Parity Podcast

We talk with Dr. Anne Beall, author of Cinderella Did Not Live Happily Ever After: The Hidden Messages in Fairy Tales. Using data science, we discuss fairy tale themes: women are passive and largely devoid of power and agency, except for witches and evil stepmothers, while men are smart, brave, and heroic. Join us as we discuss how these themes continue to hamper women in the modern workplace. You can read a transcript here.

Caregiving is a second economy that requires a skilled workforce all its own. Yet, in the absence of acknowledging the scale and critical relevance of this economy, the main drivers and load-bearers of this economy remain women. We simply cannot achieve gender parity without more support and without others taking on their share of the load. Dr. Nithila Peter joins us in a 2-part series to discuss solutions.

You can subscribe! so you don't miss any episodes! Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of today's episode here

If you would like to learn more about today's topic:

Unfinished Business by Anne Marie Slaughter

The Price of Motherhood; Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued, by Ann Crittendon, (2001)

Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid

Blessing Adesiyan, the Founder and CEO of Mother Honestly, is a good resource

1:00 Women are disproportionately responsible for the caring of others

1:30 Dr. Nithila Peter is joining us today

2:36 Today is about solutions

2:45 Part 1 discussed lack of support system

3:32 Part 1 discussed society places a low value on caregiving, no support systems were put in place when mothers entered the workforce, and modern feminism forgot about mothers

4:18 Mothers face bias

4:50 Inaccurate that mothers are less committed

5:35 Mothers earn $.69 for every $1 earned by men

6:30 Motherhood penalty

6:50 Men's standing increases when becoming fathers

8:20 Women gain skills when becoming mothers

10:40 Emotion, mental, and physical toll of trying to do it all

11:00 Lessons from Indian, Latin, and Indigenous cultures

11:50 Mothers have high cultural value in India

12:25 Story of Nithila's Indian (South-Asian) family helping to raise her children

13:30 Nithila's family and extended network enabled her to complete her PhD

14:00 Workplaces should value unique skills of parents

15:20 Obama's made caregiving more visible through Marian Robinson

18:00 Asian culture offers solution but is a hard model for families stretched thin

19:15 Motherhood is more visible in India for actors, politicians, and others

21:00 Mothers have also been wartime leaders

21:10 Overturning of Roe v. Wade puts additional pressure on the care economy

22:22 18 year old had twins - what support does she have?

23:00 Appalled by mother's lives now at risk

23:30 Dobbs further reduces mothers' power in society

24:30 Will gender parity be extended due to Dobbs?

25:30 Difficult to make this prediction

27:50 One solution is more legislative support like paid leave

28:30 Family planning needs more attention

29:09 Flex and hybrid arrangements should stay in place

32:15 Celebrity male leaders do not have reputations for being good caregivers

33:00 We need more caregivers and those with empathy in leadership roles

34:30 We all have equal opportunities to grow caregiving skills

34:45 Many economic successes during pandemic while workers were at home

35:25 Focus on organizational culture

Where You Can Find Us

Website: www.par-ity.com

Follow us on LinkedIn

Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick

Email [email protected] with questions or comments

Caregiving is a second economy that requires a skilled workforce all its own. Yet, women are its main drivers, leaving us tired and worn out, and making it nigh impossible to compete in the workplace. We cannot achieve gender parity without more support. The pandemic showed us that caregivers and those we tend to deserve better. Dr. Nithila Peter joins us in a 2 part series to discuss solutions.

You can Subscribe! so you don't miss any episodes! Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of today's episode here.

If you would like to learn more about today's topic:

Unfinished Business by Anne Marie Slaughter

Secrets of the Sprakkar by Eliza Reid

Blessing Adesiyan, the Founder and CEO of Mother Honestly, is a good resource

1:00 Women are disproportionately responsible for the caring of others

1:41 Definition of the care economy https://research.american.edu

2:20 Women have less time and energy for our careers

3:06 Pandemic made matters worse

4:07 Society doesn't value caregiving

5:08 Dr. Nithila Peter is joining us today

6:04 Connection between emotional intelligence and the giving of care

9:15 Caregivers make the best employees

10:03 Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft

11:20 Mentors, coaches, and managers are or should be caregivers

12:06 The pandemic caused many caregivers to collapse

13:35 View of caregiving as "women's work"

14:29 Students equated caregiving skills to the skills of a janitor

17:30 Caregiving should be more equitably handled by all genders

19:13 We all need to be open to learning these important caregiving skills

21:30 Parents grow skills by being caregivers

23:30, 25:10 Providing care is akin to rocket science

27:22 Stop gender stereotyping

28:12 Lack of support systems for people who want to be caregivers and breadwinners

