Catalyzing

Catalyzing is the Catalyst blog, bringing together and amplifying diverse voices that share Catalyst’s mission to expand opportunities for women and business. Catalyzing reflects the wide range of opinions, ideas, and experiences of Catalyst employees, incorporating perspectives from our offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. It also features non-Catalyst industry leaders, experts, and academics committed to changing workplaces and lives. 

  • Catalyzing
    Check the Chart

    Commencement addresses are often peppered with inspiring quotes, stories of perseverance, and warm anecdotes intended to uplift and inspire the next generation. But in a recent piece for the Washington Post geared for college grads, I opted to get straight to point about the challenges ahead. The...

    May 17, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang

  • Catalyzing
    C This

    Corporate boards have grown less diverse over the past six years—but why? Is the recession to blame, or an uptick in African-Americans choosing to retire from boards, or an unintended consequence of U.S. financial legislation? To find out more about the culprits—and what you can do to help...

    May 9, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang

  • Catalyzing
    Starts With You

    A 2010 New York Times headline posed the question: “Why take our children to work?”

    Amid criticism of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day’s purpose and a decline in participation among some school districts, many parents have no doubt asked themselves the same thing as Thursday, April...

    April 27, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang

  • Catalyzing
    C This

    Kraft Chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld made her mark on the business world by constantly challenging herself. As she explained at last month's Catalyst Awards Conference, while at General Foods she volunteered for a role others shied away from: reviving a troubled business division. Although...

    April 21, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang

  • Catalyzing
    Getting Stung

    This week, media outlets in India, the UK and US ran stories about the so-called “Queen Bee Syndrome,” a phenomenon where women bosses ostensibly “wreck a woman’s promotion prospects.” In the guest-post below, Catalyst researcher Christine Silva tackles the myth of the Queen Bee. Don’t...

    April 14, 2011 by Christine Silva

  • Catalyzing
    Ending Equal Pay Day

    Today is Equal Pay Day—but don’t celebrate! April 12 marks the point in 2011 women must work to equal what men earned in 2010. Here are some quick facts about this frustrating milestone:

    - Women in America earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

    - The wage gap has closed at a rate of ...

    April 12, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang

  • Catalyzing
    Diverse Links

    Among the highlights from last week’s Catalyst Awards Conference was the standing-room only session, “Connections That Count: Using Social Media for Diversity and Inclusion,” featuring Catalyst’s Emily Troiano and Mike Otterman, plus social media and D&I experts Joe Gerstandt and Jessica...

    April 6, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang

  • Catalyzing
    Speak Up!

    Among the many insights shared at this week’s sold-out Catalyst Awards Conference and Dinner (and I’ll be highlighting more on Catalyzing in the coming weeks), was this gem from Rhonda Joy McLean, Time Inc.’s Deputy General Counsel. “You better speak up for yourself, baby!” she told attendees...

    April 1, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang

  • Catalyzing
    Awards 2011

    The days leading up to the Catalyst Awards Dinner and Conference are always exciting. Anticipation is high, work is frenetic—and it’s all worth it!

    At this year’s sold-out dinner, I will be joined at New York City’s Waldorf=Astoria by close to 100 CEOs and leaders of major corporations,...

    March 25, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang

  • Catalyzing
    C This

    New evidence of the recession’s toll on women has emerged—and it isn’t pretty. The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that of the 1.3 million jobs created in the last 12 months, about 90% have gone to men. This fact—combined with the Catalyst finding that women...

    March 23, 2011 by Ilene H. Lang