O is for Oscars — And Opportunity for Women?

You may recall last year’s Oscars, when Patricia Arquette accepted the Best Supporting Actress award for “Boyhood” and said it was “our time to have wage equality.” It led to a storm in the social media world about women and equal pay. But Arquette hasn’t been alone.

Actress Jennifer Lawrence and even Bradley Cooper, both of whom teamed-up with many leading women of Hollywood, have called for pay parity and better pay negotiations – a topic near and dear to our When Women Thrive initiative helping companies on those very issues (download new global report here).

This year, however, it seems diversity is especially lacking at the 88th Academy Awards. All 20 acting nominees are white. The Los Angeles Daily News points out the sad fact that such 2015 films as “Straight Outta Compton,” “Creed,” “Beasts of No Nation,” “The Hateful Eight,” “Chi-Raq,” and even “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” featured “a trove of terrific performances by black actors.”

Worse, no women are vying for best director this year. Oddly, “Brooklyn,” “Room,” and arguably “Mad Max: Fury Road” told female-focused stories, but all eight best picture nominees were helmed by men.

In all areas of business, engaging leaders – all leaders -- on gender di

versity is critical. In fact, the new When Women Thrive report finds that, globally, only 57% of senior leaders are engaged in diversity efforts, despite studies that show women have a significant impact on innovation, R&D, and growth. Men matter in the conversation, clearly, given that they hold 80% of the executive roles.. But Mercer’s new research shows that men’s involvement has actually dropped since the first When Women Thrive report in 2014, when 49% of organizations said they are engaged in D&I efforts vs. 38% in 2015.

As we enjoy the Oscars Sunday night, let’s not lose track of opportunities to ensure that women not only get to the top, but also remain there.

• Talk about it – Use our new report to educate colleagues about where women really stand and what the key levers are to drive their growth – in any industry.
• Re-examine pay equity -- Smart companies like Cisco are implementing robust pay equity processes to take biases out of the system.

The Oscars give us a chance to get together and thrive with friends, but this year they are also a reminder of what we need to do to help companies -- in all industries – thrive through diversity, inclusion, and the strengths of women.

Join us. Be part of it. #WhenWomenThrive  WhenWomenThrive.net