31:00 How the Indian culture offers support for caregivers

35:00 High cost of caregiving keeps some women home

37:25 Some women don't have power in their own homes to allocate resources to caregiving

38:40 Women must have equality at home to have equality in the workplace

40:33 Iceland supports caregivers

41:15 Iceland is the most gender equal country in the world

41:51 Organizations can provide support if governments do not

42:00 Former CEO of Pepsi, Indra Nooyi supports more visibility of caregiving at work

47:15 Role of feminism in the care economy

48:34 Most women are breadwinners and caregivers

50:10 Working stands in the way of caregiving vs. caregiving stands in the way of working

51:00 Woman leader published article saying women should reconsider having children

53:45 Sheryl Sandberg did not tell us to lean into motherhood

54:50 Caregiving needs to be more visible

55:25 Pipeline of women talent is completely broken due to caregiving pressures

58:05 We need to talk more about caregiving responsibilities at work

Where You Can Find Us

Website: www.par-ity.com

Follow us on LinkedIn

Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick

Email [email protected] with questions or comments

Workplace communications are powerful - they can make and break careers, incent us to give our all, or cause us to run for the hills and join the Great Resignation. In this episode, we discuss inclusive communication tips for everyone including leaders and allies, as well as strategies when you find yourself in cultures where it is difficult to be seen and heard.

You can Subscribe! so you don't miss any episodes! Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of today's episode at our webpage.

If you would like to learn more about today's topic:

Influential Internal Communications by Jenni Field

2:10 Importance of workplace communications

3:16 What is a successful communication

3:49 As a reminder, SCRIPT stands for:

S: Stop Trying to Change Women

C: Create Diverse Teams

R: Recognize Unconscious Bias

I: Intentionally Include

P: Partner With Men to Be Allies

T: Talk About The Issues

We believe that a combination of each of these factors will help women advance and compete with men on a more level playing field.

5:02, 6:10 Communication skills are learned

7:39 Example of a miscommunication resulting in mayhem

9:50 Emails vs. face to face communications

10:12, 11:10 Delivering constructive criticism

13:29 Communications can foster positive workplace cultures (or not)

13:57 Gender differences impact communications

14:25 In today's episode, we will discuss:

-What is a communication

-General rules for communicating

-Special considerations for emails

-Meta-communications (aspects of a communication that are never expressed but we all get the message anyway)

16:00 What is a communication

17:25 Importance of praising peers and direct reports for a job well done

20:00 Respect is key

20:40 Influential Internal Communication by Jenni Field stresses:

-Focus on the audience

-Set a clear goal & tone

-Keep it simple

-Make your point

-Consider the medium

21:55 Avoid I and Me and instead use the words Us and We

22:45 Unthoughtful or rushed communications

23:07 Microaggressions and biased communications

23:35 Email tips

24:00 Don't deal with sensitive information via email

24:30 Don't complain or criticize a person via email

26:11, 27:05, 27:45 Be fair

29:18 Avoid shaming

30:25 Meetings and call etiquette

30:50 Avoid the dog and pony show

31:05 Enforce equal air time

31:30 Form alliances so that you are heard

33:35 What is a meta communication

35:14 Disrespectfulness of wordsmithing or a total re-write

37:35 Respect communications differences - this is one goal of DEI

38:30 Strategies to deal with the guy who thinks he's the most important person in the room

39:55, 41:13, 41:35 Communications should intentionally include

42:33 Parity in Play

44:25 Tips for allies in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade

Where You Can Find Us

Website: www.par-ity.com

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn

Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick

Email [email protected] with questions or comments

After 25 years as a senior leader in tech, Karen Catlin saw a decline in the numbers of women in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, Karen became an author and coach focusing on helping women navigate the male-dominated tech industry and coaching men to be better allies. In this episode, we discuss hiring for a "culture add" and other tips to create a more inclusive workplace.

Subscribe! Time-stamped show notes are below. You can find a transcript of this episode on our webpage (link below).

