In 1969 American poet and writer Maya Angelou wrote an autobiography called “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” That’s where this blog title came from. In the book she talked about racism and sexism in her early years, feeling alone, trapped by her blackness, her talents stifled. I can relate. It’s no longer 1969, … Continue reading I Know Why the Caged Employee Sings
A good workplace is one in which you can look around and see future versions of yourself. But for women, this exercise in mirroring gets harder and harder as they push toward 40. That makes sense. After a certain age, you get tired of struggling for change – you just want change. If you can’t … Continue reading Look around your office. How many older women do you see?
What did we do before hashtags? I suppose we were forced to emphasize what’s important with plebian tools like exclamation points. But these days, those just seem so old fashioned. Kind of like assuming you know who someone is and what they should do based on their appearance. Honestly, what tactic could be more dated … Continue reading Looks Can Be Deceiving #Ilooklikeanengineer #gender #technology
Yesterday Netflix announced its employees will now receive unlimited maternity or paternity leave during the first year after their child’s birth or adoption. The company will pay them normally during their time off, and they can choose to come back to work full- or part-time. And if they feel they’ve come back too early, employees can take … Continue reading Netflix Loves the Kids #gender #equality #inclusion
Lackluster diversity discussions in the tech industry are par for the course, unfortunately. Many of the big companies talk a reasonably good game — rather, they talk — but few have put real teeth behind their stated intentions. Pinterest, however, announced late last week exactly what it hopes to achieve in diversity for 2016. Women … Continue reading Pinterest Pins Real Numbers on #Diversity #Hiring.
To mitigate tension between young and older workers – especially regarding Millennials – give ’em what they want – flexibility and feedback. It’s the only way to ensure workplace interactions are respectful and productive. Continue reading How to Close Generation Gap 2.0 #diversity #Millennials #work
You’d have to be an alien – a fresh off your intergalactic space ship alien – not to know that women all over the world make less money than men, on average. But did you know the more overweight a woman is the more likely she is to work a low paying job?
That’s the scoop according to a new study from Vanderbilt Law School. And, typically, the correlation between size and salary isn’t nearly as pronounced for overweight men. Sigh. Continue reading “Big Girls Make Less Money #diversity #gender #obesity”
I’m convinced that perception is half the reason progress in diversity-related matters is yo-yo slow. How those in power look at you, their unspoken but powerful judgments, they’re like microinequities on steroids. 
Even when you try to do something good, if you’re a minority, something bad will appear and follow you like a bad smell. Take Rachel Feintzeig’s recent piece “Women Penalized for Promoting Women, Study Finds” for instance.
In it Feintzeig talks about new research from the University of Colorado that found women and non-white executives who advocate for other minorities to be promoted or hired often get lower performance ratings than white males who do the same thing. Why? Perception. Continue reading “Perception is the Devil; Women Penalized for Promoting Women @WSJ #diversity #inclusion”
This week Saturday Night Live announced that Sasheer Zamata joined its cast. Zamata is SNL’s first black female cast member since 2007.
Most people are thrilled with Zamata’s appointment. But everyone is making a huge issue out of her race and gender, as though that played a significant part in her landing the gig. This does her a great disservice; it puts her talent firmly at the bottom of a list of traits that are part of, but do not encapsulate all of, who she is.
Yes, it’s notable that she’s black and female, and yes, it’s notable there hasn’t been a black female on the SNL cast in many years. But there’s a reason SNL didn’t have a black woman on staff, that their organization is not more inclusive – they didn’t want one. Continue reading “Sasheer Zamata: SNL’s Black, Female Unicorn #diversity #race #gender @thesheertruth”
A Life Not Grey 