Why Women Mean Business: Understanding the Emergence of our next Economic Revolution
By Avivah Wittenberg-Cox & Alison Maitland
Published by Jossey Bass, February 08
Until now, very little has been written about the global economic and political influence of women for an audience which includes the men currently in power. The forthcoming book, Why Women Mean Business: Understanding the Emergence of our next Economic Revolution, proposes a reframing of the gender debate, taking it out of the various boxes into which it has been awkwardly pushed for the past decades – whether as a ‘women’s issue’, a dimension of diversity, or an equal opportunity argument. All of these categories, say the authors, underestimate the impact of women on the world and the opportunities available from better harnessing their potential as employees, leaders and consumers.
The book, written by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Alison Maitland, features the views of leading CEOs from around the world on gender and leadership, including Niall FitzGerald of Reuters UK, Carlos Ghosn from Renault and Nissan France/Japan, Helen Alexander of The Economist Group, Barbara Cassani, leader of London’s 2012 Olympics bid and Barbara Thomas Judge from the UK Atomic Energy Authority.
Women, and the professional issues they raise, are also related to many current and impending changes in the way we work, the book argues. ‘Figuring out’ females will help organisations understand and respond to these developments – from the evolving expectations and roles of men, to the flexibility and adaptations needed by an ageing workforce and demanded by the generation now entering work. Understanding and using the formidable force that women have become can propel companies into a sustainable and profitable future.
The book:
- Is the first on women or gender to take a corporate perspective of the issue, examining the opportunities that the changing role of women in the 21st century offers companies
- Explores why many current approaches to gender have not worked and why we need a new perspective
- Compares policies and approaches in countries around the world, with surprising results
- Offers male leadership and managers a step-by-step guide on how to use gender to drive their growth strategies, equipping them with the understanding of both the issue and how to find new solutions.
In a nutshell, the optimisation of women’s talents will boost the bottom line. Why Women Mean Business is essential reading for any company that wants to attract, retain and promote the very best talent, or to drive business growth with the increasing purchasing power and economic clout of women worldwide. It’s time for CEOs to get serious about sex.
About the authors
Avivah Wittenberg-Cox is CEO of 20-First, one of Europe’s leading gender consultancies. 20-First works with progressive companies interested in building gender ‘bilingual’ organisations that capture the opportunities offered by the other half of the talent pool and the other half of the market – the female half. The firm’s renowned Bilingual Leadership programmes help executives – men and women - manage difference more effectively.
Avivah is also the Founder and Honorary President of the European Professional Women’s Network (www.EuropeanPWN.net), a certified executive coach and was a Visiting Coach at INSEAD. She is a popular speaker on leadership and gender issues across Europe and has had articles and interviews published in publications such as the International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times. Canadian, French and Swiss. In 2007, ELLE Magazine recognised her as one of the TOP 40 Women Leading Change. She lives in France with her husband and gender balanced children (a son and a daughter).
A distinguished journalist, Alison Maitland spent 20 years at the Financial Times before becoming an independent writer, interviewer, researcher and moderator in November 2006. From 1998-2006, she was the FT’s Management Writer, during which time she built the paper’s global coverage of corporate responsibility and women’s progress in business and management. She produced exclusive coverage of Cranfield University’s annual Female FTSE Report and the biannual European Professional Women’s Network Board Women Monitor.
More information at the book's website: www.whywomenmeanbusiness.com
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