Chicago Network 11th Annual Census:
Gains for Senior Women in Chicago Companies Offset by Setbacks

After eleven years of measuring the movement of women into the senior ranks of directors and executive officers at Chicago's 50 largest public companies, the progress continues to be uneven, with some gains offset by slippage in key areas, according to the 2008 Chicago Network Census, "Breaking Away," released December 2. Women board directors reached their highest percentage level ever at 15.0%, yet nearly one third of companies in the Chicago 50 have no women executive officers.

• Women directors increased from 14.3% to 15.0%, the highest level since The Network began tracking, and due primarily to shrinking board size.
• Six companies, up from four, have no women directors.
• Women executive officers increased 0.4% to 14.4%, after falling for two consecutive years.
• The number of companies with no women executive officers grew by four to 16.
• The number of companies with no women among the top earners rose to 36 from 31.
• For the fourth consecutive year, the Census gathered data on women of color and found that the percentage of board members in Chicago has decreased to 3.1% of directors, from 3.5% in 2007, while the number of executive officers has increased to 1.6%, from 1.3% in 2007.

• A look at how women are breaking away and choosing careers that offer more opportunities and rewards, including discussions with Network entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders to better understand their career choices and aspirations - and to hear their success stories.
• Interviews with Greg Case of Aon and David Speer of ITW, discussing what they are doing to increase diversity and put more women in positions of leadership.
• An interview with Cheryl Francis, leader of The Network's Women on Boards initiative, which focuses on getting more qualified women on boards and increasing awareness of this issue.
• An interview with Alice Eagly, professor at Northwestern University. Her research rejects the myth of the glass ceiling and proposes the labyrinth as a more apt metaphor - women facing challenges at many stages in their careers, and the importance of creating social capital on their own.