Women in the workplace is old news. We’ve been punching in, gloving up and getting the job done since World War II, when a generation of Rosie the Riveters filled in for soldiers who’d gone to war.

But our role in the workplace keeps growing as more women become managers and owners. Nearly 11 million privately owned companies are now majority-owned by women, according to the Center for Women’s Business Research in Washington.

AMY J. CORRENTI | ROCKFORDWOMAN.COM
Rock River Bank employees (from left) Donna Bodoh, Sandy Colbert, Lynn Wilsie, Beth Thacker and Julie Johnson work in a predominantly female workplace.

“I’ve seen a significant swing to the female population, especially in business administration,” says Jeffrey Swanberg, who chairs that department at Rockford Career College, where he’s worked since 1972. The recent class is 75 percent female, as are all but two of the college’s department heads.

Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1964, women still make about 80 cents for every dollar that men earn doing the same work. Women younger than 25 now earn about 92 cents, so while the gap still exists, it is shrinking.

“As time goes on, women are getting into the higher pay,” Swanberg says. “The good-old-boy network is slowly breaking down.”

And the culture of the workplace is changing, for men and women. He cites one male colleague who recently took time off after the birth of his child. Even 25 years ago, Swanberg says, such a thing would have been unheard of.

We looked into four local workplaces that are managed and staffed by mostly women. They share some traits. Teamwork trumps competition. Listening supersedes talking. Words like “flexibility” and “nurturing” crop up often.

Whether they’re selling countertops or commercial loans, promoting companies or helping families, Rockford women bring something special to their work.
 
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