AAUW Dialog

I recently attended one of my favorite conferences, Digital Now, where those of us in the nonprofit community learn about the latest trends in the digital world, such as developing online communities, curating content on behalf of our members, and using mobile technology for outreach and engagement. At the event, Tracey Wilen-Daugenti, vice president and managing director of the Apollo Research Institute and visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Media X program, spoke about future trends in the workplace and the skills needed for new careers. She said, “Today’s workers are increasingly likely to be women working outside the home or self-employed or applying their education to innovation and entrepreneurship as small-business owners.”

When I raised my hand to give AAUW as an example of women using the virtual platform Second Life, Wilen-Daugenti stopped me and said, “I’m an AAUW member, as is my mother.” Well, of course I had to go meet her after her presentation. We talked about the exciting ways in which AAUW is making pathways for women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and I updated her on our activities. She mentioned that she was working on specific research about women in the workplace, so keep checking the Apollo Research Institute’s website later this year for the results.

John Martin, chief executive officer of the Southeastern Institute of Research, raised women’s issues in his presentation as well. He pulled up a screen shot showing how women are viewed in industry and asked us if we had read the article in the Atlantic called “The End of Men.” As he posted this slide, he quoted from the article: “Innovative, successful firms are the ones that promote women.” He then proceeded to let us know, in essence, that this can be considered the “PMS” era. As my mind started shouting, “What?!” he explained that this referred to leadership that is “pale, male, stale” — and that this trend cannot continue. There was a collective gasp and an uneasy chuckle throughout the room. I’m not sure if I agree with his analogy, but I support the concept of more women in leadership.

As attendees found out that I work at AAUW, they became interested in what we are doing and noted how women seemed to be at the center of speakers’ bullet points on workplace trends. At one point I found myself talking about our 130-year history, our major accomplishments, and our current endeavors to a table full of men who stayed engaged! They asked for my business card and wanted to know if they could join — yes, men can — and what we are doing to groom women as future leaders. They loved hearing about our women’s student leadership conference and asked a lot about the extensive research we do. And the women attendees, well, let’s just say that when I talked about how women today make 77 cents on average for every dollar that men earn, they started nodding their heads and asked for more information. I ran out of business cards.

The message that women — and AAUW — have a role to play in the workplace of the future really shone through during the final keynote address by Stephen Rosenbaum, author of Creation Nation. He talked about how the average person is drowning in information and said that organizations should focus on being content curators, not just content creators. He talked about multitasking, noted that listening is more powerful than speaking, and really emphasized the power of volunteers, of which AAUW has many! I loved his line “I don’t want my volunteerism for your organization to be a job.” I think every woman can relate to this, not just in the digital age we live in but in the world as a whole.

I’m glad that all of AAUW’s hard work is finally getting women recognized as a key component for the future. Now if we could just get ourselves recognized — equal pay would be a great start — today as well.