A new survey finds women are under represented on corporate boards in Tennessee and in the executive suite. In fact, there wasn’t a single female CEO of a public company based here.
“It’s alarming to see zero.”
Sue Herrman chairs the “women on boards” committee of CABLE, a group that advocates for women in leadership positions.
“There are qualified women that are just getting overlooked. There are probably not as many as there should be, so part of it is kind of an evolution of women getting prepared and getting to that point.”
Herrman says many women lack women mentors and often miss out on informal networking opportunities.
CABLE’s survey is based on figures from 2008. A key finding is nine of 10 corporate board members in Tennessee are men. That compares to a workforce that is more than 50% women.
Nashville CABLE conducted a similar survey in 2006 and found that in the two years, little has changed even though gender diversity has grown more popular.
The gender breakdown isn’t as clear for mid-level managers, says Allison Duke. She’s a professor at Lipscomb University who conducted the survey.
Duke says the lack of women in top corporate jobs isn’t surprising. She says working women are often juggling more family responsibilities than men who are competing for the same jobs.
“Traditionally, we still look at women as the caretaker role in the family. [to her child] Yes, mommy’s on the phone right now, so let me finish talking and I’ll get these basketballs out for you, ok. Thank you.”
Duke is the one who stayed home with her kids for a snow day. She says that kind of family commitment, especially in a two-career family, often lands on the woman. Also if women take time off to have children, Duke says they can find it difficult to jump back in where they left off.
Hermann of Nashville CABLE says women are influential investors and consumers and that the group’s survey shows a need for change in board rooms and executive suites. The group is hoping that new disclosure rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding efforts to find women and minority board members could put public pressure on companies.
WEB EXTRA:
Tennessee’s publicly traded companies with two or more female board members:
Fed Ex Corporation
Am Surg
Buckeye Technologies
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
First Farmers and Merchants
Healthways, Inc.
International Paper Company
Mountain National Bancshares
Pinnacle Financial Partners
Tractor Supply Company
Unum Group
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