Individual Reading Assignment
JPMorgan Woos Women to Invest in their Careers: Gender in the City
By Gillian Tett
Financial Times (London, England)
June 5, 2006
Summary
In her article JPMorgan Woos Women to Invest in Their Careers, Gillian Tett describes a recent event which took place in the opulent surroundings of the Dorchester Hotel located in London, England. At first glance, the list of speakers might lead one to conclude that the gala was merely a typical marketing event sponsored by the JPMorgan investment firm. Guest speakers included the likes of JPMorgan's CEO, Jamie Dimon, who spoke on the state of global markets, while former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Al¬bright led a discussion on geopolitical risk. Finally, Laura Tyson, outgoing Dean of the London Business School enlightened the audience on the details of her political and academic career. However, while most "investment banking events are usually dominated by men in smart suits, yesterday's attendees [and speakers] were mostly female" (Tett, 2006).
The primary reason that U.S. investment bank JPMorgan met with a number of its "prized" international clients in this forum last week was to jointly participate in the "Conference for Women Leaders" sponsored by the Wall Street banking firm. The theme of the conference focused on "economies without borders ? are you ready?" (Tett, 2006).
Tett questions whether this event, in particular, and JPMorgan's greater focus on senior female staff, in general, is indicative of an increased commitment to its female employers or if it instead a defensive move that provided the opportunity to publicly show the firm's increasingly female-friendly nature. Som ...