The first woman to serve as executive editor of The New York Times wasdismissed last week. Jill Abramson had led the newspaper since 2011. Hersudden dismissal has raised the issue of differences between the pay of menand women at American companies. It also raised questions about whetherfemale supervisors are treated differently than supervisors who are male.
Jill Abramson was at Wake Forest University in North Carolina on Monday. She spoke at a ceremony to recognize Wake Forest students for completingtheir studies. The speech came less than a week after Ms. Abramson wasousted as the top editor at one of the best known newspapers in the UnitedStates. She told the graduating students about rejection and resilience – theability to bounce back.
“And now I am talking to anyone who’s been dumped. You bet – not gotten thejob you really wanted or receive those horrible rejection letters from gradschool. You know the sting of losing or not getting something you badly want. When that happens, show what you are made of.”
The publisher of The New York Times says Ms. Abramson was replacedbecause of her management style. Some reports say she was ousted afterclaiming that she was paid less than the man she replaced as executiveeditor. Whatever the real reason, the case has led to a debate in the UnitedStates about women’s equality in the workplace and in society.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about the general issue at arecent World Bank conference.
“Women’s equal, full participation, their voice and agency, is not only the rightthing to do, but the smart thing. And that it will make a difference to theprosperity and stability of societies.”
John Ryder is a psychologist, someone who studies behavior and mentalprocesses. He deals with work place issues. He said “respect and trust” areimportant for both men and women in leadership.
Jill Abramson, former executive editor of The New York Times, receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., May 19, 2014. |
“What I would urge is that not only that women stand up and ask for respect,ask for equal treatment under whatever the laws are, but that men also askthemselves how important it is for us to trust one another.”
He says the failure of a supervisor to ask other top officials for their opinioncan lead to big trouble. Some reports say this may have been an issue in JillAbramson’s dismissal.
“She did not want to reveal all (of) the cards she’s playing with and thatcreated tension between her and the management that she was unable toresolve.”
Recent university graduates are asking the same questions as Ms.Abramson.
“What’s next for me? I don’t know. So I am in exactly the same boat as manyof you.”
Her dismissal from one of the top media jobs in the U.S. will continue to createdebate about women’s struggle for workplace equality.