Why Women Don't Speak Up At Work

Good morning! This week's edition of Women Take Note shares new research on women's leadership – what's working, and what's holding us back. Also, I'm seeking your stories about speaking up at the workplace as a woman of color.

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I identified strongly with this article about the "double bind" for women who speak up at work. Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant focus on the "tightrope" a woman walks when she speaks up in a professional setting. Either she's perceived as too aggressive, or she's barely heard or acknowledged. When men contribute ideas, they're seen as knowledgeable or helpful. This isn't the case for women, and as a result, most opt to stay quiet, believing they won't be heard anyway.

I couldn't help wonder – what are the implications for women of color who speak up at work? Is it even harder to communicate your ideas? I would love to hear your take in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter, and we can talk further.

- The New York Times

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The majority of Americans believe women are just as capable as men to lead in politics and business. So what holds us back from equal numbers of leadership positions? A double standard where women have to do more than male counterparts to prove their capabilities, say four-in-ten Americans, in a recent Pew Research Center study. About half believe men will continue to hold more top business positions in the future, while 44% say just as many women will be in executive positions as men in the future. Interestingly, 73% expect to see a female president in their lifetime.

- Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends

You are most likely to have a female boss if you work in Jamaica, according to new research by the International Labor Organization. In a ranking of countries with the highest percentage of female managers, Jamaica was followed by Colombia and Saint Lucia. The U.S. came in at 15th position with 42.7% of female managers. The same report also found women own or manage more than 30 percent of all businesses, but 5 percent or less of the biggest companies.

- Forbes

Here's a great interview with Ava DuVernay, director of Golden Globe-nominated film 'Selma'. DuVernay makes some great points about the importance of having diverse perspectives behind the camera, and how race and gender influences her takes on each story she directs.

- MSNBC. Separately, this Washington Post article questions why despite being nominated in every major Golden Globe category, 'Selma' only took home one award – for Best Song.

The number of female directors of the top 250 highest-grossing movies in the U.S. has dropped in the last two decades. Women only accounted for 7% of directors in the top 250 list for 2014. Of that, only Angelina Jolie was in the top 100 for Unbroken.

- Guardian

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Just One Question

Q: How would you rephrase "strong female character?"

"How about just 'strong character'? I've never heard anybody say 'strong male character.' Nobody talks about that at all. I guess men have always been No. 1 on the call sheet, but now women are and that's great. So let's not make it a gender thing."

Actress Emmy Rossum on a Showtime panel "Sexuality and Television: A Female Perspective."