They're Ladies! In Business!

The most basic formula for a "lady in business" (LIB) news article is to find a woman in a position of significant responsibility--ideally with some public visibility--and write a story about her. If she is a lady and in management, you don't need any other reason to put her in your publication. You don't need to talk about her specific qualifications for the job or the way she approaches the work differently than anyone else. In other words, the point of the "lady in business" article is the fact that she's a lady. Doing work! Look at the lady with the important job! How did that happen?!

Forbes published a classic of the genre today called "Meet the Women Behind the Brooklyn Nets," about two women working on a sports complex development in Brooklyn that will house the relocated New Jersey Nets (soon to be the Brooklyn Nets). So we've got a two-fer of ladies involved in both building of buildings and sports, so that's crazy, right? LIB stories often feature women working in industries we think of as "manly," even thought it's hardly a new phenomenon.

Let's see what other elements of the LIB story the author used:

• Mentioning the subject's clothes or physical appearance in the first paragraph--"Despite her suit dress and open-toed heels, an unconcerned MaryAnne Gilmartin, the arena’s lead developer, simply steps around the debris" that is littered around a construction site. Yes, a women who works as a real estate developer is unfazed by construction debris. Imagine!
• Reason for story is unclear--Here's a synopsis: Gilmartin ran a big Manhattan project and then was assigned the sports complex. It's a complicated project with lots of stakeholders. Irina Pavlova, lady number 2, speaks five languages and represents the team's majority owner. She's had other high-powered positions. Observers are concerned that the project won't open in time. A Jay-Z concert is scheduled. Pavlova says male colleagues sometimes listen better to her, because women are a rarity in the boardroom. Gilmartin's husband is a stay-at-home dad. The end. Why would you read that?
• Mentioning of irrelevant personal details--See stay-at-home dad/husband.

The story notes the credentials of the two women, so there's no reason to be surprised that they are in the jobs they have, though the article hardly goes into much detail on how they do their work. We don't get enough to know whether they are particularly good at their jobs, though they seem to be succeeding on this project. No, the point of the article is merely to hold up these two women for observation because they are women, not to tell the story of their challenges, problem-solving, leaning experiences, or successes. Or really to delve into the details of the project itself. Which is just irritating.

Many women are in roles of major responsibility. That's been the case for a while. Granted, we are underrepresented in the C-suite and leadership positions. But the business press needs to stop acting like ladies in business are some weird anomaly. And they need to stop writing stories that exist only to point out the obvious. We're here. We have jobs. Get over it.