I heard it on World News tonight on ABC...it was expected...but not so soon: 25% of all kindergardeners are Hispanic/Latino. So, by 2023...that's just 14 years from now...they will be the majority in our schools.

So...how prepared is your company for this changing America? Is your workforce truly diverse? Does it reflect what's actually occurring in the U.S. (in your neighborhood?) or does it demonstrate tokenism?

Come on now...this is major! What's going on in your workplace?

Women don't call in sick because they worry about how it will be perceived by their superiors, according to Eve Tahmincioglu, msnbc. contributor in her article "Female Absenteeism is not Just About Child Care" (5 Nov 2007). Whether they need a plumber or are caring for a sick mother, women are afraid to take time off because there is an expectation on the part of employers that they're unreliable. Even a woman recruiter admits that when interviewing a woman with young children, potential employers will presume she'll need extra days off to care for them. That's not all...

Though absenteeism overall is dropping, even among women, when a woman calls in an absence to a manager, whether she's caring for aging parents, ill children, or taking time off to get well herself, she tends to reveal too much in her excuse.

I don't know about you, but I find this kind of stereotyping outrageous and outmoded. Perhaps with employers implementing flexible paid plans as discussed in today's "Female Fact," women might finally be free of this burden of TMI because flexible paid plans level the playing field without exhibiting overt sexism. Paid time off as an earned benefit in that respect makes sense to me, but maybe you have other suggestions...what creative solutions for alleviating absenteeism in the workplace has your company implemented? Do you find parents with children or specifically, women with children, abuse time-off policies and you have to pick up the slack? Do you judge women of child-bearing age? Share your complaints, your ideas, your concerns.

Today's "Female Fact" pondered the burning debate, McDonald's or Starbucks, based on Pew Research Center's "McDonald's and Starbucks: 43% Yin, 35% Yang."

I won't tell you which one I am...I'll let you make up your own mind and answer the poll. The Pew researchers made note of something that FF touched on briefly. Image...brand. Both Starbucks and McDonald's evoke very strong brand imagery that their marketing execs have carefully constructed. I don't know what you think of when you think of McDonald's. Ronald McDonald, maybe? (Not me...clowns always scared me...) Do you think of playing with your siblings in the playland as a kid? Ordering a Happy Meal to see what toy you got? On the very rare occasions that I go to McDonald's (usually on a trip with kids in tow), I'm not drooling over the food...I'm remembering "away" basketball games when I was a teenager and we stopped for burgers and those little bags of fries. And when I enter the soothing atmosphere of a Starbucks and I get that first aroma of freshly-brewed joe, I'm thinking of a German coffee house in Bogota that I used to frequent called "Oma's." McDonald's and Starbucks--both are masterful at evoking happiness. Each of us has had our own experiences with them. They've been with us for years. They're intricately woven into our lives. Brand is so important and it's a mistake to underestimate how powerful our relationships are with brands.

It was not surprising to me that of those who prefer to have a Starbucks in their neighborhood are self-described as happy (31%), and almost the same number of McDonald's folks are happy (29%). What makes us happy? Why do we love them? Both companies appeal to more than our tastebuds. They know that it's not just what they're serving that creates loyalty...it's serving up memories, ambiance, and aromas.

I know, I know. I'm breaking my pattern. I try to post these on a weekly basis, and I just posted yesterday (please read both).
BUT COME ON! This is landmark!

"I will never see a cent. But with the president's signature today, I have an even richer reward." So commented the amazing Lily Ledbetter on the occasion of President Obama signing into law the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act!

Though women Gen Ys have been fortunate not to have experienced the inequities in pay to the degree that more mature women have experienced, this guarantees that every employee will be paid equally for the work they perform. This is a win for my mother and others in her generation. She spent a lifetime working for a major U.S. corporation. She wasn't paid on the basis of her performance, accomplishments, achievements, and considerable skill. Her boss's pay scale determined her pay and advancement. Her depth of knowledge consistently enhanced her bosses, and as they were promoted to another branch or left the company, she was obligated to adjust her salary to the new boss's pay grade, which meant she was often ineligible for increases. "He's a B-grade, and you're already at the top of the cap," she'd been told, and she just had to accept it.

