How best to recruit, retain and promote women is a top concern in many countries, even as socioeconomic factors, cultural values, infrastructure issues and inadequate international laws continue to impact the lives of female workers in different ways in various parts of the world. As a presenter for Working Mother Media’s WebSeminar Celebrating International Women’s Day, sponsored by IBM and Shell, Laraine Kaminsky, executive vice president of Graybridge Malkam, an international consulting firm, called the event “an opportunity for corporations and organizations to acknowledge women at all levels, and also an opportunity for women in senior positions to demonstrate and share their successes and challenges.” The WebSeminar also brought attention to the challenges that global companies face while exploring workforce strategies to help women advance. In countries and cultures where women are raised to be subservient, advancement can be difficult, says Kaminsky, noting that cultural and religious barriers can also hold women back. What works to help women advance in one country or region might not necessarily work in another. “You have to look at the big picture and the local picture,” Kaminsky advises, “then work together and share best practices to have as much global communication and as many lessons learned as possible.”

Working Mother Media CEO Carol Evans (center) pictured with Global Women’s Town Hall attendees.

Learn more about this event here.