Nancy O'Reilly believes it’s intolerable for women and men to discourage inclusion and diversity in the workplace.
The women’s rights activist made her case supporting workforce equality before 100 people this morning for Springfield Business Journal’s monthly live interview series 12 People You Need to Know.
O'Reilly, an author, international speaker and president of nonprofit Women Connect4Good Inc., said addressing the gender divide begins with teaching children an inclusive society pays dividends.
“They’re clay. We’re creating them each day,” O'Reilly said, noting kids take the lead from adults to learn how to act toward one another. “You don’t realize how much your children watch you.”
Educating people early on equality can reinforce an ideal O’Reilly often shares: Women are different, but not better, leaders.
“I’m not here to conquer and divide,” she said. “We have got to come together.”
Statistics point to a business culture that favors men. While O’Reilly doesn’t want to exclude men, she said men and women must work to drive down unflattering numbers.
O’Reilly said women make up more than half of the U.S. population and buy 85 percent of products and services. But their representation as leaders is disproportionate.
Data indicate less than 5 percent of Fortune 500 companies are run by women, according to
Forbes. Also, women only make 79 percent of what men take home, according to
WhiteHouse.gov.
In Springfield, the numbers are comparable to national levels when it comes to smaller businesses and organizations, according to Maggie Castrey, a member of O’Reilly’s staff. She compiled the data from
SBJ’s Book of Lists.
Speaking at the event this morning, Castrey gave a rundown of the percentage of female C-suite leaders in some of the Springfield area’s top employment sectors:
• law firms, 32 percent;
• local government, 25-33 percent;
• trust companies, 25 percent:
• certified public accounting firms, 22 percent;
• nonprofits, 13 percent;
• banking, 0 percent;
• largest employers, 0 percent; and
• mortgage companies, 0 percent.
“Every company that’s successful really has to think about one thing and one thing only - relationships,” she said.
Beyond early education for kids, O’Reilly believes the key is to understand the differences men and women face in the workplace. For instance, men might make jests at each other, but women might not handle that kind of talk as well, she said. It also helps to have role models and mentors.
“We go out and try to compete as men, and we’re not men; we’re women, so we do it poorly. Women do much better when we have support,” she said.
Making women a greater part of the workforce equation has obvious benefits, O’Reilly said. She noted companies with female board members have a 42 percent higher return on equity. Female leaders also have different strengths, such as the ability to build relationships and see the big and small pictures.
