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Women's Futures Month to encourage more women into leadership for March
3/3/2012

New Zealand was the first nation in the world to give women the vote, yet women now make up less than a quarter of party leaders in parliament, less than 15% of major newspaper editors, less than 10% of Royal Society fellows and less than 10% of CEOs in the top 100 publicly listed companies. From Christchurch, the birthplace of the suffrage movement in New Zealand, Zo Zhou and Erin Helliwell started Women’s Futures Month for March 2012 to address the stalled progress in getting women to the top.

Women’s Futures Month was inspired by this year’s International Women’s Day theme ‘connecting girls, inspiring futures.’ Amongst the many Women’s Day events happening worldwide, the campaign features a series of discussions, film screenings and gatherings, dedicated to addressing the factors limiting women’s leadership potential. It follows in the footsteps of Sundance film-turned-social-movement Miss Representation, which has gone global to tackle the limiting media representations of women and girls. While Women’s Futures Month events are Christchurch based, Zo and Erin hope to generate widespread discussion on their Facebook page. The first panel discussion on Wednesday features women in science and engineering.

Despite on average receiving more education and working harder, research shows a consistent decline in the proportion of New Zealand women climbing the leadership ladder. This is despite studies showing there are huge business benefits from more representative senior management boards. According to both domestic and international research, the often subconscious misperception that women do not make good leaders are widely held by both women and men, though unsubstantiated according to the data. World renowned Psychology of Gender expert from North Western University Dr Alice Eagly notes that “the dearth of women in high positions does not have a single, simple cause. Rather, women encounter a labyrinth—that is, they navigate complex, often indirect, and discontinuous paths toward leadership. Understanding these challenges is the key to overcoming them and eventually removing the obstacles that have made women rare in powerful roles.”

Key women’s events during March:
Women’s Futures Month
International Women’s Day NZ events
Walk for Women 2012

Get involved:
Tweet links to pictures, videos or profiles of leading New Zealand women, with @womensfutures and #likealeadinglady
Join the conversation at the Women's Futures Month Facebook page

ENDS

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