In this episode, Cathy and Deborah discuss the revolt against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts - and women - in the workplace. How did the seemingly noncontentious goal of inclusivity become controversial? More importantly, what can we learn from this back lash to transform our own approach? As always, we offer solutions.

In this episode, we talk to Angela B. Freeman, mom, wife, law firm partner, and podcaster about where she's been and what she hopes for in teaming up with others. We discuss the moments White women have failed to be allies and partners to Women of Color, and what we all need to do to step up, including recognizing the advantages some people have based on skin color. Along with firmly believing in herself but knowing she had to be twice as good, Angela carried - and continues to carry - a deep curiousity for others. 

The year 2023 brought incremental gains at the top for women overall but not for women of color. Women in middle management also lost ground, leaving open the question of whether gains at the top were a passing fancy. Join us to discuss 2023 challenges as well as solutions.

Join us for a discussion with Blessing Adesiyan who entered corporate American with a baby in her arms, literally. She shares her nuggets about creating a care infrastructure for workers at all levels and how businesses can best adapt in this new post-COVID landscape. As Blessing says, we're not going back to how it was before. In this new reality, caring about workers is as imperative for their well-being as it is for the bottom line.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts surged in 2020, but are now experiencing headwinds. Carrie Fletcher, leadership and strategy consultant, joins us to discuss how and why DEI initiatives falter, the critical role of men, and the need to address the elephant in the room which asks "what's in it for me"? 

Good Guys authors David Smith and Brad Johnson say that men are the key to gender parity. We agree but we need many more men as allies. In this episode, Cathy and Deborah ask the tough questions. What is standing in the way of full engagement by men? And for those men who are engaged, what can they do right now? You can learn more about the important work that Dave and Brad are doing on their webpage.  You can also read their books Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies For Women in the Workplace and Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women at Work. Where You Can Find Us Website: www.par-ity.com  Follow us on LinkedIn Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick 

We are joined by Gender Equity and Reconciliation International (GERI) to discuss bringing women and men together to listen to each other and bridge the gender divide. Its view? Parity isn't possible unless we engage with each other more deeply. GERI colleagues Cynthia Brix and Jon Levitt share a glimpse into what this process entails.

People hear a lot of different things when they hear the word "privilege," both good and bad. In this episode, Cathy and Deborah discuss their own privileges and how to have a more constructive, nuanced discussion, including by ditching the word. They also discuss "aha" moments and best practices for using whatever privileges -- or advantages -- you have to create a more inclusive workplace.

We focus a lot in this day and age on unconscious bias, but women continue to experience head-scratching moments of in-your-face, outright explicit bias. From public shaming to cornering and bullying, listen in on these modern-day examples of good old-fashioned blatant sexism - and know you are not alone. Then, learn what you can do as the target of bias, and even more importantly as an ally, including by "calling out" and "calling in."    For more information, we recommend these resources:   Better Allies by Karen Catlin   The Harvard Guide on Calling Out and Calling In   Seed the Way Guide  

    In our kick-off to Season 3, we return to the theme of allies, who are critical for parity in the workplace. But what do we mean by "ally" and what do we want and need allies to do? Julie Kratz, author of several works on allyship, answers these questions and discusses the importance of listening to others whose shoes you don't walk in.   You can learn more about Julie Kratz and her work with allies here.

Women and caregivers continue to feel the effects of the pandemic as unprecedented numbers of women leaders exit the workforce or switch jobs in search of better cultures. The Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, and Quick Quitting are new phrases to describe how women and caregivers are coping with work and home demands. As we look back on 2022, we remain positive for the year ahead.  Subscribe so you don’t miss any episodes!  If you would like to learn more about today’s topic: 2022 Workplace in the Women by McKinsey and LeanIn.org Where You Can Find Us Website: www.par-ity.com  Follow us on LinkedIn Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick  Email CathyAndDeborah@par-ity.com with questions or comments  

The price of men being led to believe that they must act in ways that conform to their gender can be enormous, for men and women alike. Guest Co-Host Andy Cooper joins Deborah Pollack-Milgate for a discussion with author, psychologist, and masculinity studies pioneer Dr. Ronald Levant. Dr. Levant talks about the socialization of boys and masculinity and its reverberations, while the trio explores the imprint on workplace culture. You can  Subscribe! so you don’t miss any episodes! You can find a transcript of today’s episode on our webpage. If you would like to learn more about today’s topic: The Tough Standard by Dr. Ron Levant and Shana Pryor Masculinity Reconstructed by Dr. Ron Levant You can find Andy Cooper on LinkedIn    

We talk with Dr. Anne Beall, author of Cinderella Did Not Live Happily Ever After: The Hidden Messages in Fairy Tales. Using data science, we discuss fairy tale themes: women are passive and largely devoid of power and agency, except for witches and evil stepmothers, while men are smart, brave, and heroic. Join us as we discuss how these themes continue to hamper women in the modern workplace.   You can read a transcript here.