If you would like to learn more about today's topic:

Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create More Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces by Karen Catlin

Better Allies Approach to Hiring by Karen Catlin

Waking Up White by Debby Irving

20 Books to Help Break the Bias for a More Gender Equal World

Today's guest is Karen Catlin - this is part 2 of a 2-part conversation

1:09 Do women need to explain bias in different ways so male allies better understand

2:17 What should male allies do if a woman discusses her experience with gender bias

3:40 How to move from being a bystander to an upstander

4:13, 7:37 Does the U.S. being so litigious hamper conversations about gender bias

5:50 Story of a male boss who says "my wife will be jealous if I interact with female colleagues," how this view helps men get ahead of women, and strategies to counter

9:25 Job description best practices

10:10 Rethink whether a college degree is necessary for all jobs

10:45 Check job descriptions for masculine word choices like rockstar, driven, aggressive, and "right-hand man" because some women won't apply

12:40 Use diverse hiring panels so applicants see themselves on the hiring team

13:51 It's not challenging to find women applicants if you look in the right places and have the right hiring practices

14:50 The difference between a "culture fit" and a "culture add" - we need more "culture adds" and less "culture fits" in organizations today

19:18 Per Dr. Talitha Washington at Spelman College, HBCUs are excellent places to find Black women for STEM and other roles

17:40 Women receive less actionable feedback than men

18:45 The danger of "benevolent sexism" and "gatekeeping"

19:45 Story about male employee saying that a woman wouldn't want a role because of her young children

21:48 Strategies when people are resistant to change - focus on what you can do and don't worry about everyone else

22:35 How to be a "ripple" within your organization

23:25 How to incent people to be better allies through compensation and bonuses

24:21 "Stop trying to change women" is an element of the Parity Prescription

25:20 Strategies to adapt the workplace to be more inclusive of all instead of pressuring women and other people who are underrepresented to change

30:15 Confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

30:45 Harmful effect of extra credential questioning to try to cast doubt on qualifications

32:38 Women and other people who are underrepresented face "prove it again" bias

Where You Can Find Us

Website: www.par-ity.com

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn

Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick

Email [email protected] with questions or comments

After 25 years as a senior leader in tech, Karen Catlin saw a decline in the numbers of women in tech. Frustrated but galvanized, Karen became an author and coach focusing on helping women navigate the male-dominated tech industry and coaching men to be better allies. In this episode, Karen gives us 10 tips to be better allies.

Subscribe! Time-stamped show notes are below.

If you would like to learn more about today's topic:

Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create More Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces

Karen Catlin's list of 50 privileges

Waking Up White by Debby Irving

20 Books to Help Break the Bias for a More Gender Equal World

1:28 Introduction of Karen Catlin

5:12 What to do if a woman's idea is hijacked in a meeting

8:09 How to understand your own privilege

14:11 How to talk to people who are resistant to change

17:09 Advocate by finding common ground and describing your own learning journey

19:27 Allies will make mistakes

21:47 How to avoid "Just Like Me Networks"

26:52 How White women can be better allies for Black and other women of color

34:42 Practice makes perfect

In this episode, we discuss how to gender sleuth so you can detect when people are responding to the often hidden pressure of gender stereotypes. When we unwittingly conform to gender stereotypes, women face increased gender bias, particularly in male-dominated workplaces and as they move up the career ladder. We offer solutions with 4 action steps so women and male allies can snuff out gender bias.

Despite the pay equity win by the U.S. Women's Soccer Team, the gender wage gap persists. In this episode, we discuss how the gap is measured, how some companies like L'Oreal, Starbucks, and Salesforce are making a difference, and how TEA - Transparency, Education, and Audit - can reduce the gap. Subscribe! Time-stamped show notes are below.

1:40 What is the gender wage gap, what are the gender wage gap facts, and solutions for equal pay

2:14 Why are women paid less than men

3:08 How is the pay gap calculated

4:10 American Progress is a top expert

4:45 Gender pay gap and gender stereotypes

5:10 Women are funneled into jobs with low wages and benefits

5:27 Men are funneled into jobs with high wages and benefits

7:42 Gender pay gap at the top percentile of wage earners

9:41 Motherhood penalty Economic Policy Institute article

11:40 Most educated demographic

12:59 Gender wage gap statistics

14:45 Wage gap for Black men

14:58 Intersectionality and the wage gap

15:27 Gender wage gap statistics

17:45 LeanIn.Org survey about the gender pay gap

19:34 L'Oreal and Angela Guy used the EDGE certification

21:32 Starbucks commitment to achieve a zero pay gap

22:53 Salesforce reduced the wage gap

24:23 Pay Transparency and the gender wage gap

25:03 What if employer asks for salary history

26:00 Consolidations and pay gaps

26:53 Gender roles household chores

29:10 What are unconscious bias examples

How to Uncover Unconscious Bias so We Can See Women

Only Wonder Women Need Apply: Solutions for Working Moms

29:50 Wage gap audits

31:26 Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings

Where You Can Find Us

Website: www.par-ity.com

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn

Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick

Email us [email protected]

We've been called bellicose, belligerent, and bombastic, and connected with male allies at banana stands, and through these experiences, we have solutions for you to break the bias. Together with guests Lilian Agyemang-Yeboah and Ashia Johnson, we offer over 20 ways that you can break the bias, the 2022 International Women's Day theme.

