First Lady Michelle Obama has gathered some of the coolest and most commanding women in the world to celebrate women’s achievements, and to take stock of what needs to be done to attain gender equality. Oprah Winfrey will co-host the event.
The event aims to take stock of the state of gender equality around the world – or inequality – as the case may be.
As Obama put it in her June 6 blog, titled “Together We are Stronger,” the goal is to “highlight key issues affecting women and girls and best practices to carry on into the future.”
It seems about time someone did something bold and sweeping. Consider the Seneca Falls Convention – billed as the first women’s rights summit, convened in Seneca Falls, N.Y. on July 19, 1848.
Obama described the summit as “a large-scale effort to rally together advocates of gender equality to highlight what we’ve achieved, identify the challenges that remain, and chart the course for addressing them.”
With 5,000 attendees registered for the event, registration is closed. But unlike the Seneca Falls Convention the summit will be streamed live on June 14 at www.theunitedstateofwomen.org.
The sessions will focus on six broad topics: Economic Empowerment, Health and Wellness, Educational Opportunity, Violence Against Women, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Leadership and Civic Engagement.
The summit corresponds with recently announced efforts by HIMSS to tackle gender inequality on the healthcare IT front by building a community of women in health IT.
HIMSS Vice President Carla Smith announced at the organization’s annual meeting last February HIMSS would be turning a bright light on gender disparities in how men and women are treated and compensated in the healthcare information technology sector.
“We’ve made it a priority to provide community, resources and recognition to women who have made – and continue to make – significant contributions to the field,” Smith said.
Smith pointed to a HIMSS survey that revealed men, on average, earned $126,262, compared to $100,762 for women. HIMSS polled 1,900 healthcare professionals, including CEOs, CIOs, IT project managers, sales professionals and those with clinical titles such as CMIO and Clinical Systems Analyst.
Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com