Caregiving is a second economy that requires a skilled workforce all its own. Yet, in the absence of acknowledging the scale and critical relevance of this economy, the main drivers and load-bearers of this economy remain women.  We simply cannot achieve gender parity without more support and without others taking on their share of the load.  Dr. Nithila Peter joins us in a 2-part series to discuss solutions.  You can  subscribe! so you don’t miss any episodes! Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of today’s episode here If you would like to learn more about today’s topic: Unfinished Business by Anne Marie Slaughter  The Price of Motherhood; Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued, by Ann Crittendon, (2001) Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid Blessing Adesiyan, the Founder and CEO of Mother Honestly, is a good resource 1:00 Women are disproportionately responsible for the caring of others 1:30 Dr. Nithila Peter is joining us today 2:36 Today is about solutions 2:45 Part 1 discussed lack of support system 3:32 Part 1 discussed society places a low value on caregiving, no support systems were put in place when mothers entered the workforce, and modern feminism forgot about mothers 4:18 Mothers face bias  4:50 Inaccurate that mothers are less committed 5:35 Mothers earn $.69 for every $1 earned by men 6:30 Motherhood penalty 6:50 Men’s standing increases when becoming fathers 8:20 Women gain skills when becoming mothers 10:40 Emotion, mental, and physical toll of trying to do it all 11:00 Lessons from Indian, Latin, and Indigenous cultures 11:50 Mothers have high cultural value in India 12:25 Story of Nithila’s Indian (South-Asian) family helping to raise her children 13:30 Nithila’s family and extended network enabled her to complete her PhD 14:00 Workplaces should value unique skills of parents 15:20 Obama’s made caregiving more visible through Marian Robinson 18:00 Asian culture offers solution but is a hard model for families stretched thin 19:15 Motherhood is more visible in India for actors, politicians, and others 21:00 Mothers have also been wartime leaders 21:10 Overturning of  Roe v. Wade puts additional pressure on the care economy 22:22 18 year old had twins - what support does she have? 23:00 Appalled by mother’s lives now at risk 23:30 Dobbs further reduces mothers’ power in society 24:30 Will gender parity be extended due to Dobbs? 25:30 Difficult to make this prediction 27:50 One solution is more legislative support like paid leave 28:30 Family planning needs more attention 29:09 Flex and hybrid arrangements should stay in place 32:15 Celebrity male leaders do not have reputations for being good caregivers 33:00 We need more caregivers and those with empathy  in leadership roles 34:30 We all have equal opportunities to grow caregiving skills 34:45 Many economic successes during pandemic while workers were at home 35:25 Focus on organizational culture Where You Can Find Us Website: www.par-ity.com  Follow us on LinkedIn Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick  Email CathyAndDeborah@par-ity.com with questions or comments

Caregiving is a second economy that requires a skilled workforce all its own. Yet, women are its main drivers, leaving us tired and worn out, and making it nigh impossible to compete in the workplace. We cannot achieve gender parity without more support. The pandemic showed us that caregivers and those we tend to deserve better. Dr. Nithila Peter joins us in a 2 part series to discuss solutions.  You can  Subscribe! so you don’t miss any episodes! Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of today’s episode here. If you would like to learn more about today’s topic: Unfinished Business by Anne Marie Slaughter  Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid Blessing Adesiyan, the Founder and CEO of Mother Honestly, is a good resource 1:00 Women are disproportionately responsible for the caring of others 1:41 Definition of the care economy https://research.american.edu 2:20 Women have less time and energy for our careers  3:06 Pandemic made matters worse 4:07 Society doesn’t value caregiving 5:08 Dr. Nithila Peter is joining us today 6:04 Connection between emotional intelligence and the giving of care 9:15 Caregivers make the best employees 10:03 Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft  11:20 Mentors, coaches, and managers are or should be caregivers 12:06 The pandemic caused many caregivers to collapse 13:35 View of caregiving as “women’s work” 14:29 Students equated caregiving skills to the skills of a janitor 17:30 Caregiving should be more equitably handled by all genders 19:13 We all need to be open to learning these important caregiving skills 21:30 Parents grow skills by being caregivers 23:30, 25:10 Providing care is akin to rocket science 27:22 Stop gender stereotyping 28:12 Lack of support systems for people who want to be caregivers and breadwinners 31:00 How the Indian culture offers support for caregivers 35:00 High cost of caregiving keeps some women home 37:25 Some women don’t have power in their own homes to allocate resources to caregiving 38:40 Women must have equality at home to have equality in the workplace 40:33 Iceland supports caregivers 41:15 Iceland is the most gender equal country in the world 41:51 Organizations can provide support if governments do not 42:00 Former CEO of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi supports more visibility of caregiving at work 47:15 Role of feminism in the care economy 48:34 Most women are breadwinners and caregivers 50:10 Working stands in the way of caregiving vs. caregiving stands in the way of working 51:00 Woman leader published article saying women should reconsider having children 53:45 Sheryl Sandberg did not tell us to lean into motherhood 54:50 Caregiving needs to be more visible 55:25 Pipeline of women talent is completely broken due to caregiving pressures 58:05 We need to talk more about caregiving responsibilities at work Where You Can Find Us Website: www.par-ity.com  Follow us on LinkedIn Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick  Email CathyAndDeborah@par-ity.com with questions or comments

