Final Note

Among CEOs, women are outnumbered by men named John

Kai Ryssdal Mar 2, 2015
HTML EMBED:
COPY
Final Note

Among CEOs, women are outnumbered by men named John

Kai Ryssdal Mar 2, 2015
HTML EMBED:
COPY

If your name is Johncongratulations. If you’ve got a woman’s name — literally any woman’s name — well, here’s the deal.

The New York Times’ data journalism venture The Upshot reported Monday there are more CEO’s named “John” at S&P 1500 companies than there are women CEOs.

If you toss the names Robert, William and James in the mix, you end up with four CEOs with those names for every female CEO. The Upshot has dubbed that measurement the “Glass Ceiling Index,” and they spun it out to several other institutions and fields:

It’s not a perfect measure of equality — the Times notes common names won’t change at the same rate as gender representation — but it’s a stark snapshot of women’s standing in the boardroom.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.