SavvySugar

The Gender Gap Is Shrinking - Except at the Top

SavvySugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:23 -0800

It turns out, the difference between men and women's salaries is smaller than we thought - as long as those salaries aren’t very big to begin with. A new study from PayScale.com compared salaries across 90 different jobs, adjusting for any outside factors that might affect the salary (the location of the job, the worker’s education, etc.) except for the worker’s gender. What they found was surprising - to see the results, read on.

Your Two Cents: Are You Paid a Fair Salary?

SavvySugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:57:00 -0700

A friend of mine admits that she's overpaid. I appreciate her honesty, but there's a little feeling in my gut whenever the subject comes up - a nip of envy, if you will. My pal with the inflated paycheck is in the minority of women who admit they make more than they deserve, according to a recent survey of 4,000 women conducted by Woman's Day and AOL Living. The poll found that 6 percent of women agree they are overpaid, while 69 percent say they deserve to earn more money. What's your opinion on your paycheck?

Source: Flickr User Unhindered by Talent

The Best Places For US Women to Have a Career and Kids

SavvySugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:30:10 -0700

Some places are more welcoming to women with a juggle than others. According to ForbesWoman, New York is the best place for women who have a career and kids based on an assessment of earnings, unemployment rates, cost of living, crime, access to health and day care, per pupil spending and number of parks.

In the first annual list of the Best Cities for Working Mothers, Austin ranks as number two behind NYC. ForbesWoman points out that while the two cities offer something different for working moms, both cities offer good schools, lots of park space, and plentiful childcare options.

New York, NY
Austin, TX
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

See the rest of the list when you read more.

Milwaukee, WI
Portland, OR
Cincinnati, OH
San Jose, CA
Pittsburgh, PA
Seattle-Tacoma, WA
Denver, CO

Forbes Ranks the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World

SavvySugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:00:18 -0700

For the sixth year in a row, Forbes has rounded up its list of the world's most powerful women. It measures influence by scoring each female leader on visibility (not to be mistaken for popularity) and the size of the organization or country these women lead. The top spot remains unchanged from the previous three years, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel sits at number one of 100 for leading the fourth largest economy in the world.

Notable American newcomers to the 2009 rankings include Michele Obama who debuted at number 40 (just ahead of Oprah Winfrey at 41 and Britain's Queen Elizabeth at 42); Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor at 54; Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius at 56; Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano at 51; and Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Schapiro at 55. Visit Forbes for the full list, and find out who are the 10 most influential women when you read more.

Angela Merkel: Chancellor, Germany
Sheila Bair: Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., US
Indra Nooyi: Chairman and chief executive, PepsiCo, US
Cynthia Carroll: Chief executive, Anglo American, UK
Ho Ching: Chief executive, Temasek Holdings, Singapore
Irene Rosenfeld: Chairman, chief executive, Kraft Foods, US
Ellen Kullman: Chief executive, DuPont, US
Angela Braly: Chief executive and president, WellPoint, US
Anne Lauvergeon: Chief executive, Areva, France
Lynn Elsenhans: Chief executive, Sunoco, US

Are Women to Blame For the Glass Ceiling?

SavvySugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:30:15 -0700

A new study has led researchers to conclude that women are responsible for creating their own glass ceiling. The study involved 251 male and female managers from different industries nationwide. Participants rated themselves and requested ratings from supervisors, peers, and subordinates; separately, each participant was asked to predict the way others would rate their performance.

The results showed that female managers are more than three times as likely to undervalue their bosses' opinions of their job performance, compared to their male counterparts. Scott Taylor, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management who conducted the study said, "Women have imposed their own glass ceiling, and the question is why."

Middle-aged and senior women were more likely to underrate their supervisors' opinions than younger workers, but Taylor said the findings could explain why there are fewer female CEOs or why women earn less than men on average for doing the same work. Do you think there's validity to the study's conclusions?

Your Two Cents: Are Women Better Managers Than Men?

SavvySugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:30:09 -0700

In a recent interview with the New York Times, Carol Smith, who is senior vice president and chief brand officer for the Elle Group, said women are "hands down" better managers than men. She even went so far as to add "There’s no contest."

