they check their daughter’s Saturday night outfits: with way more attention than the object of their attention wants. “Is that what you’re wearing?” has morphed into “Is that who you’re appointing?”

After one of the most gender-focused campaigns in history, where did all the fuss get us? Thousands of articles and debates about Hillary’s tears and Sarah’s teeth and Caroline’s seat, and now we are back to a very familiar scenario: A man in power, opening (or not) the door to women.

How has Obama fared so far? About the same as your average male CEO. Obama’s Cabinet is far less gender balanced than those of many other countries, or of the top American companies’ executive committees. He has appointed five women out of a 22-person Cabinet, or 23%. (Two spots remain open — commerce secretary and director of national drug control policy — but the one at commerce is reportedly going to be filled by a man.) The best-performing American companies have done better. Performance-driven as they are, they have gone much closer to gender balance. The FORTUNE 100’s top ten companies (ranked by the gender balance on their Executive Committees) are closer to 40% women in their leadership.

Benchmarking Basics

How does Obama compare to Presidents in France, Spain or Sweden on the gender balance of his Cabinet? Not so well. All three of these male leaders have managed to get their Cabinets to accurately reflect their populations, with a close to 50-50 gender split. Sarkozy, Zapatero and Reinfeldt have made gender balance a key priority of their governments, contributing to evolving mentalities in each of their countries.

Not to mention the governments currently led by women in the world, including Argentina, Chile, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Liberia, and The Philippines.

What would have happened if Hillary had made it? Who knows, but a quick glance at what the FORTUNE 500 female CEOs have done with their Executive Committees give us a hint. They are much closer to parity than their male colleagues.

Reality is back in familiar, if newly packaged form. In improving gender balance, women may hold the keys, but men still control the locks. Our website, www.WOMEN-omics.com will, like all those eagle-eyed women around the US and around the world, keep watch over our chicks…