You’re in your own business. You’re on your way to creating wealth. But when will you reach the point where you have enough money to live the lifestyle you want? When (and how) will you have financial security and, more importantly, financial freedom? The Australian Businesswomen’s Network is committed to providing you access to education to help you create more wealth, especially through business, and to give you access to role models.Mark Bouris, founder of Wizard Home Loans has a new book titled “The Yellow Brick Road to Your Financial Security”.The book tells his story and looks at:-

• How to take charge of your retirement and investment plans 
• How much money you need for retirement 
• What your risk profile looks like
• Why you should take action immediately
• What the experts know and what financial jargon means 
• Work-life balance and physical and mental well-being 

We have 10 copies to give away!  All you have to do for yor chance to win is to take part in our “What’s Your Wealth Plan?” mini-survey! Results will be published in the ABN Member Bulletin and on the herVoice website.Do the survey now: Click here nowWe look forward to reading your responses and supporting you however we can! 

The Australian Government Office for Women has invited the ABN, as a key participant in the small business sector, to comment on the trade experiences of women in small business. Comments received by the Office will contribute to discussions at the 2008 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings this year in Peru.

The Office is seeking a response from Australian businesswomen to three questions, relating to export challenges, import challenges and measures to enhance Australian women’s ability to enter into export/import, or expand their current import/export capacity.

To participate, please click here to access the three survey questions. Your response by close of business 30 March will allow us to collate and submit responses to the Office for Women by the 31 March closing date.

The Office for Women will provide a summary of results, which will be posted here  upon completion of the survey.

Last week’s story  “Are you Working Too Hard?” struck a chord with many of our members. To find out how widespread the problem is – and whether the ABN can help by developing member resources to deal with it - we’ve set up a mini-survey . We’d love you to participate. It will take less than 30 seconds to complete; and we’ll take the results on board when planning new member benefits for 2008. Please click here to access the survey - and thank you for your participation!

It’s old news that the glass ceiling still exists in Australia - although I did a double take when I read on news.com.au today that since 2004, a mere five ASX 200 companies have appointed women as CEOs. 

http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,23393070-5012426,00.html

The story relates to a recent study, The Leadership Challenge: Women in Management, by Hannah Piterman.  Despite the predictability of the study’s findings I  did find one of the quotes in the story quite thought provoking.  

It was:

 ”Female talent is ultimately lost as working mothers fail to achieve effective flexible work arrangements and abandon demanding corporate careers“ 

Is it really the lack of flexible work arrangements that forces women, in particular those who have chosen “the mummy track”,   to abandon demanding corporate careers?

I’ve long said that as long as women have children there will be no true equity in the workplace.  To be taken seriously in a corporate environment, women need to demonstrate they are just as dedicated to their career as their male colleagues - and in our current corporate climate, particularly at the competitive middle - senior management level, that invariably means being regularly seen to put in long hours. 

If a working mum makes the choice to pursue a career that will eventually lift her to the highest corporate levels, she needs to be ambitious and tough -  tenacious and focused enough to make all the sacrifices such a choice demands.  Taking regular advantage of flexible hours simply isn’t part of the picture.

So if flexible hours aren’t the solution, what is?

My personal thoughts are that to make this achievement possible for far more than five women in four years, employers, government, teachers and child care providers all need to lift their game,  to provide working mothers with the peace of mind they need to focus totally on the job at hand when at work - and put in the long hours needed to get within reach of that glass ceiling.

Without that assurance, women will continue to be torn between work and family responsibilities, carry an overwhelming and unjustified burden of guilt whichever they choose; and face a continuing uphill battle to achieve corporate success in the face of  the masculine oriented rules and structures of most large organisations.

Many of us are familiar with a number of recently published research  reports that confirm women who work outside the home still take on responsibility for the lion(esses) share of  housework, home management and childcare - even when they have male partners who are equally capable, but simply don’t fell the same kind of pressure. 

A really good example of that kind of thinking is an advertisement that runs here in Brisbane for a “dish drawer” dishwasher. 

A young woman unloads dishes from a dishwasher into a ground level drawer, while the gentleman in the ad sits, watches her and puts his superior brain to work as he mutters “Dish, drawer, dish, drawer”….. Suddenly he gets it!  He designs a dishdrawer dishwasher!  And the lucky young woman now gets to unload dishes from the top shelf of the dish drawer dishwasher instead of the bottom shelf.  Which is pointless anyway because her dish drawer is at ground level.

So my question is, why does the young man feel entitled to do nothing but sit down and think, while his partner unloads a dishwasher full of dishes after a day at work?  I imagine it’s because she feel the pressure I mentioned above - to be an impeccable house keeper as well as working woman and possibly perfect mother as well.

 Well, on that topic, the Sydney Morning Herald now reports that one quarter of women want more time and one fifth have too much stress. 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-womans-work-is-never-done-study/2008/03/01/1204227049792.html

To be honest, I’m surprised the stats are so low! 

A quick poll amongst my colleagues this afternoon was unanimous in one regard -  they all wanted more time.  Around 50% felt they had too much stress. 

How do you feel?  Would you like more time?  Are you too stressed?  And if so, how could things be improved?

And perhaps the most confronting question of all - why do we do it?  Why do women who work outside the home generally feel compelled to take on the responsibility of full time home duties as well?  

Interesting topic! 

FLEXIBLE working hours, equal pay, a child-friendly workplace and an understanding boss are at the top of a working mother’s wish list, acording to today’s Daily Telegraph.  http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,23322762-5012426,00.html

When I was a full time working mother with a young child, my wish list included an opportunity to work from home during school holidays; and free childcare for the rest of the year.  Now as a self-employed migration consultant, my wish list includes 25 hours in the day and one time zone around the world, so I don’t get any more late night/early morning calls from overseas clients!

What’s on your personal ”Working Woman’s Wish List”?  Be as creative as you like in your answer!

Oh - and some good news for those of you living in NSW - according to the Telegraph, that’s where you’re most likely to find women friendly businesses!