Source. A nice montage has been posted over at eWeek, highlighting ten women who are currently in very important, high level roles within the technology industry. This is an industry near and…well, near to me, in that I worked in the field for close to 15 years before deciding to go back to school to start over. Though it’s still a place dominated primarily by male employees, what I personally saw over my years in the field is that a good, capable tech person–programmer, systems engineer, network administrator, tech support and so on–was well regarded and well paid, regardless of gender (though I’ve no doubt that female workers were still paid less on average than their male counterparts, to be sure).

In any case, it’s good to see women in these roles succeeding; like with the women in the Film and Television industry posted earlier this month, each of these makes a small but measurable, worthwhile difference in redefining the role of women in the professions, and demonstrate with clarity that gender is by no means a limiter of intelligence and competence.

Source. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that so far, Women’s History Month has been pretty kind to women and pretty aggressive in its push against the glass ceiling. And as we continue moving forward in the month, it looks like there’s no letting up yet, and we’ve got a doozy of a Noteworthy Happening today.

Liz Manne, who co-founded Fine Line Pictures and worked as Executive Vice President of Marketing from 1990 to 1997, has now been named Executive Director of Film Aid International, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

If you’re not familiar with Film Aid (I only learned of them recently,) they’re an organization that puts together and shows educational films to people in less developed parts of the world in an effort to elevate education levels on basic human life topics. From their website:

“FilmAid has completed a 5 part film series on hygiene and the prevention of malaria and cholera produced for the Somali refugee community. The films are being watched by thousands of Somalis living in Dadaab refugee camp where health is consistently compromised by overpopulation.”

Now, you might think “eh, so what? I saw those kinds of films in grade school.” Fair enough. But for people who live in parts of the world where education is unavailable or undervalued (or goodness forbid, both,) many people can go their entire lives without the basic understanding of simple human hygienics, much less higher needs like Liberty, Self-Respect, Reason and Science. Without foundational knowledge, it’s difficult to convince people of the need for higher knowledge, and it’s precisely this lack of education and development that lead to situations in which they can be abused and taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals, governments and corporations who know better.

So congratulations to Ms. Manne, who’s clearly a motivated “go-getter” not just in the realm of business, but in the realm of ideas that work to elevate humankind to a better way of living.

Source. Whew, it’s been a busy week for the Glass Ceiling! Following a string of woman executive promotions at Fox and ABC networks, Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that executive Ann Boyd has been promoted to Sr. Vice President of Global Communications.

According to her boss, Jim Kennedy, “Ann’s a real rising star here at Sony,” said Kennedy. “She’s creative, collegial and smart. She knows business, entertainment, technology and the importance of helping the media get what they need accurately and fast.”

As with the executive promotions at Fox and ABC, I see this as important because it marks a shift in high level corporate culture–a place traditionally dominated by men exclusively. When women are able to work their way into these positions and find success, they very fact of their presence in a highly respected and important role affects a cultural shift that begins locally and expands outward like ripples in a pond after you’ve dropped a stone in.

Taken one at a time they can seem insignificant, but in the age where information about these kinds of happenings travels far and wide via the internet, seeing more of these occurring helps convey the message that women are capable of holding positions of significant responsibility, capability and pay. Over time their presence becomes a simple fact of life and ceases to be a “threat” to their male counterparts–this is the essence of cultural change. As a further benefit, seeing women achieve in these ways is inspirational to the young, who, particularly in more strictly traditional families, may not have many strong female role models (strong in the modern, independent sense–even women in traditional roles demonstrate a kind of strength, which I don’t want to completely discount).

Can you hear that sound? It’s like…glass…cracking!

Source. In another noteworthy move this week, ABC Executive Brooke Bowman has managed to work her way up to Senior Vice President of original programming and development at ABC Family, the Hollywood Reporter…reports. Coming hot on the heels of Fox’s promotion of two other women in its own infrastructure, this is welcome and positive news that highlights progress being made in the upper echelons of corporate America.

In her new role, Ms. Bowman will oversee production of both original movies and original television series’ being produced at ABC, a role whose influence is sure to be substantial.

Following up my previous posting on the Fox promotions, I’ve decided it’s a bit “wafflish” to not directly include women who achieve in business as “heroic.” As I mentioned before, some will disagree with the designation, preferring to reserve it solely for activist types, or writers or speakers, but upon reflection I’ve decided that view is a little short sighted, and that my previous hesitation in just outright declaring the heroism of these women in business was unwarranted. There are many flavors of heroes and heroism in this world, and the woman who manages to succeed against the odds in what’s traditionally been viewed as “man’s territory” has absolutely earned the designation of hero. To get to her position, she’s had to work twice as hard as many of the men she’s worked with, and been twice as competent in order to earn not just their respect, but their admiration and trust. That she’s moved to this level is nothing less than evidence that she’s earned that trust, and as more women rise into these ranks and succeed, they can’t help but change attitudes and perceptions of both men and women along the way.

Note: The photos aren’t labeled because they weren’t at the source, Hollywood Reporter. I’ve emailed to ask for an update, since I don’t know which is which, but have yet to receive a reply. My apologies.

It’s no secret that there’s historically  been a “glass ceiling” in the world’s corporations, above which it’s been difficult, if not impossible, to rise beyond.

As the values, education and general attitude of the individuals who constitute “society” have changed, especially in the last century, the “ceiling” has, inch by inch, been moved upward. Each step along the way has yielded not just more responsibility, but more respect and more opportunity for women who otherwise have the skills, education, drive and general “gumption” to move into positions that were historically held only by men. And though there’s room for debate about whether the women who succeed in these positions count as “heroes,” it would be a mistake to ignore their achievements or the repercussions their success will inevitably have on other women, both present and future.

As highlighted in The Hollywood Reporter, Nicole A. Bernard, already an executive, has been promoted to Sr. Vice President of Audience Strategy for the Fox Group. Alongside her, Elizabeth Casey has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Standards and Practices. These are steps that help to raise the proverbial “glass ceiling,” but they could also have other ramifications as well. Read on after the break for more.

Continue reading →