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Workplace diversity programs are a great concept in theory. But too often, African-American women are left out of the mix when it comes to developing  new corporate leadership. Look around and you will now see more and more women leading major companies — from Marissa Mayer at Yahoo! to HP’s Meg Whitman to Time Inc.’s Laura Lang — but strikingly absent are African Americans.  Some black men have reached the top as well — Kenneth Chenault, who has been the CEO of AMEX (American Express) since 2001; Richard Parsons, a former chairman of Citigroup and the former Chairman and CEO of Time Warner; and Don Thompson, the new president and CEO of McDonald’s, among others. There is but one black woman who head a Fortune 500 company: Ursula Burns of Xerox.

“Most Fortune 100 companies have employee affinity groups to foster leadership development. Over the years, partly because of their high numbers, white women have tended to dominate the women’s groups, while men have tended to dominate the Latino, Asian, or African-American groups. Women of color have seldom been able to rise in either group,” says Susan E. Reed, author of the award-winning book, The Diversity Index: The Alarming Truth About Diversity in Corporate America…and What Can Be Done About It.

One reason black women are missing is that they aren’t in corporate settings as much, notes Reed. “Some studies have shown that college-educated African-American women tend to choose occupations that focus on communities, such as social work or governmental jobs instead of business,” she tells us. “Secondly, the Civil Rights and Women’s Movements raised consciousness about ‘people of color’ and ‘women.’ These categories were replicated in corporate affinity groups… For a Latina woman to fit into the boxes, she has to join two affinity groups at work, the women’s group and the Latino group. She has to put in twice the amount of time and feel like a minority in each setting.”

And the exclusion of African-American women, adds diversity and inclusion expert Lenora Billings-Harris, might just be an oversight. “I do believe that it is frequently unintentional that women of color are left out of that loop. Also, the  leaders who on the surface want women of color [to be included] are not aware of the micro messages they send to women of color — that women of color are not leadership material or that they don’t ‘fit,’ which essentially translates that you are not quite enough like us,” she says. “The leaders, presumably male leaders and most presumably white male leaders need to be willing to lean into their discomfort around interacting with women of color and to interact without judgement. To listen more and to ask questions in order to develop real professional relationships with women of color not only in their corporations but outside as well. ”  Billings-Harris also says black woman too must interact more and give feedback to their bosses about being excluded.

Changing the Workplace Culture

Even though the obstacles are there and the hurdles are hard to overcome, in order to make this change women of color have to be more persistent. “The first challenge is to stay in the corporate game. For at least the past 25 years, more African-American women have graduated with college degrees in business than African-American men have.  But black men have developed their business majors into their careers more than black women have,” Reed notes. She suggests that African-American women create their own affinity groups. “You should consider what specific awareness, positive change or increased business that you all could bring to the company that is not being contributed through the existing groups. If the women long for greater accomplishments [and] recognition, ask each other what needs to get done in the form of acquiring skills, leadership experience or notifying management in order to get the promotions,” she offers.

Billings-Harris agrees the onus is not only on the company, but African-American women executives as well. “It is time for us to go beyond the numbers and counting heads but rather get to a point to where the heads count. So women of color can help in this regard by being courageous enough to speak up and have those conversations with the leaders throughout their organization,” she says in an interview. “My point is rather than being negatively critical, come to the table with suggestions and an open ear. If both sides are willing to listen and to teach each other how they can interact more effectively, then I think ultimately we all will win.”

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The rate that women are earning degrees in higher education is up, but Forbes reports that women are still earning 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. The gap continues to grow smaller, but if you want to get a head start on which jobs offer women the highest pay rate, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has a few suggestions.

Pharmacist comes in at number one on the list. Women earn an average of $1,898 per week, about $99,000 a year. And women make up 56 percent of all pharmacists and earn almost the same as men in the field.

“Pharmacy is known for paying very well straight out of school and all the way through your career,” Katie Bardaro, lead economist at compensation research firm PayScale said to Forbes. “It’s a very good return on investment in terms of money and time spent on education.”

There are over 10,000 job openings in this field each year, and it’s expected to grow 25 percent by 2020. To land a job as a pharmacist, you must receive a four-year degree and pass licensing exams.