In my experience, female bosses tend to be better managers, better advisers, mentors, rational thinkers. Men love to hear themselves talk. I’m so generalizing. I know I am. But in a couple of places I’ve worked, I would often say, “Call me 15 minutes after the meeting starts and then I’ll come,” because I will have missed all the football. I will have missed all the “what I did on the golf course.” I will miss the four jokes, and I can get into the meeting when it’s starting.

As a woman, the bold stance intrigued me, particularly having just read about Shari Storm's Motherhood Is the New MBA: Using Your Parenting Skills to Be a Better Boss. Do you think it's true?

Is There a Male vs. Female Social Divide at Your Workplace?

SavvySugar — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 08:30:49 -0700

As respectful human resource-fearing employees, we're expected (even required) to behave like consummate professionals and steer clear of inappropriate behavior at the workplace - whether with our gender or the opposite. I have found boardrooms have the power to hold up a PC standard that is unparalleled elsewhere in life: everyone working for a shared goal with little room for humor, silly antics, innuendo, or the social lubricants we use in casual conversation, dating, and non-professional human interaction.

But let's face it: boys will be boys, and girls will be girls. Do your co-workers separate into male vs. female groups and dialogue when it comes to socializing, or do you split up based on factors like departments, age, and title?

Money Tip: Just Ask and See What Happens

SavvySugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:00:19 -0700

Roxy, a San Diego-based graduate student and blogger, recently ended a one-year experiment that consisted of attempting negotiation at least once a day. Inspired by the message in the book Women Don't Ask, Roxy decided to change from novice negotiator to daily negotiator. She blogged about her experiences along the way and scored discounts like a $150 rug for $50, three months of gym membership for the price of two, and many more.

Time asked Roxy for some tips on the smartest ways to ask for a discount, and the number-one tip she gave was "Be nice!" When she was nice, her rate of success was 80 percent, and when she was beyond nice or flirty, the success rate was 85 percent. Roxy advises to make a habit of asking and suggests you may be surprised with the results in the long run.

Do you think you could benefit by making asking a habit?

Forbes Ranks the Top-Paying Jobs For Women

SavvySugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:30:17 -0700

Women aren't paid equally in the workplace just yet, but some positions bode better than others when it comes to making money. Using the US Department of Labor Women's Bureau 2008 analysis, Forbes ranked women's median weekly earnings to come up with the highest-paying jobs for women. The job that turned up as number one surprised the Forbes team; they didn't expect women pharmacists to top the list. See the 10 highest-paying jobs below.

Computer Scientists and System Analysts: Women's median yearly earnings: $56,264; percentage of men's earnings: 83.7 percent.
Speech-language Pathologists: Women's median yearly earnings: $58,448; percentage of men's earnings: 100 percent.
Human Resource Managers: Women's median yearly earnings: $59,124; percentage of men's earnings: 67.9 percent.
Management Analysts: Women's median yearly earnings: $59,228; percentage of men's earnings: 78 percent.
Physicians and Surgeons: Women's median yearly earnings: $63,960; percentage of men's earnings: 59.1 percent.

To see the rest of the list, read more.

Computer and Information Systems Managers: Women's median yearly earnings: $65,520; percentage of men's earnings: 85.4 percent.
Computer Software Engineers: Women's median yearly earnings: $70,252; percentage of men's earnings: 87.3 percent.
Lawyers: Women's median yearly earnings: $78,468; percentage of men's earnings: 77.5 percent.
Chief Executives: Women's median yearly earnings: $83,356; percentage of men's earnings: 80.1 percent.
Pharmacists: Women's median yearly earnings: $85,644; percentage of men's earnings: 84.9 percent.

How-To: Change Your Name After Marriage

SavvySugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:30:15 -0700

You've thought long and hard about whether taking your new husband's name is the right thing for you. Once the decision has been made in favor of a new last name, it's time to take the necessary steps to make the swap. Follow my tips to make sure you don't miss any of the important pieces to changing your name - you'll avoid annoying complications later on.

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