Location

Bryant University

Start Date

17-3-2017 7:30 AM

End Date

17-3-2017 5:30 PM

Document Type

Brochure

Description

20 Years of Inspiring, Empowering, and Advancing Women! Over the last two decades, we have witnessed tremendous local, national, and international changes. The world is more accessible as a result of technology and the global economy. Terrorism and the resulting war on terror are now part of our world. We have had four presidents elected to office, and our country rebounded from an economic downturn with the stock market now reaching record highs.

During the past 20 years, Bryant has experienced transformational changes in its academic curriculum, its physical appearance, the number of facilities on campus, and in its athletic and cultural programs. Bryant changed from a college to a university, with a College of Business, a College of Arts and Sciences, and a School of Health Sciences. The U.S.-China Institute and Confucius Institute were established in Smithfield, while a new Bryant campus was founded in Zhuhai, China.

As a nation, we still struggle to achieve wage parity. When the Women’s Summit began in 1997, women were paid 75 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Since then, the overall ratio has climbed by only four cents. There is some encouraging news, according to an article by Sheryl Sandberg in The Wall Street Journal: “Women are now negotiating for raises and promotions as often as their male peers – defying the conventional wisdom that women don’t ask.“ Sandberg writes that women who ask for a promotion are more likely to get one than women who don’t, but are still less likely than men to be promoted.

Today, a higher percentage of women can be found in legal, medical, and veterinary professions. In a Wall Street Journal article by Joann S. Lublin, 19 percent of C-suite executives are female – a slight increase from 17 percent in 2015, according to an analysis by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Co. “The more women who are in positions of power visibly, the better it is for women lower in the organization,” says Robin Ely, a Harvard Business School professor and gender researcher. And companies with higher proportions of women in upper management achieve higher profits, as noted in a recent study of 21,980 firms in 91 countries by the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Another big change is that 71 percent of mothers now work outside of the home. A 2013 Pew Research study reveals that four out of every 10 mothers with children under the age of 18 are the breadwinners in their families. All women deserve equal pay for equal work, and mothers need to be supported with child care as they strive to achieve work-life balance that includes their own mental and physical health. When the breadwinner/caregiver isn’t healthy, the whole family feels the effects. For all of us, finding balance continues to be an ongoing process. We keep moving forward, but sometimes we need to tap the brakes to reassess our direction and reevaluate our situation.

We hope that you enjoy the 20th anniversary of the Women’s Summit at Bryant University, and that our day together inspires and empowers you – both personally and professionally. By attending the Women’s Summit, your ongoing journey to create a better life for you and your family will be enriched by the knowledge that you will gain today.

Sincerely,

Kati Machtley

Director, The Women’s Summit®

Bryant University

Streaming Media

COinS
 
Mar 17th, 7:30 AM Mar 17th, 5:30 PM

20 Years of Inspiring, Empowering, and Advancing Women!

Bryant University

20 Years of Inspiring, Empowering, and Advancing Women! Over the last two decades, we have witnessed tremendous local, national, and international changes. The world is more accessible as a result of technology and the global economy. Terrorism and the resulting war on terror are now part of our world. We have had four presidents elected to office, and our country rebounded from an economic downturn with the stock market now reaching record highs.

During the past 20 years, Bryant has experienced transformational changes in its academic curriculum, its physical appearance, the number of facilities on campus, and in its athletic and cultural programs. Bryant changed from a college to a university, with a College of Business, a College of Arts and Sciences, and a School of Health Sciences. The U.S.-China Institute and Confucius Institute were established in Smithfield, while a new Bryant campus was founded in Zhuhai, China.

As a nation, we still struggle to achieve wage parity. When the Women’s Summit began in 1997, women were paid 75 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Since then, the overall ratio has climbed by only four cents. There is some encouraging news, according to an article by Sheryl Sandberg in The Wall Street Journal: “Women are now negotiating for raises and promotions as often as their male peers – defying the conventional wisdom that women don’t ask.“ Sandberg writes that women who ask for a promotion are more likely to get one than women who don’t, but are still less likely than men to be promoted.

Today, a higher percentage of women can be found in legal, medical, and veterinary professions. In a Wall Street Journal article by Joann S. Lublin, 19 percent of C-suite executives are female – a slight increase from 17 percent in 2015, according to an analysis by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Co. “The more women who are in positions of power visibly, the better it is for women lower in the organization,” says Robin Ely, a Harvard Business School professor and gender researcher. And companies with higher proportions of women in upper management achieve higher profits, as noted in a recent study of 21,980 firms in 91 countries by the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Another big change is that 71 percent of mothers now work outside of the home. A 2013 Pew Research study reveals that four out of every 10 mothers with children under the age of 18 are the breadwinners in their families. All women deserve equal pay for equal work, and mothers need to be supported with child care as they strive to achieve work-life balance that includes their own mental and physical health. When the breadwinner/caregiver isn’t healthy, the whole family feels the effects. For all of us, finding balance continues to be an ongoing process. We keep moving forward, but sometimes we need to tap the brakes to reassess our direction and reevaluate our situation.

We hope that you enjoy the 20th anniversary of the Women’s Summit at Bryant University, and that our day together inspires and empowers you – both personally and professionally. By attending the Women’s Summit, your ongoing journey to create a better life for you and your family will be enriched by the knowledge that you will gain today.

Sincerely,

Kati Machtley

Director, The Women’s Summit®

Bryant University