Business Notes
Women Driving the Internet
Women are now the driving force in the growth of Internet commerce and one of the reasons why the number of Internet users in North America has now reached 92 million, according to a Internet users survey.
The increase in the adoption of the Internet by consumers is, for the first time, being driven by women as the number of female consumers on-line jumped 80 percent in nine months, and passed the 10-million mark, according to a study by CommerceNet and Nielsen Media Research.
"More than 2 of every 5 people in North America are now Internet users, and the Web is becoming an integral part of daily life," says Mark Resch, Executive Vice President of CommerceNet. "With more than 30 percent of users being Internet consumers, wešre seeing a tidal wave of e-commerce in North America."
According to the study, women now represent 45 percent of the 9.2 million on-line book buyers, 38 percent of the 7.2 million CD/video buyers, 24 percent of the 5.4 million buyers of computer hardware, and 53 percent of the 4.5 million on-line buyers of clothing. In these top categories, the number of women making purchases more than doubled since last summer.
Other study highlights include:
- Of today's 92 million Internet users, 46 percent are women. The percent of female users had been about 43 percent for nearly two years.
- 41 percent of today's 55 million Internet shoppers are women. This figure had been approximately 36 percent for nearly two years.
- Of the 28 million people who have made purchases via the Web, 9 million people made purchases once a month, and 1 million people made purchases at least once a week.
- Of all on-line buyers, 13 percent made their first purchase via the Internet in the preceding month.
For more information, visit Nielsen Media Research.
Women IT Professionals: 'Show Us the Money'
Female IT professionals, with the same education and experience, were passed over for promotions and given poor raises, according to a new national survey.
In 1998, female programmers earned .81 cents for every dollar male programmers earned, according to Computerworld. Women in the top technology echelons are making some headway, earning 89.4 percent of what men earn. Female IT workers also received 10.2 percent pay raises, as opposed to 12.1 percent for men.
Computerworld also found that women, to their detriment, tend to stay with companies longer. Women who are willing to move around - those who are willing to indicate to their supervisors that they are mobile - are the ones who will get more pay. Employers are more willing to renegotiate salaries to attract employees to stay.
For more on the survey, visit Computerworld.
Pharmaceutical's Glass Ceiling
The pharmaceutical industry has its own "glass ceiling" issues, according to a not-for-profit organization of more than 1,000 pharmaceutical and healthcare industry professionals.
In a study of middle and upper level pharmaceutical industry management, released today, the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) found that women and men do not share basic perceptions of gender equality at their companies. More than three-quarters of the women surveyed say that women have not achieved parity with male colleagues, while more than half the men believe the opposite. Known as the HBA P.O.W.E.R. Study, "Perspectives On Workplace Environment Realities," the findings also show that the representation of women in top management is "a mile wide but only an inch deep." Nearly all the companies represented in the study had at least one woman at some time in top management, but average no more than four.
According to other key findings of the HBA P.O.W.E.R. study:
- Men and women agree that women are a minority at top levels because of a lack of training and opportunity to gain line management experience.
- Men think the climate for advancement of women at their companies is quite good. Women do not see it that way.
- About a third to nearly half the women surveyed believe that opportunities for women are greater in other companies or in other industries.
- More than three women in four surveyed believe their companies undervalue women. Half the men agree.
An executive summary of the HBA P.O.W.E.R. Survey is available from B&Y Communications, (973) 746-8183, mail@bycommunications.com, or from the HBA, (973) 575-0606, hbanet@aol.com.
Organization Dedicated to Assisting Women
A New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to assisting low income and minority women become successful entrepreneurs was awarded a $50,000 grant from the United Way. Women's Venture Fund (WVF) will use the grant to strengthen and expand its entrepreneurial training programs for home-based daycare providers.
WVF is one of eight organizations that received a grant, which is being offered as part of the United Way's Day Care Initiative to improve the quality and availability of daycare services in New York City.
"We are tremendously pleased that the United Way singled out the Women's Venture Fund for recognition," said Maria Semidei-Otero, president and founder of WVF. "It reflects the United Way's faith in our organization and its commitment to women's entrepreneurial initiatives. The grant will allow WVF to assist an increasing number of women entrepreneurs who aspire to create successful businesses by providing safe and valuable day care services for mothers who are trying to create a business."
For more information on the Women's Venture Fund, visit the group's Web site.
Women on Boards of Directors
Women hold 8 percent of seats on the boards of directors of the top 100 foodservice chains, according to a new report.
Catalyst's report, A Census of Women in Leadership in the Foodservices Industry, "provides a clear picture of women's status within the foodservice industry as well as a solid benchmark against which to track future progress. Catalyst and the Women's Foodservice Forum hope other industries will undertake similar measurements of women's advancement in the work force," said Sheila Wellington, president of Catalyst.
On the Board
- 49 (8 percent) of the 632 board seats of the boards of directors for the parent companies of the top 100 foodservice chains are held by women, versus 11 percent of all Fortune 500 companies.
- 33 (52 percent) of the 63 companies reporting with board data have at least one woman on their boards of directors.
- 13 (21 percent) of the 63 companies reporting with board data have more than one woman director.
- Companies with 20% or more Women Board Directors:
