Leading ladies

In the old familiar game of boys versus girls, the girls are still losing. Yet things are looking up. Interest groups around the world have identified this stagnant trend and have finally decided to do something about it. From the creation of the New Generation of Republican Women right here in Indiana -- a professional women's group dedicated to involving women in all aspects of the political process -- to Norway's legislative ruling requiring all businesses to have at least two women on their board of directors, women are gaining ground. \nNonetheless, the progress is slow. The "huge gains" women are supposedly making in the world of business -- gains being defined as holding a top CEO position -- are still surprisingly small. The July 23 edition of The Economist considers IBM's efforts impressive, yet women on the executive slate number a meager 14 percent. Yet the business world is catching on to the relationship between women and their companies' financial successes. Multitasking, communication and team building, strengths often attributed to women, are becoming more and more dear in the rigid world of "business formal." Companies are slating women as a minority group and have enacted diversity training to recruit them, though the difficulties awaiting women in the workplace are far different from the difficulties faced by the men in charge of these training sessions.\nDespite popular opinion, maternity leave is not the only thing keeping women away. Study after study finds women less ambitious than men. No doubt there are numerous issues influencing the reasons why girls aren't like those go-getter guys, yet the fact still exists -- except, that is, in women who have been influenced early in life by good role models and supportive fathers. \nIt is not hypocritical to say that good male leadership and support leads to strong, capable females. It is a male-dominated world. A girl needs all the practice she can get working with men, receiving their criticism without emotionally over-reacting and accepting their sometimes round-about ways of affirmation. \nSociety defines our values when we are young. Think of a teacher's response to a five-year-old showing off his or her new shoes. To a girl, the teacher would most likely exclaim, "How pretty you look in your new shoes!" But to a boy, "How high you can jump?" Appearance versus achievement. It is a battle women will always fight. \nSo much must change if women are to make an equal contribution to the working world. While flexible hours are a definite start, it is one that comes too late. As the world's marketplace is slowly learning, everyone benefits with a leading lady.