Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Women Leaders in Tomorrow´s World

Monday, October 10, 2011, 16.15–17.45, Goethe-Institut

In cooperation with CERGE-EI and International Herald Tribune

Introduction:

Jan Bubeník, Chairman, Corporate Council, Forum 2000 Foundation, Czech Republic

 

Moderator:

Susan Walton, Board Member, CERGE-EI Foundation, USA

 

Panel Discussion:

Stephanie Shirley, British Government’s Founding Ambassador for Philanthropy, United Kingdom

Mariko Gakiya, Advisor, The Harvard International Negotiation Program, USA/Japan

Magdaléna Vášáryová, Politician, Diplomat, Slovakia

 

 

After the introduction of Jan Bubeník moderator Susan Walton welcomed the panel members and shortly introduced them. Stephanie Shirley started with the idea of that in the past women were seen as second class citizens and they were forced to act as men in order to succeed. Attitudes are changing but even now, with women being more than half of a population, they act as a minority. Women have a natural ability to cope with failure and need to place more value on their emotional intelligence.

 

Madalena Vašáryová believes she is an important role model for women in Slovakia, because she was first woman to be an ambassador and first who ran for president. Participation of women in politics also means more transparency and lower levels of corruption. Women today need to change the atmosphere of society. One way how to do that is to mentor talented girls and boys. “Untalented people have enough mentors for their whole lives.”

 

Mariko Gakiya brought an Asian prospective on women’s leadership and involvement in economy. She stated that 85% of Asian women in leadership went through leadership training before age 40–50 and they come from women-only high schools or colleges. For Japan to be economically competitive, it was imperative to change women’s work patterns: Japanese are very much aware that in order to sustain the economic growth “we need the voices of the women”.