Women Leaving Corporations!

Did you know an increasing number of women are leaving big companies to start their own businesses?

It's true! And here's why ...

The article, "Escape from Corporate America," says that despite the diversity initiatives that proliferated throughout the 1990s, many organizations still unconsciously treat women as second-class citizens.

According to Cheskin Research, women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men and have become a major force in the marketplace. The Center for Women's Business Research estimates that, as of 2002, there were 6.2 million women-owned businesses employing 9.2 million workers and generating $1.15 trillion in annual revenue.

"In the interest of security, women used to be willing to channel their time, energy, and effort to the corporation's needs at the expense of fulfilling their own professional goals -- but no more," says Laurel Delaney, author of the article and founder of GlobeTrade.com.

According to a study by Catalyst:

- 29 percent of women business owners with prior private-sector experience cited glass-ceiling issues as the major reason for leaving corporate positions.

- Of those women, 44 percent felt their contributions were not recognized or valued.

- 1/3 of the women said they were not taken seriously by their employer or supervisor.

- 58% said that nothing would attract them back to the corporate world.

- 24% could be lured back by more money,

- and 11% by greater flexibility.

Lack of flexibility is an even bigger problem for women in Corporate America than glass-ceiling issues: 51 percent of the women surveyed cited the desire for more flexibility as the major reason for leaving corporate positions.

And Women's reluctance to conform to corporate strictures will become even more pronounced as the younger generation enters the workforce and starts ascending the corporate ladder.

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Thanks to Shaklee ... thousands of women enjoy all the benefits of business ownership not availble to women in the workplace. They enjoy freedom, flexibility, recognition, better health, time with their family, contribute greatly to the household income, and are leaving a legacy -- all of the things they once thought they would find within corporations.

The opportunity for women in Shaklee gets better with every passing day ... embrace it!

Jill O'Mara-Lamoureux

Comments

[Anne Whitcomb]

I worked for almost 7 years for a Fortune 500 company. I made a lot of money and enjoyed my job tremendously. I left because I wanted to stay home and raise my children. By mere happenstance I became a Shaklee Distributor and I have found the following:

There's no other job out there that gives you more recognition, empowerment and flexibility than one in this industry. That is very important for most women, I believe. Also, there's an amazing amount of satisfaction in being able to help others to become not only healthy, but wealthy too!

I believe that this is also critically important to most women. Lastly, I believe that most women who had worked in the coporate world and then left it to stay home with their children, derive a great deal of satisfaction from being able to contribute to the family income.

That contribution can be a small one or a significant one - It's all up to you!