Graduate Women in Business Conference Begins This Weekend

With an expected attendance of more than 300 students, alumni and professionals from around the country, the conference aims to educate women about the challenges and discrimination they will face in the business world.

GWIB, founded in 1978, is dedicated to the promotion of women through business. It boasts more than 50 chapters nationwide.

Last spring the national chapter of GWIB chose the University and its theme, titled "Embracing the Challenge," as the site for this year's conference.

"Some of the groups were more resentful of their positions as women," said University GWIB member Kate McKeon. "We chose to embrace the challenge instead of resenting it, and I think that's why UNC was picked."

Conference participants paid $10 to attend luncheons, speeches, and a career fair that will last through Saturday evening. Johnson & Johnson sponsored the event, and McKeon said the University would not have been able to offer all of the events without that funding.

Topics such as finance, consulting, marketing, energy and technology will be covered in this hands-on learning experience.

Janet Porter, associate dean of the School of Public Health, is scheduled to finish off the conference Saturday with her inspirational speech, "Power of One."

"I hope to inspire them all to go out and make a difference," Porter said.

She pointed out that women are making tremendous progress in low, middle and high management -- "but little progress at the CEO level."

Even though 60 percent of the country's pediatricians are women, only one out of 38 of the nation's children's hospitals are headed by women -- a statistic Porter said has to change.

"Boards are still very discriminatory," Porter said.

Only 11 women led Fortune's top 1,000 companies in 2002, according to Fortune magazine.

In addition to discrimination, women in professional positions often are not assertive enough and therefore earn less than their male counterparts, Porter said.

She and other experienced speakers will attempt to instill the drive and ambition young businesswomen need to change these statistics.

"There are advantages to being female," Porter said. "Some people are going to pay more attention to you because you are a woman. You simply stand out among the rest."

With today's economy hanging in the balance, GWIB members say that it is more important now than ever for women to forge ahead in the world.

Porter said, "It's all about what you are passionate about, how to have balance in your life and how to make sure it all fits in with your career."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.