Workplace communications are powerful - they can make and break careers, incent us to give our all, or cause us to run for the hills and join the Great Resignation. In this episode, we discuss inclusive communication tips for everyone including leaders and allies, as well as strategies when you find yourself in cultures where it is difficult to be seen and heard. You can  Subscribe! so you don’t miss any episodes! Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of today’s episode at our webpage. If you would like to learn more about today’s topic: Influential Internal Communications by Jenni Field 2:10 Importance of workplace communications 3:16 What is a successful communication 3:49 As a reminder, SCRIPT stands for: S: Stop Trying to Change Women C: Create Diverse Teams R: Recognize Unconscious Bias I: Intentionally Include P: Partner With Men to Be Allies T: Talk About The Issues We believe that a combination of each of these factors will help women advance and compete with men on a more level playing field.  5:02, 6:10 Communication skills are learned 7:39 Example of a miscommunication resulting in mayhem 9:50 Emails vs. face to face communications 10:12, 11:10 Delivering constructive criticism 13:29 Communications can foster positive workplace cultures (or not) 13:57 Gender differences impact communications 14:25 In today’s episode, we will discuss: -What is a communication -General rules for communicating -Special considerations for emails -Meta-communications (aspects of a communication that are never expressed but we all get the message anyway) 16:00 What is a communication 17:25 Importance of praising peers and direct reports for a job well done 20:00 Respect is key 20:40 Influential Internal Communication by Jenni Field stresses: -Focus on the audience -Set a clear goal & tone   -Keep it simple  -Make your point  -Consider the medium  21:55 Avoid I and Me and instead use the words Us and We 22:45 Unthoughtful or rushed communications  23:07 Microaggressions and biased communications 23:35 Email tips 24:00 Don’t deal with sensitive information via email 24:30 Don’t complain or criticize a person via email 26:11, 27:05, 27:45 Be fair 29:18 Avoid shaming 30:25 Meetings and call etiquette 30:50 Avoid the dog and pony show 31:05 Enforce equal air time 31:30 Form alliances so that you are heard 33:35 What is a meta communication 35:14 Disrespectfulness of wordsmithing or a total re-write 37:35 Respect communications differences - this is one goal of DEI 38:30 Strategies to deal with the guy who thinks he’s the most important person in the room 39:55, 41:13, 41:35 Communications should intentionally include 42:33 Parity in Play 44:25 Tips for allies in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade Where You Can Find Us Website: www.par-ity.com  Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick  Email CathyAndDeborah@par-ity.com with questions or comments

