MARCH 10, 2016
The statistics on the wage gap between women and men are well-documented and readily available – while the gender wage gap is narrowing, it’s narrowing at a rate that won’t bring us to the level of equal pay for men and women until after the half way point of this century.
The issue of pay equity is complicated by the issue of gender diversity in technical fields – typically some of the economy’s best-paying jobs. Wage gap statistics for black and Hispanic women are significantly worse than the overall numbers. Adding to this is the absence of women in critical leadership roles in the technology field– according to a Silicon Valley Bank survey of 1,100 executives worldwide, 45% of respondents said their companies didn’t have women in executive or board positions. And just 29% currently had programs in place to change that.
During Equity Programs that Work and How to Build One (For You or Your Company), Liz Vivian of Series Sponsor Women’s Funding Alliance will engage panelists working to increase gender diversity and inclusion and improve pay equity for women in an honest and productive discussion about how we all (men and women alike) can start to aggressively address these issues.
We’ll look at some companies that have made great strides in these areas, and discuss why their programs have been effective and metrics that can be used to evaluate progress. The goal of the session is to leave attendees empowered to create a culture of accountability in their own companies and even potentially launch equity, diversity and inclusion programs of their own. Panelists will touch briefly on how women and men can advocate for themselves and their female colleagues in fields where women are underrepresented.
The panelists:
• Liz Vivian (Moderator) – Executive Director, Women’s Funding Alliance
• Rebecca Pomering – Chief Executive Officer of Moss Adams Wealth Advisors
• Christy Johnson – Founder & CEO, Artemis Connection
• Kore Koubourlis – Founder & Principal of The Essential Group
Presented with support from Series Sponsors Women’s Funding Alliance and 100% Talent – A Gender Equity Initiative for King County.
Space is limited. RSVP required.
About the Spring Forward with Women Leaders event series:
The Spring Forward with Women Leaders event series grows out of our region’s collective commitment to do better on topics such as gender pay equity, and gender diversity and inclusion in leadership and in technical and STEM-based fields, entrepreneurship and investing.
The Spring Forward with Women Leaders series is presented as a joint effort of Ada Developers Academy, Artemis Connection, Cambia Grove, CoMotion (at the University of Washington), Galvanize Seattle, the Washington State Department of Commerce and Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA).