Saturday was International Women´s Day. A good reason for talking to a female expert: our CEO Jana Eggers who has been the head of Spreadshirt since August 2007.
Are women in business treated differently in Germany from the U.S.?
I haven’t noticed any difference in the way women are treated in Germany versus the US, but I’ll admit that I am not good at spotting those differences myself. Coming from a sciences background and my first job being in trucking, I became immune to some of the male/female differences that others have pointed out. I’m not saying they aren’t there, I just don’t see them!
Do you think there are more females in leading positions in Germany? (can we get official numbers?)
Funny you should ask about leading positions, a friend just sent some excerpted statistics from a Harvard Business Review article yesterday:
- Women now occupy more than 40% of all managerial positions in the United States
- Of the executives of Fortune 500 companies, those with titles such as chairman, president, chief executive officer, and chief operating officer, only 6% are women. Only 2% of the CEOs are women, and only 15% of the seats on the boards of directors are held by women.
- In the 50 largest publicly traded corporations in each nation of the European Union, women make up, on average, 11% of the top executives and 4% of the CEOs and heads of boards. Just seven companies, or 1%, of Fortune magazine’s Global 500 have female CEOs.
- So, not sure how Germany ranked specifically, but since 11% and 4% are almost double the US numbers, looks like the EU does have more. Personally, I haven’t noticed a difference.
You are Spreadshirt’s number one. The business unit leaders at Spreadshirt Europe, on the other hand, are almost all of them male. Are males more competent in business?
HA! I would not say that males are more competent in business, nor would I say females are. Together we have a stronger solution, as diversity makes better business, as long as it isn’t diversity on ethics or values. And, I have to say, I think you are slanting the story a bit to not reveal our actual numbers. We have three business units, one that is led by two people, so we have four business unit leaders. One out of the four is female… 25%.
Has it happened to you to be the only female at a conference?
I am very sorry, but I can’t tell you if I’ve ever been the only female at a conference. I would think from my scientist days the answer would most definitely be yes, but it wasn’t important to me, so I never noticed. Last week I was at a conference, where out of a roomful of 126 people, I was one of 6 women. The only reason I can tell you that statistic is that I was also the only one wearing a t-shirt instead of a suit … I had on one of our beautiful bamboo hoodies that look and feel like silk!… and I started counting how many black suits versus navy suits to amuse myself. The women stood out as being more fashionable, i.e., away from a white shirt, tie, and dark suit.
Oh, yes, and you likely want to know what was on my shirt? “All wisdom is found on t-shirts”
Does Spreadshirt US differ from Spreadshirt Europe in terms of women’s share in management?
I don’t think that Spreadshirt North America and Spreadshirt Europe are comparable in terms of management, as the companies are in different stages, and have different structures. What I mean is that we centralize IT, Finance, a good deal of marketing, graphics, and more in Europe, so there are not equivalent positions in North America. But to state clearly, I do not think that there is a big difference for respective positions in women versus men.
Do you want to encourage women in business? If so, how?
I encourage everyone in business… I like business! I think it is probably easier for me to encourage women though. They can relate to me better than a man often times and me to them. Overall, I don’t want anyone feeling limited by something like gender, and I also don’t want a weaker person to get a job because of gender. I don’t think women are represented well if expectations for a position are lowered for a female versus a male.
How I have encouraged women in the past is by taking the time to coach and mentor them, as well as sharing my experience, so others can know at least what I’ve done is possible.
Do you have female role models?
Besides my grandmothers and mom, two women definitely stand out for me as role models: Lorrie Norrington, President, eBay Marketplace Operations and Colleen Barrett, President, Southwest Airlines. Lorrie was on my board for the Innovation Lab at Intuit. I cannot express how much respect I have for the way she conducts business. Always focused on the customer, and always pragmatically focused on solving the problem without finger pointing, though with strong accountability. It is a tough balance. Collen is someone I’ve never met, but would love to meet. I’ve followed her for years, because Herb Kelleher, founder and Executive Chairman of Southwest is my business hero, and I respect her business career and her keen focus on the people of Southwest.
Do you think gender plays a role in your daily business?
I think my answer will be different from what you expect now. Overall, yes, gender plays a role in my daily business. Some piece of my perspective is most definitely impacted by my gender. How much, I can’t tell you, but likely some days it is more than others.
Ok, final question: What is your favourite pro-female shirt on our platform?
I don’t have a favorite pro-female shirt on our platform or in general. Maybe the shirt I will wear to my funeral will say, “… and she did it in heels.”
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