The Republic from Columbus, Indiana • Page 42

ratal! ofl -test. w3 IT) fi -irtt 'fa itTfcn Associated Press Carly Fiorina, recently fired CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co. Jung at Avon Products Anne Mulcahy of Xerox Patricia Russo at Lucent Technologies Inc. and Mary Sammons at Rite Aid Corp. And it's not because women don't want the stress or responsibility.

Fifty-five-percent of women and 57 percent of men want their company's top job, Catalyst found in a survey of more than senior-level women and men. More likely, the experts say, is a combination of networks dial exclude women from everything from drinks after work to golf outings, overt discrimination, and organizalions'morc subtle aversion to die unknown. "Boards aren't always willing to give people such as Carly a chance to perform or to fail," said David Pailin, senior partner at die executive search firm the Pailin Group. "If. die company dcx-sn'l have a track record widi women at die lop, Uiey might sce il as a risk." Now many female leaders are asking whether Fiorina's ouster will help or hurt women in similar positions.

Sharon Hadarv, executive director at the Outer for Women's Business Research, said she was delighted that a woman achieved such a high post and then lost it after jeing held lo the same tandaids that lift and sink performanc e. "It's great lo see," she said. Bui others said, bec ause women have su a short history in tin- corner office. By Rachel Osterman Sacramento Bee When Carly Fiorina was named chief executive at Hewlett-Packard in -mm, "she declared: "My gender is" interesting; but' really not the subject of the story here." As much as Fiorina may have wished this to be true, her gender has beep very much a part of discussions about her appointment, rocky tenure and now exit from the technology giant. i When Fiorina was named CKO, she joined just two odier women in executive suites of Fortune (X) companies.

Now diere are seven. And die question persists: Why aren't there more? Fiorina indicated she felt the mailer wasn't worth examining. "I hope thai we are al a "point that everyone has figured -out that there-is not a glass she -said. But the continuing absence of women in big company slots has spawned a cottage industry of experts on the gender gap, mosl'of whom declare thai a glass ceiling very much persists. Women hold only 11.7 pfHfiil ol corporate ollirer positions in (lie Fortune .11 H).

up liom H.7 pert enl iu l'(ff, but linv, given (hat lhe o( upv 10.1 peicenl of 1 1 1 1 i I and piolession.il positions, according lo die nonprolil gioup 'alalvsl. I he icmaining few include Andrea Fiorina's forced departure will hurt other in large meetings' and that she sometimes women by association. feels like she has to go the extra mile to "Because of the ongoing conversation prove herself. "revolving around my impression thai there's a lot female, whatever judgments that are more negative gossip about powerful made by her performance will be women," she said. "It's sometimes transferred onto other females, fairly and demoralizing, because I wonder what unfairly," said Moira Gunn, a mechanical they're saying-about me," engineer and host of die radio program Hewlett Packard stands out for the Tech Nation, which is broadcast on numler of women il employs.

AImiuI National I'uhlic Radio, percent of die company's senior-. It's iniortant to note dial Fiorina was management learn is female, and not just a Fortune I leader, bill one in percent of its employees are, an 111' the male -dominated technology industry. 'xkeswoman said. Robin Jeffries, a high ranking engineer An(l 'ard member Patricia at Sun Microsystems, said she often finds will, act as Hewlett Packard's dial she's one of only one oi two women hail man. 12 She March 16 2005 I.