One of the musical themes Wicked are the brain, heart, and courage. Day 2 PropertyThe Most Powerful Women Summit featured all three.
The day closed with a moving performance from Lauren Samuels, an actor and singer who plays “Elphaba” in itWickedNorth American Tour. The Ministry of Public Works participants took part in a musical performance with sumptuous dishes prepared by all-female chefs.
One of the main themes that emerged on the day was the courage and hard work that women must maintain as they enter their 50s and all the excitement—and unspoken disappointment—that can accompany it as age discrimination becomes more apparent.
Women of all ages make up a core part of the workforce, with more seniors in the workforce than ever before, said Debra Whitman, executive vice president and chief public policy officer at AARP and author of the bookThe Second Fifty: Answers to 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyondat the PU Ministry Summit.
But these women face age limits that push them out of the workforce—income they need as they age because of gender and racial wage gaps that leave them with less money in the long run, Whitman said.
“So many women are having to work longer hours,” Whitman saidProperty‘s Ani Freedman. “Age discrimination is quite real and has a greater impact on women. Ageism times sexism equals harm.”
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Therefore, women have broad insight into the potential of using AI to advance in areas that are still lagging behind, which are often areas that women face.
As PropertyIn Beth Greenfield reporting, Arianna Huffington said, “Sometimes CEOs say, ‘oh, well-being is so soft. We need to focus on productivity and business metrics.” Well-being is a productivity multiplier. If your employees are sick, stressed, or burned out, do you think they will perform at their best?”
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Women are also focused on raising technology-savvy children and the appeal of social media and apps that no other generation has easy access to.
As PropertyChloe Berger writes, Emmy Award-winning documentary maker Lauren Greenfield observed the huge difference between how her two sons, ages 14 and 20, were growing up and realized that there was an addiction at play. The app is intended to be addictive, Greenfield said. Part of the important change that must occur is in the hands of technology and the governments that monitor these discoveries. Meanwhile, it’s about how we treat children.
“The first thing we do is blame the victims,” Greenfield said, noting that this view “doesn’t work” and “we don’t treat opiate addiction this way.”
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As Greenfield expressed concerns about children and social media, Guild founder Rachel Romer had the courage to continue innovating even after she suffered a sudden stroke at age 34, reports Property‘s Paolo Confino.
“Every nurse that came into my office, I would teach them about their career path and ask them a lot of questions,” Romer said during his first public appearance since his stroke. “Some nurses start to get tired when they come in and they say, ‘I heard you interviewed every nurse.’ And I would say, ‘yes, I do.’”
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And sometimes, you need all three—brains, heart, and courage. Trailblazing Ellevest founder Sallie Krawcheck says she’s always had a growth mindset—if there’s something she doesn’t know, she’ll learn it, Confino wrote for Property. “In fact, I have the most fun when I’m skiing,” he said at the summit.
Yet another sentiment he chooses to keep in mind in everyday life is that “nobody boos anyone.” Throughout his career and various leadership roles, Krawcheck said he constantly received criticism and dealt with haters. But he wears negativity like a badge of honor, saying that you have to succeed despite the hate because “pressure is a privilege.”
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