According to the Shriver Report, a study by Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress, women are half of all U.S. workers and mothers are the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families, for the first time in our nation’s history. This is a dramatic shift from just a generation ago.
With Shriver leading the way, NBC has been covering “A Woman’s Nation: The Shriver Report” all week. And WBIR-TV localized the story with an interview of our own President and CEO, Cathy Ackermann.
Check out Cathy Ackermann’s comments about being a female CEO and those glass ceilings she’s shattered over these last 28 years!
On a personal note, I find it very interesting, almost perplexing, the kind of attention paid to “women’s issues” these days. I’m not arguing that women’s issues don’t still exist – the statistics about salary discrepancies between men and women are real. It’s just that I have always been surrounded by strong women who are leaders in their field.
Some of my earliest memories are of my grandmother. {We affectionately called her Dearheart.} Born in 1914 and the eldest of seven children, she helped raised her siblings and went on to graduate from Mississippi State. She was a powerful force in her own family, as a wife and mother to three. She was a teacher, and served as president of the Memphis Education Association. She was also a leader in her church, teaching Sunday School for years.
Dearheart’s second child, my mother, has followed in her footsteps. My mom has a strong sense of self, always has. She’s worked her entire life and at age 66, she is working harder than ever, as a supervisor of professional development in one of Florida’s largest school districts.
My first job after college was at WCJB-TV in Gainesville, FL, where the general manager of the station was a woman. Same for the two general managers I worked for while at WATE-TV in Knoxville. And now, here at Ackermann PR, I’m working for Cathy.
My point is this: For many of us who have been in the workforce for 10-15 years or less, this is nothing new. The Cathy Ackermann’s of the world started their companies almost 30 years ago, so I’ve been surrounded by it my entire life.
Isn’t that refreshing?
