The Salute has begun!

This week we kicked off the 2009 Salute season. Over the next several months, 30 awesome women will share their stories of how each started their business, or how they came to own them. What I love most about meeting these women is that in speaking with them you would never know that our economy is the most challenging in decades. They love their businesses like their children. And just like parents, they beam when explaining their products then gush when describing their service.

Please check out all of these women and their businesses, you can contact them through our website to congratulate them or ask questions.

Thank you to the folks at Williams Honda for sponsoring this year's Salute to Women in Business.

Pay Equity Legislation Moves Forward

Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi looks pretty happy here. Well, so should you! On January 9th, the House passed the Ledbetter Act which would reverse (or correct) the US Supreme Court's ridiculous ruling last year that stated women must file a discrimination claim with the Civil Rights Commission within 180 days of their first discriminatory paycheck.

In other words, if you've been paid less than your equally-tasked and qualified male co-worker(s) and you don't find out until 6 months after you start work... guess what? No luck!

I'm working on getting an interview with the press secretary of the Center for American Progress, but YOU can check out their current article HERE. Please sign up there for e-mail updates on this issue as it still needs Senate approval.

Have you been paid less than your male colleagues with equal qualifications and job duties? Tell us.

Where are the women?

As I line up speakers for Marigold events and guests for Mary in the Morning I begin to notice trends. I have an increasing interest in civic affairs and the community leaders shaping policy for our future. Why it that so very few women are in these leadership roles?

I do NOT believe that women are kept out as they were in the past. Rather, I have a completely unscientific theory that when we reach the age of interest in public service or the "top job" in organizations, (call it our late 40s) women are raising teenagers and managing their own parents and frankly.... we are simply exhausted from balancing our professional and personal lives. I know one woman in her late forties that is scaling back all ambitions until she can trust her body/brain function under the storm of menopause! Maybe that's the problem!

Have you held back a desire to be more involved in the community or in a cause that speaks to you because you were just too darn tired and pulled in every direction? So what do we do about this? I believe that women bring unique talents and perspectives to the table. We finally earned our place at the table, but many seats remain untaken.

Marsha Smith, executive director of Rotary Charities has been there, firsthand, as the pendulum has swung one way... and then the other. Where are the women? Come hear her insights on this and please share your thoughts here as well.