Subscribe! Time-stamped show notes are below.

1:54 Introduction of Guests

2:15, Lilian Agyemang-Yeboah

• Born and raised in Ghana
• Plastics engineering degree from UMass - Lowell
• Current position is an applications engineer at a life sciences company
• Host of new podcast to be launched by SPE - Plastics and Beyond Podcast

2:30, 3:33 Aisha Johnson - she, her, hers

• Moved 7 times growing up so she is accustomed to building relationships and starting anew
• Currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and does CSR and Sustainability work for Amazon
• Mother is a role model
• Co-Host of The Core Intentions Podcast

International Women's Day

7:37 2022 theme is #breakthebias - see IWD resources

7:50 We need more attention on unconscious bias

Stories of Bias

9:32 Interruptions during meetings and calls

9:40 Feeling of invisibility during meetings

10:45 Being called bellicose, belligerent, and bombastic

11:36 Suggestion that men do the heavy lifting with the woman doing the simple task

14:25, 17:05 Male boss thinks you are pretty

17:32 Mindset of women as we dress for work

18:45 Women face a double bind: we need to show up with make-up at work but we can't show up with too much make-up at work

19:10 Expectations of how women show up on camera during the pandemic

20:14 Intersectionality of Sexism and Racism

20:36, 21:20 Difficult or impossible to disentangle sexism vs. racism

21:40 Intersectional experience

21:48 Focus on what you can control

Tips to Break the Bias

22:42 Manage your own bias - start with the Harvard Implicit Bias test

24:00 Create diverse teams

24:35 Use diverse hiring panels and diverse pools of applicants

25:26 Educate yourself and others on unconscious bias - don't try to solve the problem without understanding it first

26:09 Bring men into the conversation - lean in male allies

27:00 Focus on inclusion and equity

27:30 Give everyone an opportunity to speak up

27:34 Create a culture of psychological safety

28:11 Lead with empathy - be emotionally and mentally open for change

28:41 Be an active listener

29:15 Build relationships with people who are different from you

30:14, 32:19 Be a mentor to someone who is underrepresented - give guidance and career advice

30:14, 32:26 Be a sponsor to someone who is underrepresented - be an advocate, help with promotions, say our names in rooms where we are not present, help move our careers, pull women up as allies move up

34:45 Male allies should first consider the possibility that a woman experienced bias

36:36 A women should develop a plan before discussing that she experienced bias

38:48, 40:43 When dealing with trolls, first protect yourself - consider blocking or reporting trolls when the comments occur repeatedly

42:50 Don't feed the trolls

43:50 Remind people that DEI is about inclusion and not exclusion or throwing anyone out

45:40 Discuss bias after "the heat of the moment" - don't turn the other cheek every time

46:50 Beware of bullies particularly during the early stages of a career

49:42 Don't let the bully intimidate you or impact your work performance

50:09 Consider the power dynamic before taking on a bully

Where You Can Find Us

Website: www.par-ity.com

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn

Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick

Email [email protected] with questions or comments

In this final Episode of 2021, Cathy and Deborah share their favorite tips for achieving parity, discuss the latest data on women in the workplace, and look forward to 2022 and blowing up the status quo.

Subscribe! Time-stamped show notes are below.

Most Positive Developments for Women in 2021

2:24 We are finally discussing unconscious bias, intersectionality challenges for women who identify as BIPOC, and burnout for women

How to Understand Unconscious Bias So We Can See Women, Only Wonder Women Need Apply: Solutions for Working Moms; Unconscious Bias: Hidden Forces Undermining Women at Work

3:34 We are pivoting towards real changes because people are being real about their needs

Most Negative Impacts for Women in 2021

6:10 Most experts believe that it will now take 135 years (up from 100 years) to achieve gender parity due to COVID's increased pressure on women

-and 1 in 3 women has considered leaving the workforce (up from 1 in 40 women considering leaving in 2020)

McKinsey's Women in the Workplace 2021; COVID19's Impact on Women's Employment by McKinsey; COVID widened the gender gap, CNBC

8:30 Millions of women have dropped from the workforce

-women are overrepresented in underpaid jobs and some of these jobs disappeared due to COVID

-burnout resulting from gender bias at work and at home

OxFam International and Women in Low-Wage Jobs are Underpaid and Overloaded, Atlantic Monthly and McKinsey's Women in the Workplace 2021

Did the Parity Prescription Hold Up During 2021?