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There are good moments in life, when you wish the world would stop and you could enjoy that wonderful feeling of accomplishment and happiness forever. And then there are the moments where you wish life came with a remote so you could fast forward to the good parts. When life lacks luster and you find yourself unfulfilled, change up your outlook and take these tips offered by Forbes:

Make Your Hobby a Habit

Bring your talents out of the closet and put them on display. You may be a talented business executive with a wonderful singing voice. Make time to incorporate your passion for singing in your daily life. Join a choir or perform in a local concert. Maybe you always had a passion for building things. Take time to put together a shelf. Whatever it is you’re passionate about, cooking, music or possibly dancing, find an outlet that allows you to use your talents regularly.

Take Time Off

Everyone needs a bit of rest and relaxation time. No matter what your job is or how your boss demands you give all of your time to the company; you are entitled to a break. If you can, spread out your vacation time instead of piling it all on one holiday. This will give you the much needed refreshers you need throughout the year.

Exercise!

Everyone needs to take a walk, do a few pushups or take a Zumba class. Unfortunately, most of us don’t want to take the time out to do it. Exercising in the morning cuts out on sleep, exercising at night is impossible because we need to recover from the stress of the day. But what’s 15-30 minutes a few times in the week out of your busy schedule? When you exercise you look and feel better, and only then will you know it was worth it.

Update Your Resume

There are times when the job you loved becomes the job you dread. The euphoria and excitement from getting a steady paycheck wears off, and you’re stuck with mundane, boring tasks looking at people you don’t like every day. Consistently updating your resume with new skills and experiences as well as keeping in constant contact with your network will eventually pay off and lead you to a more fulfilling and worthwhile professional opportunity.

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Women are steadily taking over the professional world and turning traditional gender roles on its head. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, single women from ages 22-30 with no children are earning more than men in 147 out of 150 US cities and Atlanta is number one on the list.

Although men still out-earn women nationwide, single young women earn 21 percent more than men in Atlanta. That’s not to say that the men haven’t been trying. Atlanta men saw a 48 percent increase in median earning from 2000 to 2010. But the ladies still beat their rise with a 71 percent increase.

It’s a pattern that author and journalist Liza Mundy, “The Richer Sex” has noted. Mundy believes that within a generation, more household will be supported by women than men.

“Women are still getting their minds around their new bread-winning status,” she told AJC. “Women are proud of their earnings … but they are still struggling to embrace the idea that they are providing not only for themselves but for others.”

Kristin Klingshirn, a cast member on Q100′s “The Bert Show,” in Atlanta is one of those proud and vocal top earning Atlanta women. She constantly discusses how she supports her live-in boyfriend on the show and engages the audience in gender role discussions.

“It makes [women] more attractive,” she said to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “By being able to take care of yourself and by being self-sufficient, it shows that you’re a hard worker. Reverse the roles, and that’s the way it’s been for decades. But all of the sudden, I pay the mortgage, and he’s a moocher.”

Part of the jump in women’s earnings is due to the amount of women getting degrees. The National Center for Education observed that 51 percent of doctoral degrees, 57 percent of all bachelor’s degrees and 60 percent of all master’s degrees were earned by women.

In addition, Sheryl Connelly, the manager of Global Trends and Futuring at Ford Motor Co. notes that the economy is changing “from a manufacturing economy to a knowledge economy, which requires skills that women are generally recognized for having great capacity.”

But this trend isn’t simply a US accomplishment. Although Atlanta may be on top, the US is in fact lagging behind other countries in terms of women employment gains.

“This is not a Western or an American phenomenon,” Connelly said to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It’s truly global. Fifty percent of all companies in Europe have women in senior management. … In China, 31 percent of their top executives are female, and that’s compared to only 20 percent in the U.S.”

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All you hardworking professional ladies, give yourself a pat on the back. We know you work hard on the job each day and theFIT’s new report on workplace culture reveals that not only do women work hard, they work harder than men.

“What we’ve seen in analyzing this initial data is that there are measurable differences in how women and men report and perceive their workplace,” Art Papas, theFit’s founder said to Business Insider. “These differences illuminate the need for honest consideration in finding your fit when you look for a job, not just finding a job where you meet the qualifications.”

According to the report, both men and women tend to limit their work hours to five days a week, but 54 percent of women work 9 hours or more a day, compared to 41 percent of men. In addition, these hardworking women aren’t complaining about their jobs or the long hours they put in. Women have a better perception of their salaries. Only 17 percent of women said their friends would feel bad for them if they knew how much they really made compared to the 26 percent of men who believed their friends would feel bad for them.

