In a fireside chat, Gloria Steinem – often called the world’s most famous feminist who has been advocating for women’s rights for 55 years – reminds us why diversity is such an important issue for investors to understand, why it impacts society, business and investments so fundamentally, and why there is still so much work to do.[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Gloria%20Steinem%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Feminist%20%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Gloria%20Steinem%20is%20a%20writer%2C%20lecturer%2C%20political%20activist%2C%20and%20feminist%20organiser.%20She%20is%20particularly%20interested%20in%20the%20shared%20origins%20of%20sex%20and%20race%20caste%20systems%2C%20gender%20roles%20and%20child%20abuse%20as%20roots%20of%20violence%2C%20non-violent%20conflict%20resolution%2C%20the%20cultures%20of%20indigenous%20peoples%2C%20and%20organising%20across%20boundaries%20for%20peace%20and%20justice.%20She%20now%20lives%20in%20New%20York%20City%2C%20and%20is%20the%20author%20of%20the%20travelogue%20My%20Life%20On%20The%20Road.%5CnIn%201972%2C%20she%20co-founded%20Ms.%20magazine%2C%20and%20remained%20one%20of%20its%20editors%20for%2015%20years.%20She%20continues%20to%20serve%20as%20a%20consulting%20editor%20for%20Ms.%2C%20and%20was%20instrumental%20in%20the%20magazine%E2%80%99s%20move%20to%20join%20and%20be%20published%20by%20the%20Feminist%20Majority%20Foundation.%20In%201968%2C%20she%20had%20helped%20to%20found%20New%20York%20Magazine%2C%20where%20she%20was%20a%20political%20columnist%20and%20wrote%20feature%20articles.%20As%20a%20freelance%20writer%2C%20she%20was%20published%20in%20Esquire%2C%20The%20New%20York%20Times%20Magazine%2C%20and%20women%E2%80%99s%20magazines%20as%20well%20as%20for%20publications%20in%20other%20countries.%20She%20has%20produced%20a%20documentary%20on%20child%20abuse%20for%20HBO%2C%20a%20feature%20film%20about%20the%20death%20penalty%20for%20Lifetime%2C%20and%20been%20the%20subject%20of%20profiles%20on%20Lifetime%20and%20Showtime.%5CnHer%20books%20include%20the%20bestsellers%20My%20Life%20On%20The%20Road%2C%20Revolution%20From%20Within%3A%20A%20Book%20Of%20Self-Esteem%2C%20Outrageous%20Acts%20and%20Everyday%20Rebellions%2C%20Moving%20Beyond%20Words%2C%20and%20Marilyn%3A%20Norma%20Jean%20(on%20the%20life%20of%20Marilyn%20Monroe)%2C%20and%20in%20India%2C%20As%20If%20Women%20Matter.%20%20Her%20most%20recent%20book%2C%20The%20Truth%20Will%20Set%20You%20Free%2C%20But%20First%20It%20Will%20Piss%20You%20Off!%2C%20was%20released%20in%20October%202019.%20Her%20writing%20also%20appears%20in%20many%20anthologies%20and%20textbooks%2C%20and%20she%20was%20an%20editor%20of%20Houghton%20Mifflin%E2%80%99s%20The%20Reader%E2%80%99s%20Companion%20To%20US%20Women%E2%80%99s%20History.%5Cn%5CnSteinem%20helped%20to%20found%20the%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Action%20Alliance%2C%20a%20pioneering%20national%20information%20center%20that%20specialised%20in%20nonsexist%2C%20multiracial%20children%E2%80%99s%20education%2C%20and%20the%20National%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Political%20Caucus%2C%20a%20group%20that%20continues%20to%20work%20to%20advance%20the%20numbers%20of%20pro-equality%20women%20in%20elected%20and%20appointed%20office%20at%20a%20national%20and%20state%20level.%20She%20also%20co-founded%20the%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Media%20Center%20in%202004.%20She%20was%20president%20and%20co-founder%20of%20Voters%20for%20Choice%2C%20a%20pro-choice%20political%20action%20committee%20for%2025%20years%2C%20then%20with%20the%20Planned%20Parenthood%20Action%20Fund%20when%20it%20merged%20with%20VFC%20for%20the%202004%20elections.%20She%20was%20also%20co-founder%20and%20serves%20on%20the%20board%20of%20Choice%20USA%20(now%20URGE)%2C%20a%20national%20organisation%20that%20supports%20young%20pro-choice%20leadership%20and%20works%20to%20preserve%20comprehensive%20sex%20education%20in%20schools.%20She%20is%20the%20founding%20president%20of%20the%20Ms.%20Foundation%20for%20Women%2C%20a%20national%20multi-racial%2C%20multi-issue%20fund%20that%20supports%20grassroots%20projects%20to%20empower%20women%20and%20girls%2C%20and%20also%20a%20founder%20of%20its%20Take%20Our%20Daughters%20to%20Work%20Day%2C%20a%20first%20national%20day%20devoted%20to%20girls%20that%20has%20now%20become%20an%20institution%20in%20the%20US%20and%20in%20other%20countries.