9:40 The Parity Prescription is:

S - Stop Trying to Change Women

C - Create Diverse Teams

R - Recognize Unconscious Bias

I - Intentionally Include

P - Partner with Men as Allies

T - Talk about the Issues

How the Parity Prescription Can Work for You

10:20 The Parity Prescription doesn't completely address the challenges of childcare

12:42 The Parity Prescription is backed by research and studies, is common sense, and aligns with basic societal expectations about how we treat each other

Most Important Elements of the Parity Prescription

15:16 Recognize Unconscious Bias

-need broader understanding to see and recognize bias, particular by straight white men who aren't negatively impacted by gender bias

-most people want fairness but gender bias is not fair

How to Understand Unconscious Bias So We Can See Women, Only Wonder Women Need Apply: Solutions for Working Moms; Unconscious Bias: Hidden Forces Undermining Women at Work

16:44 Stop Trying to Change Women

-teaching women to empower themselves isn't enough

-we need more authenticity in the workplace and alliances with men

Resources: How to Fight Gender Inequality with our Parity Prescription, How to Discovery and FLEX Your Authenticity at Work

Season 1 Accomplishments

Rated #6 for podcasts focused on gender!

19:30 Covered many of the fundamentals

20:55 Framework offers real solutions

-Dr. Nithila Peter and Tracy J. Edmonds added tremendous value during Season 1

Surprises and Fave Moments

22:37 Thanks to

-Faith Blackwell - photography

-Kathleen Fennessy - logo and trademark

-Laura Scott - LLC

-Isabel Robertson - podcast editing

-Dr. Nithila Peter reviewed Season 1 scripts

-Allison Lin gave us a shout-out in Plastics News

-we heard from so many listeners

-grateful for the men who showed up

25:30 Explicit gender bias continues to be a problem and women often do not have a satisfactory way to deal with gender bias so they change jobs

27:40 There is too much pressure on women to keep quiet

-women are told "don't play the victim"

29:21 People of all genders rate women higher than men on 19 of 21 core leadership competencies but women aren't being promoted into leadership roles due to unconscious bias

5 Steps to Achieve Increased Leadership by Women

32:25 Tremendous resources to help impact real change including

Better Allies by Karen Catlin

All Report by Diane Primo

Diversity Lab

34:01 Fave podcasting moments

-when Cathy and Deborah make genuine connection, laugh, aha moments

-authenticity discussion

How to Discovery and FLEX Your Authenticity at Work

Top Tips

36:41 You should test your own unconscious bias with a free online tool at Harvard's Implicit Bias Test. The Equalist app is another tool to consider.

37:11 Women are leaning in and we need men to also lean in and meet us halfway.

How Male Allies Can Lean In for Measurable Gains to Achieve Parity, Parity Podcast (Apple); How Male Allies Can Lean In for Measurable Gains to Achieve Parity, Parity Podcast (Spotify)

39:28 Everyone in the workplace should "Shake, Not Stir" and create as many interactions between people from underrepresented groups

5 Action Steps to Shake It Up With Greater Gender Diversity and Inclusion (Apple); 5 Actions Steps to Shake It Up with Greater Gender Diversity and Inclusion (Spotify)

40:25 Do not presume that men have higher competencies than women just because of gender

How to Understand Unconscious Bias So We Can See Women

40:54 Male allies, ask women what they need

How Male Allies Can Lean In for Measurable Gains to Achieve Parity, Parity Podcast (Apple); How Male Allies Can Lean In for Measurable Gains to Achieve Parity, Parity Podcast (Spotify)

41:48 Watch for the SIGNPOSTS of a good culture including organizations with clear, gender-neutral communications and a real suggestion box

8 Signposts of Cultures Where Women Thrive, Parity Podcast (Apple); 8 Signposts of Cultures Where Women Thrive, Parity Podcast (Spotify)

Parity Podcast Metrics

43:28 Season 1 Metrics

-Most downloaded episode How to Fight Gender Inequality with our Parity Prescription

-Second most downloaded episode is The Treasure Trove of Emotional Intelligence, Interview of Dr. Nithila Peter

-Top countries tuning in are United States, India, UK, and Germany

Sneak Peek for Season 2

47:48 Topics will include masculinity, the gender pay gap and more

Save the Date of March 8, 2022 for the Parity Podcast group discussion with guests Ashia Johnson and Lilian Agyemang-Yeboah as we discuss ways to #breakthebias for International Women's Day

Where You Can Find Us

Website: www.par-ity.com

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn

Co-Hosts: Deborah Pollack-Milgate and Cathy Nestrick

Email [email protected] with questions or comments