Career Woman the New Trophy Wife?

It used to be that being a gorgeous doll of a wife was considered the most important accessory on the arm of a wealthy man. Nowadays there are power couples where them man's mate is powerful in her own right.

Why? An increase in the number of women entering the workforce, reduction in the gender wage gap, improvement of child care facilities, and widespread male acceptance of female success are all factors. Some typical “power couples” are Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Tony Blair and Cherie Blair. Celebrity examples include Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and David Beckham and Victoria Beckham.

BBC Worldwide link http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2007011773628

Women's Club Inducts First Male Member

The Washington Chapter of the Business and Professional Women's Club welcomed Robert C. Korman as the first male member of their club. Korman said, "Their goal is the same thing I firmly believe in--bringing women to the forefront and equality," adding "I encourage other men to step up."

Korman is the director of Marketing for a nursing and rehabilitation center in Canton, PA. So that does mean he works with women more often than many of the men who inquire for information at our website www.menmatter.org. But we are always happy to hear when a women's group accepts male members.

http://post-gazette.com/pg/06365/749678-58.stm

A Stubborn Gap: Four thoughts for 2007

A Stubborn Gap

The overall wage gap is getting a lot of attention recently in the New York and LA Times, as well through the growing Motherhood Movement. With the potential for female presidential candidates in the next election, we should expect these issues to move toward center stage at the water-cooler in 2007.

Better women’s education has not led to pay parity.

The New York Times revealed last week what our site has been talking about for years: even with increased merits (education, seniority, experience), women are not achieving pay parity with men. The article skirts around the issue that motherhood may be the reason, but doesn’t go deeper into how parenting roles are part of a larger wealth gap for women, and how men are actually part of the solution rather than the problem.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/business/24gap.html?ei=5090&en=933b94a789dad020&ex=1324616400&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss

Men’s wages are falling as compared to the cost of living.

This is the second story recent news story supporting what earning power has said all along is from the LA Times about how men’s wages stagnating is the reason the pay gap has narrowed.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061204/BUSINESS/61204002/-1/XML07

A cultural shift has not yet taken place, and we are living with the antiquated myths and biases of the past.

We also talked about in the stream of history how the roles of fathers and mothers in the information age have yet to be adapted from the former industrial age into something more modern and accommodating.

http://www.mothersmovement.org/features/06/03/newmyths_1.html

The issue for many women is getting more women into office, regardless of positions on the other issues like war or the economy.

Condoleezza Rice or Hilary Clinton? A lot of little girls are going to be inspired by the idea that a woman could be President. Watch for these women and others becoming the focus of closing the leadership gap in 2007. Andy Rooney did a 60 minutes segment on this topic.

Just remember that in Corporate America executive women are still a rarity, so the leadership gap may be lifted more to the forefront along with the wage gap and other issues concerning mother’s rights if business follows the social lead of politics.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/19/60minutes/rooney/main1513207.shtml

http://uswomanpresident.com/1st.htm