%20She%20was%20a%20member%20of%20the%20Beyond%20Racism%20Initiative%2C%20a%20three-year%20effort%20on%20the%20part%20of%20activists%20and%20experts%20from%20South%20Africa%2C%20Brazil%20and%20the%20United%20States%20to%20compare%20the%20racial%20patterns%20of%20those%20three%20countries%20and%20to%20learn%20cross-nationally.%20As%20links%20to%20other%20countries%2C%20she%20helped%20found%20Equality%20Now%2C%20Donor%20Direct%20Action%20and%20Direct%20Impact%20Africa.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2243075%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22%22%7D%5D” title=”Speakers” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Amanda%20White%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Director%2C%20institutional%20content%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20%20%20%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22White%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20content%20across%20all%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%20institutional%20media%20and%20events.%20She%20is%20responsible%20for%20directing%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium%20which%20challenges%20global%20investors%20on%20investment%20best%20practice%20and%20aims%20to%20place%20the%20responsibilities%20of%20investors%20in%20wider%20societal%2C%20and%20political%20contexts%2C%20as%20well%20as%20promote%20the%20long-term%20stability%20of%20markets%20and%20sustainable%20retirement%20incomes.%20She%20is%20the%20editor%20of%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com%2C%20the%20online%20news%20and%20analysis%20site%20for%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20largest%20institutional%20investors.%20White%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20journalist%20for%20more%20than%2020%20years%20and%20has%20edited%20industry%20journals%20including%20Investment%20%26%20Technology%2C%20Investor%20Weekly%20and%20MasterFunds%20Quarterly.%20She%20was%20previously%20editorial%20director%20of%20InvestorInfo%20and%20has%20worked%20as%20a%20freelance%20journalist%20for%20the%20Australian%20Financial%20Review%2C%20CFO%2C%20Asset%20and%20Asia%20Asset%20Management.%20She%20has%20a%20Bachelor%20of%20Economics%20from%20Sydney%20University%20and%20a%20Master%20of%20Arts%20in%20Journalism%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Technology%2C%20Sydney.%20She%20was%20previously%20a%20columnist%20for%20the%20Canadian%20publication%2C%20Corporate%20Knights%2C%20which%20is%20distributed%20by%20the%20Globe%20and%20Mail%20and%20The%20Washington%20Post.%20White%20is%20currently%20a%20fellow%20in%20the%20Finance%20Leaders%20Fellowship%20at%20the%20Aspen%20Institute.%20The%20two-year%20program%20consists%20of%2022%20fellows%20and%20seeks%20to%20develop%20the%20next%20generation%20of%20responsible%2C%20community-spirited%20leaders%20in%20the%20global%20finance%20industry.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2243061%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Famanda-white-101a7515%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%5D” title=”Moderator” el_class=””][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]
Climate is by far the number one sustainability priority for investors in 2021 according to a poll of asset owners from more than 32 countries which came together for the Top1000funds.com online Sustainability event in March.
On International Women’s Day CalSTRS’ CIO, Chris Ailman gives the industry some pointers on how to improve its score on diversity and inclusion. CalSTRS is a diversity leader and has gender parity in its investment team has been a leader on diversity.
At the recent #actionsnotwords event in London, executives told of addressing philosophical blindspots, setting up flexible work hours, adding more drivers for recruitment and more.
The diversity problem in the industry is large. Investors know this, the challenge is how to fix it. Now a handful of funds are showing exactly how its done.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Login