While over half of the total workers relayed that they did not receive a bonus last year, more women report earning a bonus (52 percent) compared to 45 percent of men. When these women receive a bonus, they use it to treat themselves. Forty percent of women said they would use their bonus money to spend a week on the vacation or take a trip around the world compared to 30 percent of men. But even on vacation, women work harder. More than half of all employees do some work on vacation, but 68 percent of women are willing to work during their vacation compared to 62 percent of men.

Despite the hardwork, there are some ladies that need to do better when it comes to honesty. The report observes that one in seven women confessed that they lied about being sick to make use of a sick day. Instead, they used the day for a mental health day, hangover recovery, some downtime or interviewing for another job.

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Although the conventional thought has always been to give above and beyond on the job and to others, as well as to do more than you’ve been asked, a Forbes article cautions that this type of thinking is flawed. It warns women who provide their expertise for free that it may be damaging to their careers.

So what’s the problem with taking on assignments for free? It’s all about respect. Very simply, it sends the message that experience and time isn’t valuable. When a woman then takes on that task for free, she too is stating that her services aren’t valuable.

“We’re so inculcated in the model of trading and giving things away…and I think this mentality really hurts us,” Lisa Gates, cofounder of SheNegotiates said to Forbes. “Pay first, add value later might be a better motto.”

Women who make their money conducting workshops, seminars and giving speeches often find themselves asked to do so for free with the excuse that a group has a small budget. Other groups often throw in that they have succeeded in getting other professionals to do so for free in the past. These organizations need to truly understand what they are asking and saying of women, especially if the group is benefiting financially from a certain initiative they have asked this woman to do for free.

The same should apply even if you’re asked to speak or present a workshop to a student-run college group. If you’re giving these students advice on a subject for free you may as well essentially be telling them that your advice and experience cost nothing. What should they in turn do in the future when they are the experts in the field?

While there are some charity and pro bono work that are exceptions to this standard, maintain your professional dignity by charging for the services you’ve worked hard to excel in.

By Charlotte Young

Ladies, when you take a look at your college campus, you probably shake your head and ask the same question again: Where are all the men? It appears as if they’ve all stepped to the side to make way for an increase of girl power in college and it’s not just your imagination. The International Business Times reports that on some co-ed campuses, the ratio of girls to boys is almost three to one.

The National Center for Education Statistics observes that the college enrollment increased 38 percent between 1999 and 2009, in total. But during that time span, women enrollment increased by 40 percent compared to the 35 percent increase by men.

And according to them, the disparity between the sexes will only continue to grow. The NCES estimates that by 2013, women will account for 57 percent of students in undergraduate study programs across the country. By 2019, NCES estimates a jump to 59 percent in undergraduate programs.

Advanced degree programs are also experiencing a ratio change. In 2008, women made up 61 percent of the master’s degree students and 51 percent of the doctoral students. That percentage is expected to grow to 61 percent across all advanced degree programs.

The rising numbers of women in college were also observed by the US Department of Education. In 2010, they stated that women “account for a disproportionate share of the enrollments of higher-education institutions at every degree level and are likely to become an even more dominant presence on campuses over the coming decade.”

For African-Americans, the gender difference in school leans even heavier in women’s favor.

So much for meeting your future husband in college.

Linda Sax, professor in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA recognizes that the gender gap is changing concerning women enrollment, but also notes that men are enrolling in school in high numbers as well.

Then why can’t we see them? Sax tells the International Business Times that it’s simply the balance in population.

In addition, she says, “the growing gender gap in college enrollments is attributable primarily to increases in college attendance among women from groups historically under-represented in higher education — namely, African Americans, Latinas, older students, and lower-income students.”

Now with that question solved, here comes the next question: with more women graduating from undergraduate and graduate programs than ever, why are men still likely to advance higher in the work world than women?

According to the International Business times, 53 percent of entry-level new hires are women. But if you take a look up the working hierarchy, the percentages begins to diminish with 37 percent in lower-middle management; 28 percent at the vice-presidency level; then only 14 percent at the executive committee. At the very top, women only represent 3 percent.

There are unfortunately, still several unfair hoops that women must jump through to make it to the top. Another explanation can be found in the degree programs women choose to complete compare to men.

The Chronicle for Higher Education reports that “certain majors in university remain dominated by men,” such as engineering and computer and information sciences.

It seems in addition to focusing getting into school, women must also take into consideration which majors lead to greater professional and financial gain.

If you think Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are the only ones running the field of technology, please delete that foul thought pronto! Fortunately, there are some fabulous entrepreneurial madames who have taken the Internet by its reins and you can now learn about them…

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