There’s a lot of talk about social media and how we all need to be “connected” for business as well as pleasure, but when I’m asked what I recommend in terms of social media strategy my response is always the same: what is your expected return on investment?  That will then drive the level of activity and the platform(s) you choose.  For me, my goal is to make $10,000 per month in consulting and speaking business via social networking sites, and I usually achieve it (primarily via LinkedIn).  In case you’re thinking about ramping up your social media efforts, here’s a few thought starters on what has worked for me: Read More

I've been asked in the past whether single-sex schooling is appropriate in a gender balanced world, and being a co-ed kind of girl myself, I wasn't really sure.  So I was interested to read the results of this new study which  found robust differences between the competitive choices of girls from single-sex and coed schools. The study showed that adolescent girls were 16 percentage points more likely to enter a maze-solving tournament if they were in an all-female group, according to an experiment by Alison Booth and Patrick Nolen of the University of Essex in the UK and Australian National University.  Read More

At last week's National Assembly on Gender Equity & Inclusion in Melbourne I was reminded by Dr Anne Summers of the role Government can and should play in gender equity.  As a former adviser to the Prime Minister, Anne Summers knows how to make a point about policy and productivity - and she didn't pull any punches on where she thinks the Government can improve its policies for women and workforce participation. Her reminder that gender equity is a productivity issue was timely, and she suggested we all go away and watch the speech by Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State, at the APEC Summit last year for an eloquent demonstration on the role of women in strengthening any economy. Read More

I'm planning to attend this year's Macquarie University Women, Management & Work Conference on 12-13 July 2012 - will I see you there? This event event will empower women to take control of their career by building on, and embracing, their full potential to become influential leaders in their field. The theme this year is Inspiration and Empowerment – Creating your future, encouraging women to achieve higher leadership roles throughout Australia.  Read More

I am humbled and honoured to be included in the list of 40 Young Business Leaders announced last week by CPA Australia's premier magazine, INTHEBLACK.  This recognition is a validation of the need for greater gender balance in our workplaces and communities - work that is clearly needed and that I'm only too happy to chip away with :-) Read More

Finsia is currently conducting follow up research to its 2010 survey of financial service professionals about their perceptions of the gender divide in the financial services industry, and is calling for volunteers to participate by completing an online survey. This year's survey aims to see whether recent policy initiatives to improve gender equity in the industry have resulted in real cultural change.  Read More

Two economists have released a report that says if a female HR professional receives a resume including a photo from an attractive female applicant, the resume is likely to land in the bin because of jealousy and rivalry. The researchers sent bogus applications to more than 2,500 real job vacancies. For each job, they sent two very similar resumes, one without a photo and one with a photo of either an ‘attractive’ or a ‘plain’ applicant. Read More

On Tuesday evening I attended a welcome reception for the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Rashida Manjoo (thanks to UN Women Australia for the invitation, and to Allens Arthur Robinson for hosting this important event). It was – to say the least – depressing.  To hear Rasheeda's research findings that femicide is on the increase around the world in developed as well as developing countries.  And to be reminded that it’s here, in Australia, too.  In Australia, 1 in 3 women are in (or have been in) abusive relationships and 1 woman is killed every week by an intimate partner.  Did you know? Read More