Plenty of lip service is paid to elevating women to senior leadership roles in organizations. So why isn’t it happening?

Taking a deep dive into views about gender in the workforce, The Wall Street Journal posits that one major challenge to breaking the glass ceiling is that “men and women are at odds over whether there even is a problem to begin with.”

Women think gender equality is still a work in progress, while many men think the problem has been solved. “Significantly more men than women say their companies are level playing fields and have plenty of women leaders, even in places where less than 1 in 10 top executives are women,” writes Vanessa Fuhrmans. “And they are much more likely to say gender diversity isn’t a priority for them, often because they think merit would suffer.”

Women-in-leadership initiatives usually come from the top, but many middle and senior managers are men. These managers may not perceive a problem with gender equality in leadership, and so they may do little to advance these initiatives, which contributes to their failure, she writes.

The feature goes on to discuss many challenges encountered by women in the workplace, including the hurdles they face on the way to advancement.

Fashion Week Lessons

https://twitter.com/MtgsImagined/status/918145689628172288

Association work isn’t always glamorous, but associations do know how to throw an amazing event. For your next meeting, take an inspirational cue from the pros who do glamour for a living.

In a new post, Meetings Imagined shares the latest event trends from this year’s New York Fashion Week. The post highlights designer Tory Burch’s event, which went far beyond the standard runway show. She displayed her 2018 spring/summer line with a garden party-themed show, which fit her chic, warm-weather clothing.

What can your group learn from this?

“To create an experience your audience will never forget, find a theme that resonates with your event and let it seamlessly flow from setup to performance to dinner presentation. Bring attendees into a storyline instead of simply explaining the key message,” says the post.

Other Links of Note

Does your email newsletter require verified opt-in? Digital marketing expert John Haydon reveals why it should.

Facebook and Twitter are private companies, but they’re also powerful platforms for speech. Wired asks whether these social giants are public forums protected by the First Amendment.

Don’t rely on just one nonprofit funding source. The Get Fully Funded blog shares ways to diversify your revenue streams.

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