Finding a seat at the table

Becky Brun

In all the years I’ve spent as a reporter—much of that time covering the male-dominated energy and green building sector—I’ve gotten used to being one of the few women in the room. Whether it’s a board meeting, a press conference, a social mixer or interview, I am often outnumbered by men.

So I was not that surprised when late last year, as I was wrapping up a meeting with a business executive, he offhandedly mentioned that he was on his way to a monthly lunch date with many of his peers, who all happened to be well-known men in the sustainable business community. 

When I asked if there were any women in the group, he answered without really hesitating, “We’re all CEOs and presidents of companies.”

Then he quickly added, “Maybe you should join us.”

“Sure,” I said. I am still waiting for the official invitation.

I don’t blame him for the slip-up. There are far fewer female CEOs in his industry than males. In fact, while women make up 49 percent of the total U.S. labor force as of November 2008, there are currently just 15 female CEOs and presidents of Fortune 500 companies. (As recently as 1996, there was just one female CEO on the Fortune 500 list.)