NAN HENRIKSEN
Gender disparities in leadership were the norm when I was growing up.
In 1959 I wanted to run for Student Body President of Camas High School. Others tried to convince me that a girl could never win that race. I was naive enough to think that since I was well known and liked, very qualified and ran an energetic campaign, I could win. During the race I was saddened to hear both male and female students say that I was great but they did not believe a girl should be president; secretary or treasurer of the student body might be OK, but not President. Bottom line, I lost to a much less qualified boy. I was devastated that the naysayers were right. At that time no matter how well known and qualified a girl was, leadership roles were considered inappropriate for girls.
Fast forward more than two decades. In 1983, I faced a similar situation. I was well known in Camas, was a leader in the local Chamber of Commerce and had been an effective Camas City Councilor for two years. The Mayor was doing a poor job but nobody would run against him. There had never been a woman Mayor in Camas and there were no woman Mayors anywhere in Clark County. I decided for the good of the city I loved, I would be brave and run against him. I ran a strong campaign but once again heard from men and women that even though I was an exceptional person and candidate, the Mayor position was a man’s role. That time I persevered and won. Even though we were successful in making positive changes in Camas during my 8+ years as Mayor, I am still the only woman who has been elected Mayor by Camas citizens in our City’s more than a century history.
EMILY D. SHRUM
I have experienced gender disparities in leadership within the Navy. The Commanding Officer on my second ship was much harder on females than males. When I had just checked on board, he was rude and harsh. I had talked to my roommate who had been on board for over a year and she told me I had to stand up for myself and he would back down. There were a bunch of Junior Officers in the Wardroom having lunch and the Commanding Officer asked for a Second Tour volunteer. I raised my hand and he said “You just got here a week ago, what do you know about being a second tour?”. Out of character for me, I replied “I know when the Commanding Officer asks for volunteers, you volunteer.” He nodded his head and that was enough for him to take me seriously after that. Gender disparities are also strong in my current command. I am the only female on staff. The Marine Colonel treats me differently, as do my coworkers. They send me the female students who have questions, who need advice, etc. They do not know the regulations for female uniforms so I have to teach male and female regulations. With COVID-regulations, the males have not been questioned, but I have been told I am “uncommitted” to my students for following CDC guidelines. My male counterparts all have commented that I work 10x harder teleworking than they do. I have had superior officers make assumptions about my sexual orientation based on a haircut. There are more gender disparities in leadership but we work around them.
Dr. KRIS OTTEMAN
No. The organizations I have been in are heavily female and so it’s been “normal” for women to be in leadership roles. Veterinary medicine graduates have been 90% female since the late 80s and so women have moved into leadership roles in practice and other related areas of the industry like academia. I have always felt supported and encouraged to be a leader by the men and women who have been my bosses and mentors in every phase of my career.
Early on in clinical practice it was very challenging to gain the confidence of clients because I was the first female vet in southern or and Northern California! This was a clinical role but developed by leadership skills because I learned that if I do a great job most people will overcome gender bias.
JESSICA MORRISSEY
I work in healthcare and while the majority of the staff are female, this is not reflected in leadership or the earnings for women. In healthcare, only about 13% of the CEOs are female and they only represent around 30% of the C-suite. On top of that earnings continue to be uneven, but they are closing.
GERALD JOHNSON
I have seen gender disparity in a couple of different ways during my career. There have been instances where female soldiers were passed over for promotion and vice versa. The military is the one place where gender disparity should not be an issue. I made sure within my battalion that all soldiers male or female were treated fairly with reward and discipline.
JACQUELINE SCHMIDT
I have had the privilege throughout my life to be in fields that are fairly gender inclusive and accepting. Growing up in figure skating, male and female coaches and champions are found often. Now in art school I would say there are far fewer gender disparities than in other fields, especially on the university level. Even in the field of fashion, art is consistently based on opinions and merit not gender.
LISA STOCKMON
Yes, women are frequently treated in a dismissive manner and man-splaining is rampant.
LISA MAY
Yes. For the portion of my career that I held leadership roles, I was the only, or one of the only women in the Leadership Team.
RAPUNZEL AMADOR-LEWIS
Yes, absolutely and without a doubt! As a woman Professional (Civil/Structural) Engineer in a gender-biased Civil Engineering (CE) profession, I am typically “the only woman” in the room. Women only represent about 20% of civil engineering graduates. Only 9.7% of these women actively pursue a career in CE. And there is a 33.4% variance between women CE who persist versus those who change their career trajectory. In my organization, there are only five women Professional Engineers out of 139 engineers. With that said, our numbers diminish as we progress to leadership positions because we are already at a disadvantage end of the spectrum.
SAMANTHA BOTKIN
No. I have not witnessed nor experienced gender disparities in leadership, however, I believe they exist in many companies, especially in male dominated fields.
SARAH WIDDOP
Yes and no. The world of education is dominated by women, so I a surrounded by many wonderful female leaders. With that said, I have witnessed the expectations for women in leadership roles differ from those of men and I have seen how community members often react differently to women in leadership roles in education. I think the incident surrounding Dr. Sejkora, the former CHS principal is a perfect example. Our nation witnessed our own president post very inappropriate statements on social media, but when it came to the mistake of our principal last winter, she was not given the same grace as our past president. I could go on, but this is just one example.
MELISSA CARDENAS
Of course. This disparity is the reality and will continue to be a work-in-progress because of its embedment in centuries of world history. I’m just blessed to be in a country and organization that implemented policies to facilitate a change. However, it will take more than policies to establish the new norm. It takes people, both new and old generations, to cooperate, communicate, and try to close this disparity. Our world cannot give equality but is open to opportunities to have meetings of minds.
BETH TETRO
I can’t really say that I have personally experienced gender disparities. However, when I worked at a law firm, partners were overwhelmingly male. Why? I think it’s because women take the bulk of child care and home care responsibilities while men do not. Obviously this is not everyone’s norm. This leaves women leaving offices earlier or not volunteering for other assignments compared to their male counterparts. I know many females that have worked at firms for years without the offer of partnership because they have child care needs at home while men stay in the office until 8 or 9pm billing. This is just part of society that is still unbalanced.
There is also still a wage gap. A larger wage gap for minority women. This is an issue that many companies grapple with.
Unfinished Business 