This week in our Women in Comms roundup: why women leave the workplace; combating the angry man movement; the parental perk race; and more.
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Women in their early thirties tend to leave the workforce as they have children… right? Not so, says a new survey by ICEDR. Millennial women cite pay, lack of learning and development and a shortage of meaningful work as the primary reasons why they leave organizations. These reasons are in line with what men of the same age and women in their twenties report, dispelling popularly held beliefs that women's drivers are different than men and that their priorities tend to change over time. For managers, the study results suggest they should concentrate on paying women fairly, challenging them with learning and development opportunities and provide them with meaningful work. Most importantly, they should take the time to really understand what makes Millennials tick, as they will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025.
Gender norms are evolving, and one unhappy side effect of this evolution has been the emergence of the "angry man movement," as Jack Myers, author of "The Future of Men: Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century," calls it. Myers expresses concern that men "don't have the 60-year history of the women's movement providing them with societal and emotional support to cope with the changes" of the women's movement paying off and men considering more traditionally feminine roles. His suggestions to help (which surprisingly don't include "get over it") are to provide a pathway for men in "pink collar jobs" like nursing and teaching, provide better mentorship in the workplace and create better media narratives that combat stereotypes.
Another area where men and women don't tend to differ in the workplace is in their priorities and approach to entrepreneurship. According to an American Express survey of 1,000 small business owners, 80% of women and men business owners agree growth is the top priority for their company. Of the female respondents, 24% said uncertain economics conditions were their biggest challenge to growth, and 62% of women, compared to 72% of men, said they were likely to invest a substantial amount of personal finances to grow their business. Of the women business owners, 57% said they spend a larger percentage of time working on their business to drive growth rather than in it managing details.
The "parental perks" race is well and on! Etsy upped the ante this week, announcing it would offer all new parents half a year of paid parental leave, along with adoption and surrogacy benefits and coaching programs for new parents and their managers. Giving equal rights to new dads was a priority for Etsy, and its CEO Chad Dickerson practiced what he's preaching, taking nine weeks off when he and his wife adopted a son a few years ago.
If you were watching (multiple) weather reports on Monday, 3.14 or Pi Day, you might have noticed the meteorologists were all wearing the same dress. It wasn't a coincidence -- it was to inspire young women to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). How? The dress went viral earlier this year when a viewer noticed broadcasters across the nation were all wearing it. The $23 dress was shared in a meteorologist Facebook group as affordable fashion that flatters everyone. The women used it Monday to represent the ongoing need for more women in STEM.
— Sarah Thomas, 
, Director, Women in Comms
