Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and advocate for women and girls, challenged nearly 400 Vermont business, government and non-profit leaders to use their voices to create cultural change surrounding women in the workplace. Newsom spoke provocatively about “What’s Holding Back Women in the Workplace.” She spoke for 45 minutes and took questions from the audience before meeting with Vermont media. She then participated in a private panel discussion, “Becoming Women of Influence,” with 75 students from five Vermont colleges and universities, including the University of Vermont and Middlebury College, and two high schools, Rock Point School and South Burlington High School. Other panelists included former Governor Madeleine Kunin, Green Mountain Power CEO Mary Powell, and commando founder and CEO Kerry O’Brien.
Among Newsom’s messages for Vermonters:
· Young women are often limited with the notion that their value lies in their youth, beauty, and sexuality, while their brothers and male peers are taught early on that they are natural born leaders.
· The media are a powerful cultural messenger (according to the The Nielsen Company, US teenagers consume 10 hours and 45 minutes of media a day), and women are a mere five percent of media positions of clout. 95 percent of what we all watch, read, and hear comes from a male perspective.
· Studies back up this institutionalized sexism. For instance, a Yale University study concluded that science professors widely regard female undergraduates as less competent than male undergraduates with the same accomplishments and skills.
· Another interesting set of statistics: Women-led businesses have a 35% higher return on investment, according to research conducted by the Kauffman Foundation, and a 34% higher return to shareholders than male-owned businesses, based on research conducted by Illuminate Ventures.
· It is vital to include men in this conversation.
- We all must demand a culture and society that uplifts everyone. Imagine what the world would look like if we had more courageous men and women actively working to leave the world in a better place than we found it.
Mary Powell, chair of the Vermont Business Roundtable and CEO of Green Mountain Power, introduced Ms. Newsom to the audience by noting that in Vermont, like the nation, too few women are advancing in the workplace. “In fact, Vermont may lag the nation,” she said. “According to one study, women-owned businesses in Vermont rank 50th in the nation when it comes to economic clout.”
Newsom’s speech was the inaugural event for the Vermont Business Roundtable’s new Executive Leadership Series. In the coming years the Roundtable will identify and present provocative thinkers who will address the most formidable challenges the state faces.
About Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Jennifer Siebel Newsom is a filmmaker, speaker, former actress, advocate for women, girls and their families, and a mother of young children. Ms. Newsom wrote, directed and produced the 2011 Sundance documentary Miss Representation, which explores how the media’s misrepresentation of women contributes to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence. In response to the film, Ms. Newsom launched Misrepresentation.org, a call-to-action campaign and media organization established to shift people’s consciousness, inspire individual and community action and ultimately transform culture so everyone, regardless of gender, age or circumstance, can fulfill their potential. Ms. Newsom received both her BA and MBA from Stanford University. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, and their young children.
Learn more about Newsom and her work at http://therepresentationproject.org/
About Vermont Business Roundtable
The Vermont Business Roundtable was established in 1987 as a nonprofit, public interest organization. One hundred CEOs of Vermont's top private and non-profit sector employers comprise the Roundtable. They are dedicated to making Vermont the best place in America to do business, be educated, and live life. Since inception, the Roundtable CEOs have dedicated themselves to thoughtful, deliberative, and well-documented analyses of significant public policy issues affecting all Vermonters, ranging from education, economic health, environmental quality, health care policy, and technology.
Source: Vermont Business Roundtable 10.1.2014. Learn more about the Roundtable and view published reports at http://vtroundtable.org/ VERY TOP PHOTO: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, right, and Governor Madeleine Kunin. Photo Credit, Karen Pike