Ledbetter did the exact job that her male counterparts did for 19 years and was paid less. Imagine the lost income and benefits over her lifetime! How did anyone justify that? Employers who stigmatize women because they're of child-bearing age or whatever now, if nothing else, will have to do a radical shift in their thinking before they treat a woman as "less than," at least when it comes to pay.

Lily Ledbetter...YOU ROCK!

If you've ever dreamt of a household staff ready to respond to your every need, you might be surprised to learn that it's not as unlikely as you might think. You know the old adage, necessity is the mother of invention. Well, lots of people are finding it necessary to be inventive. Some find themselves out of work and need to bring in a few greenbacks. Others think becoming an entrepreneur might be preferable to pounding the pavement for a minimum-wage job.

Their aha! moment? Target the affluent consumers who have more money than time, by fixing their nagging problems! Typically, the affluent have employed professional gardeners and nannies, house cleaners and fix-it folks, but now dog-walkers, personal shoppers, and private training services for harried parents and their pampered pooches and progeny (not necessarily in that order) are added to the list.

They've hit on what is being seen as a trend with real staying power: personal procurement outsourcing. Any business that's started now will have an uphill battle, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. You may not be able to find someone to peel you a grape, but personal procurement firms offer a menu of services that might include home assistance (groceries, cleaning), personal training (diet, exercise), research (charts, graphs, statistics), secretarial (proofreading, making reservations and appointments), and so forth. Use your imagination--find a need and fill it!

Check out Daniel Workman's list of the top overseas websites for international service. Workman notes that personal procurement businesses have the potential to surpass US$2 billion by 2015.

I'd love for anyone who has started a personal procurement business of any sort, or anyone who uses one, to tell us about it. Thanks!

It is 4706 and it's the Year of the Ox on the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year falls on January 26, and I'm hoping that the fact that it's the Year of the Ox proves prophetic. Oxen, after all, are cattle--cattle that work their rump roasts off. We're all wishing for a bull market, so maybe this is the year our hard work, patience, and reliability--the characteristics of oxen--will start the turnaround.

The Japanese research company, Daiwa Institute, has a rather pessimistic outlook on Ox Years, warning that they're usually disastrous for stocks and noting that the Nikkei stock index has fallen some 11% in each of the past five Years of the Ox.

But Reuter's Susan Fenton quotes Hong Kong feng shui master Raymond Lo's more optimistic outlook: "Earth is the calmest of the elements, and this year is a 'yin earth' year, as well as an Ox year, symbolizing a more feminine energy." He predicts this will be "the most peaceful year globally since 2000," but the recovery will be slow. A "yin earth" means a "pure earth" year, with the element of fire missing to push the recovery along. In fact, we might have to wait until 2010, the Year of the Tiger.

That's okay. I think we've all had enough of market turbulence and uncertainty, and we all know a team of oxen yoked together toil diligently but don't necessarily turn on a dime. I'm all for adopting a little ox-like patience, and I'm not averse to an injection of feminine energy...how about you?

I know I've talked about brand-you before, the Tom Peter's term for yourself as a marketable commodity.

The unemployment rate keeps rising, and with it goes a downturn in self-confidence. There are thousands of talented, competent folks in the financial services, automobile, and all their ancillary services alone who find themselves suddenly, sometimes shockingly, out of a position they have held or presumed they would hold for many, many years.

I want to use the power of this forum, the blog, for you to take this opportunity to share (anonymously, if you wish) any suggestions for someone who finds himself/herself in this unenviable position. Any tips, suggestions, or advice that might help them to promote their "brand" would be welcome. Our Female Facts offers advice, but I know that sometimes hearing it from those who know the situation personally has more of an impact. Through sharing, maybe others (and you) won't succumb to confusion, fear, and disappointment. Most of all, maybe you and they can avoid the trap of selling brand-you short.

How about it? Can you help?