GenderSmart Solutions

Jane Sanders Gender Communication & Issues Expert

Jane Sanders — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:17:53 +0000

I offer consulting, speaking, facilitation, and coaching services to help companies recruit, retain, and sell to women. Most of the strategies helpful for women also positively impact Gen Y. I create productive GenderSmart® cultures for both men and women of all ages!

I’ve researched gender issues for over 16 years and worked with many top US companies including US Steel, Ameriprise Financial, MassMutual, Prudential Financial, Thrivent Financial, Toyota Motor Sales, Ford Motor Co., Nestlé Foods, Choice Hotels, Boeing, and more. Please visit my website at http://www.janesanders.com.

Millennial Women Demand Balance

Jsanders — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:47:48 +0000

A post on Fresh Ideas begins, “The “Trophy Generation” also known as Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) have possibly figured it out…the majority of young professional women, like myself, believe they will have gratifying careers balanced with fulfilling personal lives, according to research released by Accenture’s Millennial Women Workplace Success Index.”

The post continues to list workplace motivators for millennial women, which are very similar to all women, by the way, according to original research I conducted using nearly 200 phone interviews with working women all over the U.S.

It’s a good article, read it here.

Career Expectations of Millennial Women

Jsanders — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:14:18 +0000

Great article on Marketing Profs about the career expectation of Gen Y women. Lot s of statistics from a survey conducted by Accenture. Basically, millennial women expect to be able to have balance with work and personal life. They want to meaningful work, work they WANT to do.

An excerpt: ”

Drivers of Success

Asked to identify what is most helpful in driving professional success, just 16% of millennial women cite “women in company leadership” while 18% cite “having female role models at my company.”

More than one-half (59%) cite “a good work atmosphere” and 52% cite “open and honest communications with supervisors.”"

Read article

Women and the Global Economy

Jsanders — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:01:13 +0000

Rick Goings writes a powerful message on Huffington Post, here’s an excerpt:”Studies have shown time and again that opening opportunities for women in the workforce can have a massive impact on a nation’s economy. A report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Countries found that restricting job opportunities for women is costing the region between US $42 and US $46 billion a year. Even in our country, women still only make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.”

And that’s just the beginning. Goings’ philosophy and position on women in the workplace is so similar to mine and what I teach that it’s as if he read my articles and then wrote the post. No wonder I found this post inspiring!

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Impact! Cleavage on Your Career

Jsanders — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:29:29 +0000

I am SO happy to see this post! It’s an excerpt from “The Male Factor: The Unwritten Rules, Misperceptions, and Secret Beliefs of Men in the Workplace” by Shaunti Feldhahn, and explains in no uncertain terms the negative impact that cleavage and tight clothes have on women’s careers.

I have always said dressing this way at work is a mistake. Do you want men thinking about business or boobs? To maximize credibility, respect, and upward mobility, dress professionally without calling attention to your body parts! Save that for social situations, not business.

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Workplace ReEntry Strategies

Jsanders — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:16:37 +0000

This post is directed to women but actually will help anyone trying to re-entry the workplace after an absence. And it gives some great tips for finding a job doing something that interests you, not just pays the bills. On Careers and Worklife blog, it outlines 11 steps to help you identify, prepare for, and find your next career.

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Good Book for Career Women

Jsanders — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:41:01 +0000

The Glass Hammer reviews a new book, “The Go-Getter Girls’ Guide”. Sounds like an important and interesting read for any woman interested in advancement and success at work. “Although the book is primarily geared toward women just starting out, Shigley’s advice holds true for women at any stage in their career – especially women who want to be more polished, more professional, and move ahead. Go-Getter Girl (GGG) is code for Type A personality, and The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide (GGGG) is filled with stories of highly-educated, highly-motivated, and high-achieving women.”

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Objectification Silences Women

Jsanders — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:48:53 +0000

“For something intangible, a glance can be a powerful thing. It can carry the weight of culture and history, it can cause psychological harm, and it can act as a muzzle. Consider the relatively simple act of a man staring at a woman’s body. This is such a common part of modern society that most of us rarely stop to think of its consequences, much less investigate it with a scientific lens.”
Continue reading the Not Exactly Rocket Science post

The Myths of Women’s Equality

Jsanders — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:59:38 +0000

Excellent post on The Glass Hammer today, well-researched and thorough article about how, despite some reports, women are far from achieving equality. I like this article for many reasons, one being it reinforces my work and perspective, and what I teach my corporate and association audiences: We have a long way to go; it’s not men’s fault; we need to fix the system, not men; until women can be women (vs. pretend-men) and still be successful, they cannot enjoy equality; and more.

Read article

Why Men Don’t Promote Women

Jsanders — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:28:47 +0000

A great post on Fistful of Talent by Tim Sackett! REad this excerpt:

“Shaun, I hate to say it, but you are probably sexist, and it’s not “mostly womens fault” that you didn’t promote them. While I’m sure you would argue you are very in-touch with diversity issues, because of your heritage, I would also assume that same background has given you a skewed view of gender issues and the historical battles they have faced in climbing leadership ladders. The fact that you write that some might be surprised that most men have nothing against working for a female boss, shows you yourself were somewhat surprised by the data. Most men don’t have issues working for women, only sexist men have problems working for women.”

Read full post

Importance of Work/Life Balance

Jsanders — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:46:27 +0000

The Glass Hammer posted an impressive article about work/life balance and the importance employers should give it.

“A recent study found that four out of five employees feel that work-life balance considerations play a major role in deciding whether or not they will leave their current employer.”

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Books for working women

Jsanders — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:07:58 +0000

WSJ reviews three books written for working women and pulls out the common threads relevant to flexibility, advancement, “having it all”, and balance. A good solid article…

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Menopause = Assertiveness and Leadership

Jsanders — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:43:38 +0000

The Dallas Morning News writes (by Debbie Fetterman) that menopause brings out and enhances women’s assertiveness and leadership skills. Well it most certainly can impact women’s lives that way, due to lower estrogen which then allows testosterone to have more influence over behavior and attitude. Interesting!

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Survey Results – Gender Styles At Work

Jsanders — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:17:31 +0000

CNNMoney.com has posted results of a workplace survey exploring gender style differences in the workplace. No big surprises to me, a gender issues expert, but still interesting. Bottom line, duh, differences exist in motivational and performance drivers…the more companies respect and address these differences, the more financially successful they will become.

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Equality for Women Yields Peace and Power

Jsanders — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:43:08 +0000

CONDOLEEZZA RICE & MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT write a compelling case for equality for women on Politico. An excerpt reads:

“This equality empowers women with the freedom of choice — the universal right to determine their own destinies, careers, beliefs and family structures. When women have the power to make their own choices, the chains of poverty can be broken, families are strengthened and socially constructive values are more likely to be handed down to the young. They can finance their own businesses and contribute to their country’s economy or teach their daughters and sons to promote innovation and creativity that will lift the world’s poorest nations out of poverty.”

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