After 25 years as a senior leader in tech, Karen Catlin saw a decline in the numbers of women in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, Karen became an author and coach focusing on helping women navigate the male-dominated tech industry and coaching men to be better allies. In this episode, we discuss hiring for a “culture add” and other tips to create a more inclusive workplace. Subscribe!  Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of this episode on our webpage (link below). If you would like to learn more about today’s topic: Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create More Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces by Karen Catlin Better Allies Approach to Hiring by Karen Catlin Waking Up White by Debby Irving 20 Books to Help Break the Bias for a More Gender Equal World Today’s guest is Karen Catlin - this is part 2 of a 2-part conversation 1:09 Do women need to explain bias in different ways so male allies better understand 2:17 What should male allies do if a woman discusses her experience with gender bias 3:40 How to move from being a bystander to an upstander  4:13, 7:37 Does the U.S. being so litigious hamper conversations about gender bias 5:50 Story of a male boss who says “my wife will be jealous if I interact with female colleagues," how this view helps men get ahead of women, and strategies to counter 9:25 Job description best practices 10:10 Rethink whether a college degree is necessary for all jobs 10:45 Check job descriptions for masculine word choices like rockstar, driven, aggressive, and “right-hand man” because some women won’t apply  12:40 Use diverse hiring panels so applicants see themselves on the hiring team 13:51 It’s not challenging to find women applicants if you look in the right places and have the right hiring practices 14:50 The difference between a “culture fit” and a “culture add” - we need more “culture adds” and less “culture fits” in organizations today 19:18 Per Dr. Talitha Washington at Spelman College, HBCUs are excellent places to find Black women for STEM and other roles  17:40 Women receive less actionable feedback than men 18:45 The danger of “benevolent sexism” and “gatekeeping” 19:45 Story about male employee saying that a woman wouldn’t want a role because of her young children 21:48 Strategies when people are resistant to change - focus on what you can do and don’t worry about everyone else 22:35 How to be a “ripple” within your organization 23:25 How to incent people to be better allies through compensation and bonuses 24:21 “Stop trying to change women” is an element of the Parity Prescription 25:20 Strategies to adapt the workplace to be more inclusive of all instead of pressuring women and other people who are underrepresented to change 30:15 Confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson 30:45 Harmful effect of extra credential questioning to try to cast doubt on qualifications 32:38 Women and other people who are underrepresented face “prove it again” bias Where You Can Find Us Website: www.par-ity.com  Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick  Email CathyAndDeborah@par-ity.com with questions or comments

After 25 years as a senior leader in tech, Karen Catlin saw a decline in the numbers of women in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, Karen became an author and coach focusing on helping women navigate the male-dominated tech industry and coaching men to be better allies. In this episode, Karen gives us 10 tips to be better allies. Subscribe!  Time-stamped show notes are below.  If you would like to learn more about today’s topic: Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create More Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces Karen Catlin's list of 50 privileges Waking Up White by Debby Irving 20 Books to Help Break the Bias for a More Gender Equal World 1:28 Introduction of Karen Catlin 5:12 What to do if a woman’s idea is hijacked in a meeting 8:09 How to understand your own privilege 14:11 How to talk to people who are resistant to change 17:09 Advocate by finding common ground and describing your own learning journey 19:27 Allies will make mistakes 21:47 How to avoid “Just Like Me Networks” 26:52 How White women can be better allies for Black and other women of color 34:42 Practice makes perfect

In this episode, we discuss how to gender sleuth so you can detect when people are responding to the often hidden pressure of gender stereotypes. When we unwittingly conform to gender stereotypes, women face increased gender bias, particularly in male-dominated workplaces and as they move up the career ladder. We offer solutions with 4 action steps so women and male allies can snuff out gender bias.

Despite the pay equity win by the U.S. Women's Soccer Team, the gender wage gap persists. In this episode, we discuss how the gap is measured, how some companies like L’Oreal, Starbucks, and Salesforce are making a difference, and how TEA - Transparency, Education, and Audit - can reduce the gap.  Subscribe!  Time-stamped show notes are below.  1:40 What is the gender wage gap, what are the gender wage gap facts, and solutions for equal pay 2:14 Why are women paid less than men 3:08 How is the pay gap calculated 4:10 American Progress  is a top expert 4:45 Gender pay gap and gender stereotypes 5:10 Women are funneled into jobs with low wages and benefits 5:27 Men are funneled into jobs with high wages and benefits 7:42 Gender pay gap at the top percentile of wage earners 9:41 Motherhood penalty Economic Policy Institute article  11:40 Most educated demographic  12:59 Gender wage gap statistics 14:45 Wage gap for Black men  14:58 Intersectionality and the wage gap 15:27 Gender wage gap statistics 17:45 LeanIn.Org survey about the gender pay gap 19:34 L'Oreal and Angela Guy used the EDGE certification  21:32 Starbucks commitment to achieve a zero pay gap  22:53 Salesforce reduced the wage gap 24:23 Pay Transparency and the gender wage gap 25:03 What if employer asks for salary history 26:00 Consolidations and pay gaps 26:53 Gender roles household chores  29:10 What are unconscious bias examples How to Uncover Unconscious Bias so We Can See Women Only Wonder Women Need Apply: Solutions for Working Moms 29:50 Wage gap audits 31:26 Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings Where You Can Find Us Website: www.par-ity.com  Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick  Email us CathyAndDeborah@par-ity.com