Meet The Lipstick Entrepreneurs and "Femterprise"
1. THE ECONOMIST -- The Rich World’s Quiet Revolution: Women are Gradually Taking over the Workplace
Today women are marching into the workplace in ever larger numbers and taking a sledgehammer to the remaining glass ceilings.
Women’s economic empowerment is arguably the biggest social change of our times. Just a generation ago, women were largely confined to repetitive, menial jobs. They were routinely subjected to casual sexism and were expected to abandon their careers when they married and had children. Today they are running some of the organisations that once treated them as second-class citizens. Millions of women have been given more control over their own lives. And millions of brains have been put to more productive use. Societies that try to resist this trend—most notably the Arab countries, but also Japan and some southern European countries—will pay a heavy price in the form of wasted talent and frustrated citizens.
2. TIMES ONLINE -- Meet the Lipstick Entrepreneurs
At a recent Avon-commissioned discussion on the rise of “lipstick entrepreneurs” (otherwise known as independent businesswomen), there was breathless talk of female boards and millionaires, of a rise in househusbands and of the end of the pay gap and the glass ceiling. Shiny new names addressed a brand-new vision: “femterprise”, “domestecutives” and, of course, the “lipstick entrepreneur”. According to the Future Laboratory’s accompanying report, we are right at the tipping point of “femterprise”.
And the catalyst for this progress? The “mancession”, obviously (so named because it was men who were bitten hardest). With a nothing-to-lose attitude, women have been rolling up their sleeves and jumping in to bail out the boys. “Women deliver on a call to action,” says the UK president of Avon, Anna Segatti.
11 Comments:
"it’s risk awareness over risk-taking, teamwork over power struggles, inclusivity over hierarchy and striving for the common good, not bonus-based greed"
retch...this is beyond precious...sounds just like a quotation of Ted Kennedy's memoire, True Compass....510 pages of sanctimonious musings...what utter rubbish posing as journalism. What happened to the honest reporting of FACT?
It is not the motivation of the entrepreneur that determines the success or failure of a venture. It is difficult to view a home based venture which has very little skin in the game as anything more than dilatentepreneurship.
These businesses are simply not material...they create very few jobs, generate very low revenue and do not change the world as we know it...actually, they may be a step backwards to a lower productivity model.
...oh, and since when can any revolution involving women be described as "quiet"
When I retired the first time in 1989, my boss was (and had been for a long time) a woman--not the same woman for the whole period.
Her boss (the District Manager) was a woman--and a succession of women had been in that position for a long time.
Her boss (the Division Manager was a woman--and had been since the company was split off from the parent.
Old news.
> 1. THE ECONOMIST -- The Rich World’s Quiet Revolution: Women are Gradually Taking over the Workplace
..And f***ing it up. The whole atmosphere of the workplace has become one where men need to step carefully lest they give offense to some woman ready to file a grievance due to some imagined affront, and which will be treated as gospel truth without any attempt at due process or doubt as to the perceptions of the complainant.
As a collective group (yes, that's a broad brush statement which has exceptions. DEAL with it), the vast majority of women don't understand "teamwork", and they are absolutely and totally vindictive when they get power over someone who once slighted them.
Further, they don't really grasp the concept of equals AT ALL. You are either sub or dom to them (This is one of the biggest issues behind so-called "feminine equality", and why it is never going to happen).
====================
In short, smart companies will not want to mix talented men with women.
And companies that get to the size where women MUST be hired generally are going to be chasing out any man talented enough to actually contribute effectively.
The long-term effect on enterprise will be... interesting.
..And f***ing it up. The whole atmosphere of the workplace has become one where men need to step carefully lest they give offense to some woman ready to file a grievance due to some imagined affront, and which will be treated as gospel truth without any attempt at due process or doubt as to the perceptions of the complainant.
That and you have folks like Carly Fiorina who don't need those and still fail. They just run the business into the ground with the cover of their "protected status". That makes things worse for those that work well and don't bring up gender as a part of business.
This certainly does go well with the Mancession that has been promoted here.
These new found female entrepreneurs as well as the expansion of female job holders are going to be mighty tough customers for tax and spend Progressives/Socialists who are lax on security and creating a price control health-care system .
Females don’t like debt, and love security, and are large users of health-care and will be disgusted by the rationing in health-care brought on by price controls.
The Political-Economy of this enlarging female presence may surprise the Progressives/Socialists.
These businesses are simply not material...they create very few jobs, generate very low revenue and do not change the world as we know it...
No, but they throw of reams and reams of self-esteem.
That and you have folks like Carly Fiorina ...
sethstorm, your leftist slip is showing.
I guess not every woman can be an intellectual giant like Barbra Boxer.
QT,
I don't agree. Although, I don't disagree that these women rarely build businesses that are truly large and are meaningful beyond themselves and their family, this fact is true for most small entrepreneurs.
These women should be lauded for doing something productive beyond child rearing. If the alternative was to rear children and not work at all, then producing anything at all is more productive.
As a woman who has worked in a male dominated field and who started (from scratch) her own very successful company employing only men (as it happens) in that field, I don't agree that sexism holds women back any more than any other unfavourable work condition holds anyone back. I wouldn't dream of hiring a woman just because of her gender. I see no reason for preferential treatment based on any other factor than the value added by that employee. At the same time, I know how hard it is to start any business at all and I'm glad these women have. So many of our gender are socialists. Nothing cures that mental illness better than running one's own show - even if it's a small one.
I guess not every woman can be an intellectual giant like Barbra Boxer.
Ms. Fiorina is already be presumed to be in the pocket of offshoring lobbies. It would make the problem worse; she's only acting in the same manner that crimes of opportunity occur.
The only way to make that worse is to have Ms Elaine "Fellow Traveller of China" Chao run for the seat.
The economist article says that the major reason women don't earn as much as men is child rearing responsiblities, in particular having to take a few years off in mid career for the children. This to the leadership does not show the right degree of commitment. The gals starting home businesses have found a way to get the best of both worlds, a good business and a way to take care of the children.
Not all businesses need to grow large, many are local or want to avoid hiring because of the problems that poses (not all government related btw.) Now days its easy for example to run an ebay based business selling specialized clothing, or customized sewing. Here you have paypal providing the payment services and UPS or equivalent providing the shipping services. Get a bit bigger and you can put up a web site and sell more. Low revenue is not necessarily a problem if it helps with the family circumstances, and few small businesses set out to change the world, (actually few large business want to do that either, actually since the large business has gotten theirs they don't want the world to change)
Post a Comment
<< Home