October 5, 2020

Happy October everyone,

Not this Tuesday, but next Tuesday the 13th is our BOSLady meeting. We will be discussing The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You by Lydia Fenet. Let me know if you have not received the calendar invite with the Zoom link and we'll get you squared away :)

Lydia Fenet from lydiafenet.com

The Weekly Three

1. Something about steps to achieve equitable practices: Thank you Alexandra for sharing this AIA publication. Each chapter includes assessment tools and action items that keep this report from being nebulous idealism, but instead specific and measurable. The information shared on things like identifying different types of implicit biases aren’t just for use by architects. The insight in this guide can, and should, be used by anyone. 

2. Something about ERGs: One of the authors of this article, Eve Rodsky, held a webinar that Brittany attended and shared. I didn’t know what Employee Resource Groups were and imagined they were a fancy way of labeling HR - not so. They are specifically part of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, increasing “the recruitment, retention, and inclusion of underrepresented groups.” What this article points out is the irony that while these groups are for women and minorities, members of those demographics who run these groups are not compensated for their time. “ERGs are very real networks that require skilled internal champions. Yet many researchers still argue it’s a net drain on women’s careers, even potentially hurting their ability to get promoted because it takes time away from the job they’re getting evaluated on.” Eve Rodsky's most recent book is Fair Play, Sarah Lacy's is A Uterus is a Feature, Not a Bug: The Working Woman's Guide to Overthrowing the Patriarchy, and Minda Harts' is The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table.  3. Something about the COVID economy and the wage gap: The Women in the Workplace report takes "a detailed look at the dynamics that are driving mothers, senior-level women, and Black women to consider downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce". What surprised me was the data on how employers have been communicating shifts in performance expectations to avoid burnout and either maintaining or increasing resources for mental well being, financial health, and childcare and homeschooling resources. The report also specifically addresses the specific compounding of challenges Black women face when ongoing racial violence is not acknowledged in the work space.  A significant factor in women leaving the work force in greater numbers than men is that in a heterosexual partnership, the woman will make a fraction of what the man makes. If one person has to step back professionally to take care of new domestic responsibilities, it makes financial sense for the lower earner to leave their job. An article about this wage gap (and references the Women in the Workplace report) is here.

(credit: Women in the Workplace 2020) Thank you for reading, Amber