By Melissa Anderson

Recently More Magazine released the results of a survey on ambition, work/life issues, and other topics. According to the survey of 500 college educated women over 35, 43% of respondents said they were less ambitious now than they were ten years ago.

The headline that many news outlets and websites ran with was along the lines of “Women are Losing Ambition.”

Well, not exactly.

In fact, the survey revealed quite the opposite. Because, while 43% of the survey respondents said they were less ambitious now than they were ten years ago, the majority (57%) said they were just as or more ambitious today.

By Hua Wang

New research shows that how law firms distribute billing origination credit and compensation affects the advancement of women lawyers to positions of real power and influence in their firm. What steps can law firms take to develop fair and equitable compensation, origination credit, and client succession policies that will help drive gender balance at the top ranks?

As women lawyers become more senior, they experience an increasing shortfall in income compared to male attorneys, and firms see higher attrition rates of women senior women lawyers. Despite commitments to build a more gender balanced senior echelon at law firms, women represent only 16% of equity partners nationwide. These lawyers hold an ownership interest in their firms and occupy the most prestigious, powerful and lucrative positions.

The underrepresentation of women among law firm equity partners means fewer women on compensation committees, which research shows, impacts the compensation of women across the board. According to the 2010 American Bar Association survey study “New Millennium, Same Glass Ceiling” [PDF] of nearly 700 women law firm partners, about half of the respondents had one woman on the committee. One-fifth had none. Another fifth had two women. When women are not part of the dialogue and the decision-making body that charts the future direction of firms, the chances are greater that the policies and practices implemented will be less responsive to the career needs of women lawyers.

By Melissa J. Anderson

According to a new survey from Microsoft Office 365 and 85 Broads, women are interested in a more flexible work arrangement. According to the survey of members of the women’s networking group 85 Broads, a full 90% of respondents would prefer a regular remote working schedule, and 81% of women said they’d be more satisfied with their jobs as a result of remote working. Given the opportunity, they would work from home 3.1 days per week.

That’s more than half the week away from the office. The main reasons women desired a more flexible work arrangement included work/life issues, better productivity, and a shorter commute. In fact, it is notable that so many individuals felt being at work prevented them from getting work done. What is it about the workplace that is so draining?

By Melissa J. Anderson

On Friday, The Impact Center hosted the first ever Gender Intelligence Summit in Washington, DC, which focused on what Gender Intelligence is and how it can help advance the diversity conversation at today’s top companies.

Yesterday, we discussed how Gender Intelligence can help further the diversity and inclusion conversation – by focusing on and valuing differences between the genders, rather than the similarities.

By implementing diversity programming that incorporates the value of these differences, companies can change the structure and culture of their workforce. As Marie Wilson, Founder of The White House Project commented at the Summit, “Gender is not just a matter of how people get along or how companies make money. It’s a matter of how decisions get made.” How can companies better take advantage of Gender Intelligence differences?

By Melissa J. Anderson

How can companies better galvanize support for building inclusive cultures? According to proponents of Gender Intelligence, one way is to focus on the differences between men and women, rather than the similarities.

John Hart, Founder and CEO of the Impact Center, explained, “For me, as a man coming into this, the unique nature of gender intelligence speaks to the next challenge… to make sure men are included in the conversation. For me it came down to the data.”

He explained that research on Gender Intelligence showed him the importance of including multiple diverse points of view in the workplace. “We believe the true sustainability of the conversation going forward will be in collaboration with one another.”

Hart was speaking at the first ever Gender Intelligence Summit, held in Washington, DC, on Friday. The conference featured preeminent scientists on the neurobiological differences between male and female brains, as well expert diversity practitioners on how companies can take advantage of these differences to build more inclusive and productive workplaces.

As Barbara Annis, Founder and CEO of Barbara Annis & Associates and Chair of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, said, “The business case is compelling. You can’t deny it anymore.”