Mind your business

Here’s fact: Women, on average, still don’t earn as much as men. The gender pay gap has been persistent since women began joining the workforce in droves during World War II. And according to a Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings for both full- and part-time workers in the U.S. in 2017, women still earned on average only 82 percent of what men earned. Based on an estimate like that, it would take an extra 47 days of work for women to earn the same as men. For minority women, it would take even longer. Consider, for example, that black women earn on average 63 cents for every dollar a white man makes.

And various studies suggest there are many reasons women earn less than men, including being steered away from math and science-related fields and toward careers in lower paying fields like care-giving and education; making less right out of the gate after college; and facing what researchers call the “motherhood penalty,” in which employers perceive less work commitment from women, who—according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—spend twice as much time caring for children and doing housework on a typical day than do men. And when women take a leave of absence from the workforce to care for children or elderly family members, they not only lose out on earnings but retirement savings and wage growth opportunities. And they may walk back into an industry that has grown and evolved without them.

This was the case for Renee McGinnes, a sales professional who stepped back into the workforce after a six-year hiatus during which she was caring for her three sons. Upon returning and taking a job in community sales for the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, she said she felt she didn’t have “what it took.”

“I felt like the business world had grown eons compared to where I was,” McGinnes said during a recent phone interview during which she answered questions while sitting in her car in the parking lot of her kids’ dentist. “I was feeling very small and insignificant. I put on, you know, my big girl pants, and pulled them up, and I thought, ‘I’ll fake it ’til I make it.’ And I went out and pretended that I had this in the bag, and inside I just felt like if somebody were to touch me, I’d pop and burst and you’d never find me again.”

To get her feet under her, McGinnes began trying out local business associations and attending networking events. Eventually, she decided to become a member of the Reno-Tahoe Express Network of the American Business Women’s Association.

“It really spoke to me—because it was more than just networking,” McGinnes said. “It was actually an opportunity to meet women that want to help mentor other women, as well as educational opportunities, scholarship opportunities. It just kind of touched my heart. I thought, ‘This is a good one.’ So I joined.”

That was two-and-a-half years ago. Today, McGinnes is the president of this local chapter of the ABWA and just took a new job as the director of sales and events services for SMG, the company the Reno Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority hired to manage its four properties, which include the National Bowling Stadium, the Reno Events Center, the Livestock Events Center and the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

The ABWA was founded in 1949 by Hilary Bufton of Kansas City. And that’s actually Mr. Hilary Bufton, by the way.

“He wanted a platform for women because men had been going into the war … and women into the workforce, and he felt something needed to be created to give them a platform for networking as well as learning some business skills—and just a place for camaraderie, among the women,” McGinnes said.

Now, there are local chapters of the ABWA like Reno-Tahoe Express Network in 300 cities across the nation. On the national level, the association organizes marches and runs various campaigns, including one geared toward rectifying pay gap between men and women. It also offers online courses to help women get ahead in business. McGinnes said she’s taken a few of them.

“One is how to negotiate, which for me being in sales was very important,” she said. “Also being a female—I don’t know about you—but for me, I can fight to the bitter end for anybody that works with me or for me, but for myself sometimes I’m not as strong as I had hoped to be. That’s a great class to get back that power and to be able to value yourself.”

When it comes to the local chapter, according to McGinnes, it’s personal relationships built between members that offer some of the greatest benefits.

“Once somebody joins in the local chapter, we have ladies that have been in business—I mean, I’ve been in business for 30 years—and we really try to mentor some of the younger girls to help them with whatever it is they’re struggling and help them grow and just become better women … in all aspects,” she said.

The women who make up the local chapter come from diverse fields.

“Actually, one works in an auto body shop,” McGinnes said. “We have women that work in banking, women that work in the health industry … some that are in marketing. … It’s for anybody, basically any female in the business industry, whatever that may be.”

The RTEN holds monthly luncheons for its members and raises money to fund scholarships for local women. For women who think they might be interested in being ABWA members, McGinnes recommends coming to a luncheon, which are held the fourth Thursday of every month at the Atlantis. Also being held at the Atlantis—on Sept. 19—is the RTEN’s annual celebration of American Business Women’s Day, which will include speakers, raffles and lunch. McGinnes said it’s another opportunity for women to give the association a try.

“It starts at 11 a.m., and it’s basically our biggest fundraiser to put money back into the account for scholarships,” McGinnes said. “If it’s something that strikes you, if it makes an impact, then you’ll know. … It was this organization and the ladies that I met that helped me to feel that I was worthy again, that I could do this, and that even though I was gone for six years, it didn’t make a difference. … They just did. These ladies just helped me to gain that strength and some of that courage to move forth and to do this."Ω

All up in your business

Considering local networking events and business associations for women? Check out these options:

The Northern Nevada Women’s Leadership Initiative is collaboration between the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce and the University of Nevada, Reno. According to the website, the initiative will feature “a year-long series of women’s leadership salons” and “regular social networking for women leaders in Northern Nevada, to specifically include networking events with local nonprofits which aid and support women.” It will wrap up in 2019 with a leadership summit and an exhibition of stories and images from Nevada women leaders to be displayed at UNR. Learn more here: www.unr.edu/womens-leadership-initiative/events-and-activities

The Healthcare Financial Management Association is made up of around 40,000 members employed by hospitals and other healthcare organizations and focuses on providing “education, analysis and guidance” to its members. If you’re a health care professional, you may want to look into the organization’s second annual Northern Nevada Women’s Leadership Breakfast to be held Oct. 19 at Renown Regional Medical Center. Learn more here: hfma-nv.org/images/meeting/101918/womenleadershipannounce2018_north.pdf

Founded in 1982 by local women, the Nevada Women’s Fund, according to its website was “established to correct the then national imbalance of financial distribution from traditional resources that resulted in less than 6 percent of grants going to women and children.” The group works with the community to raise money and resources for Nevada women and families. Among the things NWF allocates resources to is scholarships for Northern Nevada women. The group’s website explains, “most NWF scholarship recipients are re-entry women and single mothers who have not had the opportunity to complete their educations due to family issues and/or financial constraints.” Provided scholarship recipients perform well academically, the group will continue to fund their educations until they receive degrees. Since 1983, NWF has allocated $3,820,788 in scholarships to 1,630 women. Learn more here: nevadawomensfund.org/nwf-scholarship/

Women As Change Makers is an annual event, now in its second year. It’s happening Sept. 21 at the Atlantis. The event is a leadership summit and networking event for local women featuring usual meals and raffles, plus workshops and presentations by female professionals working in different business sectors and a pitch competition for female business founders. The proceeds benefit Zawadisha. an enterprise started by local entrepreneur Jen Gurecki to provide small loans to rural Kenyan women to help them finance things like solar lamps, rain water tanks and clean cook stoves. According to its website, Zawadisha, “delivers these items directly to rural villages, and provides after-sale services like trainings in leadership, financial literacy, and micro-enterprise.” Learn more here: www.eventbrite.com/e/women-as-change-makers-2018-tickets-47663901011?aff=ebdssbdestsearch