The Center for American Progress held a panel discussion on Closing the Gender Gap, in honor of International Women's Day 2012.

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International Women's Day, for the 111th Time:

Closing the Gender Gap

In honor of International Women's Day, which is today, the Center for American Progress (CAP) held a panel discussion among four distinguished leaders focused on gender and the world of work: Rikke Lind, Norwegian Deputy Minister from the Ministry of Trade and Industry; Amy Dacey, Executive Director of EMILY's List; and Maria Peña, Senior Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, Vital Voices; and moderator Sabina Dewan, Director of Globalization and International Employment, also at CAP.

The event was introduced by Neera Tanden, President of CAP.

Even today, the list of underused resources around the world is extensive--some beneficial and others best left where they are. But most will agree that a fairer representation of the fair sex in the workforce will contribute greatly to our culture and quality of life.

Significantly, the audience today consisted largely of women, and the panel were all women. There is much work to be done, said Tanden, before workplaces reflect the actual proportion of men and women in the world.

Although 40 percent of American women are wage earners, a tiny 18 percent are in top leadership positions. Addressing issues relevant to childcare and family leave will go a long way toward balancing this proportion also.

Her opening remarks were followed by a Powerpoint presentation by Rikke Lind, who said that Clara Zetkin, a German Marxist, activist, and champion of women's rights, first organized this day to honor women in 1911. She would be amazed at the progress women have made since then, never without a fight.

Norway's first and only woman prime minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland, held office between 1981 and 1996; women also comprised eight out of her eighteen ministers, which Lind called a most women-dominated government.

Today in Norway 70 percent of women work and 60 percent of university students are women; the welfare state is growing, and the other half of the population must be allowed to achieve to their fullest capabilities. Warren Buffett said that he had an easier time succeeding because he was competing against only half of the population.

In Norway also there has been yearlong family leave for ten years; men are allowed twelve weeks; the result has been more productivity, growth, and equality at a cost of 3 percent of the GDP, money well spent.

With such a superb rate of women working, the fertility rate has also increased sharply. But the fight continues, said Lind. There is no country in the world with true gender equality. The glass ceiling remains.

In France, 30 percent of high-level government positions are reserved for women by Parlement, a quota system that works well.

But in Norway gender wage gaps persist; most women give birth to two to three children, and 30 percent of all businesses are run by women entrepreneurs, a number that should increase.

International Women's Day celebrates human rights and the need for progress, a correct balance between raising children and getting the right job.

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A panel discussion followed, and one of the first points made was that one focus area of the government is closing the wage gap between men and women, where more research is needed, as well as dialogue with industries and unions.

Said Amy Dacey, more women are needed in political office; a record number of women are running for Congress this year. The Democrats have twenty-five seats to regain in Congress, and women are being encouraged to fill them.

The one million members of Emily's List help women candidates throughout their campaigns after first persuading them to run and then encouraging them as they move forward. More women in political office will encourage more to run for it; women tend to need more prodding than do men to enter politics and seek office.

Lind said that in Norway there is no equivalent to Emily's List per se, but many women's organizations at the level of parliament and all branches of the government.

Maria Peña said that when financially empowered, women tend to invest to improve social conditions, and this in turn improves the economy. Men tend to buy things for themselves.

According to a UN National Labor Organization study, most women are still not paid for their work.

In a 2006 report on economic drivers, the single biggest was the introduction of women into the workplace. Vital Voices has invested much to encourage women in entrepreneurship. Women tend to lean on men for business decisions. Role models are scarce; 53 percent of entry-level positions are taken by women, but at the other end of the ladder their presence is far less evident.

A McKinsey study reported that 70 percent of women felt equal to men, while 70 percent of men felt superior to women, and women rate themselves lower than men, though they're urged to take on more responsibility. More than mentoring is needed; according to a Harvard study, there are more women than men mentors, but men get more out of the experience in terms of money and career advancement.

Networking is also important for women's advancement. Women must support each other, said Lind. Sabina Dewan explained that the quota system so successful overseas is incompatible with U.S. values.

In quota systems, the emphasis is on equality of opportunity; the more women present on corporate boards, the more the economy gains. Women are 40 percent as likely to get raises on the job as are men. The mindset must shift.

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During the Q&A period, some of the points made were that even in Europe women receive fewer wage raises than do men, and they spend twice as much time on household chores than do men, said Lind. Norway still has much to learn from this country. It is not easy to raise male children to have an egalitarian view of the opposite sex. Fathers must foster their daughters' success as well as that of their sons.

Part of the 52 percent of Norwegian women in the workforce are still in traditional women's jobs including nursing and social work. In engineering departments a quota is maintained for women.

Dewan said that although the educational gap in East Asia is closing, women choose the traditional gender-marked professions. Said Dacey, women are more apt to seek political positions later in life than do men; they must be reached sooner. Peña said that all in the workforce must be encouraged to take nontraditional work; men must be encouraged to work as nurses   as surely as women to become engineers.

Women-dominated businesses are patronized by only one percent of industries. More men are needed in these settings and more financial support is needed to encourage women to become entrepreneurs.

Sabina Dewan, in her closing statement, noted that Norway spends a lot on its more open society--how can this Scandinavian exemplar afford it? But, more important, how can it not afford such a system?

Authors Website: http://www.wordsunltd.com

Authors Bio:

Marta Steele is an author/editor/blogger who has been writing for Opednews.com since 2006. She is also author of the 2012 book "Grassroots, Geeks, Pros, and Pols: The Election Integrity Movement's Nonstop Battle to Win Back the People's Vote, 2000-2008" (Columbus, Free Press) and a member of the Election Integrity movement since 2001. Her original website, WordsUnLtd.com, first entered the blogosphere in 2003. She recently became a senior editor for Opednews.com. She has in the past taught college and worked as a full-time as well as freelance reporter. She has been a peace and election integrity activist since 1999. Her undergraduate and graduate educational background are in Spanish, classical philology, and historical and comparative linguistics. Her biography is most recently listed in "Who's Who in America" 2019 and in 2018 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Who's Who.