This week in our WiC roundup: how to build your brand; why you may be making less money than your taller co-workers; where the women managers are; and more.

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

March 11, 2016

3 Min Read
WiCipedia: Building Brands & Correcting Imbalances

This week in our Women in Comms roundup: how to build your brand; why you may be making less money than your taller coworkers; where the women managers are; and more.

Join Women in Comms in Austin, Texas, on May 23 for a one-day conference with two panel discussions, a jobs fair and a coding workshop. Register here to join!

  • WiC held its first networking breakfast of 2016 on Thursday in Denver around the subject of "building your personal brand." Our panelists from Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), Rogers Communications Inc. (Toronto: RCI), Charter Communications Inc. and Level 3 Communications Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) agreed that a personal brand was not just about what you put out on social media -- although that has lowered the barriers, but rather bringing your authentic self to the workplace every day, understanding your mission in your job, maintaining your confidence to advance and not changing who you are to fit in. "Don't try to act like a man; act like a leader," Lisa Miller, SVP of wholesale, indirect and inside content sales channels at Level 3, said.

    Figure 1: (From left): Women in Comms Director Sarah Thomas; Cynthia Carpenter, VP, Commercial Product Management, Charter Communications; Patty Kummrow, VP, Platform Engineering Group, Intel; Lisa Miller, SVP of Wholesale, Indirect, Inside & Content Sales Channels, Level 3 Communications; Marnie Miron, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Rogers Communications (From left): Women in Comms Director Sarah Thomas; Cynthia Carpenter, VP, Commercial Product Management, Charter Communications; Patty Kummrow, VP, Platform Engineering Group, Intel; Lisa Miller, SVP of Wholesale, Indirect, Inside & Content Sales Channels, Level 3 Communications; Marnie Miron, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Rogers Communications

    • Only 22% of managers across all industries are women, according to Grant Thorton, but the stats are even worse in tech. In the accounting firm's breakdown of managers from 2015 data, the tech industry comes in 12th with 19% female managers. Figure 2:

    • The first step is always admitting you have a problem, but when it comes to gender imbalances in the tech industry, it seems that's something only women can recognize. PayScale surveyed 140,000 employees and found that 66% of male tech workers thought men and women have equal opportunities in most workplaces, whereas only 30% of female employees agreed. When it comes to their own companies, 80% of male tech employees and 44% of female thought they were equal opportunities. This type of dichotomy was found in most industries, but PayScale says the gap in perception was greatest in tech. Figure 3:

    • It's not just women who face lower pay in the workforce; it's also short men and, particularly, overweight women. British researchers determined that for every two-and-a-half inches of genetically determined extra height, a man was 12% more likely to work in a high-status job and earn an average of $1,611 more per year. For women, a 4.6 point increase in BMI correlated to $4,200 less in annual income. According to the study's author, Professor Timothy Frayling, "The data shows that there is a causal effect from being genetically a bit shorter or fatter that leads you to being worse off in life."

    • This week, on Tuesday, the world celebrated International Women's Day with parades, work outings, calls to action and more. Silicon Republic celebrated by publishing its Women Invent 100, detailing noteworthy women in STEM from Ireland alone. Check out the full list here.

      — Sarah Thomas, Circle me on Google+ Follow me on TwitterVisit my LinkedIn profile, Director, Women in Comms

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About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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