Rutgers Center for Women in Business

09/10/2026

Women, this is your reminder: AI leadership isn’t reserved for technology experts.

According to new LinkedIn research, women hold only 13% of top AI leadership positions worldwide. At the same time, AI is creating some of the fastest-growing and highest-paying opportunities in the workforce - but women are not benefitting equally from that growth.

AI is evolving so quickly that there are relatively few true experts. Most of us are learning in real time.

That means you don’t need to wait until you feel like an expert to get involved.

Now is the time to:
✅ Keep learning - AI fluency comes from curiosity, practice, and continued experimentation
✅ Use AI in the work you already do
✅ Raise your hand for AI projects, pilots, and working groups
✅ Explore how AI could improve a process, solve a problem, or create new opportunities in your organization
✅ Stay curious. The people who keep experimenting and adapting will help shape what comes next.

Lifelong learning has always mattered. In the age of AI, it is essential.

The future of work is being shaped right now. Women should have access to the opportunities AI is creating - and a meaningful role in shaping where it goes next.

Read more: https://www.inc.com/michael-kaye/linkedin-says-women-hold-just-13-percent-of-top-ai-roles-thats-becoming-a-business-risk/91392198

A new LinkedIn report points to a gender gap that could leave companies building AI products users don’t want or trust.

09/03/2026

We join countless individuals and organizations in reflecting on the extraordinary life and enduring impact of Gloria Steinem, a pioneering journalist, activist, and co-founder of Ms. magazine whose work helped shape the modern women's movement. For more than six decades, she championed gender equity, leadership, and opportunity for women across industries and communities.

Her voice inspired generations to challenge barriers, advocate for change, and create spaces where women can thrive. As we honor her legacy, we are reminded that progress is built through courage, collaboration, and a commitment to lifting others.

At the Rutgers Center for Women in Business, we are proud to carry that mission forward by empowering women leaders, strengthening networks of support, and creating opportunities for the next generation to succeed and lead with purpose.

Read More About Her Legacy Here:

She challenged sexist assumptions, helping women develop a sense of self-worth and gain a measure of equality at work, at home and in society at large.

09/02/2026

Who filled out the forms, tracked the supply lists, scheduled appointments, monitored school emails, and worried about whether a child would feel like they belong on the first day of school?

Most of the time, that cognitive household labor falls to moms.

In her latest Psychology Today article, CWIB Postdoctoral Researcher Krystal Duarte examines the "second shift" of back-to-school season, featuring research from CWIB Research Fellow Leah Ruppanner. This research found that mothers report handling 79% of daily cognitive labor, including managing schedules, appointments, meals, and the countless details that keep families running.

At CWIB, we know that workplace equity and household equity are deeply connected. Supporting women's career advancement means recognizing and addressing the unequal cognitive load many women continue to carry at home.

Read the full article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rethinking-rivalry-competition-and-collaboration/202608/september-and-the-second-shift

Why can back-to-school feel so demanding? The answer may lie in parental investment, cognitive labor, and the structure of work and family life.

08/26/2026

Women’s Equality Day is a reminder that progress is not the same as equality. For many women, that gap becomes especially visible in mid-career.

In 2025, labor-force participation among mothers ages 25–44 with young children saw its steepest midyear decline in more than 40 years.

Our own research helps illuminate what may be driving women toward the edge. Women were more likely than men to carry long-term unpaid caregiving responsibilities. And for women in mid-level roles, caregiving strain — not ambition or seniority — was the strongest predictor of burnout and considering an exit from the workforce.

At the Center for Women in Business, we believe the answer cannot simply be asking women to work harder, lean in further, or navigate around systems that weren’t built for them.

We need to rethink those systems.

This Women’s Equality Day, we celebrate how far women have come — and remain focused on building workplaces where women can stay, advance, and lead.

08/25/2026

We are proud to spotlight Francisco Martinez-Garcia, Rutgers Center for Women in Business Advisory Board Member and Chief Inclusion Officer & Global Head of Total Rewards at Moody's Corporation.

Leadership is about creating opportunities for others to thrive. In this video, Francisco speaks to the importance of "finding spaces to support everyone as they grow in their career”.

We are grateful for Francisco's continued leadership and Moody's partnership with Rutgers Center for Women in Business.

At CWIB, we partner with organizations committed to building workplaces that work for everyone. Through research, insights, and programs, we help employers turn evidence into action—especially when it comes to retaining talented women in the workplace.

Is your organization ready to be part of this work? Join us in advancing women in business and creating workplaces where more people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

To explore partnership opportunities and learn how your organization can make an impact, contact us at [email protected].

08/19/2026

Forbes and Know Your Value released their annual 50 Over 50: Lifestyle list, celebrating women leaders over 50 making an impact across fashion, food, media, sports, and culture.

The women on this list reflect the many ways experience, creativity, and ambition continue to shape industries — offering a broader view of what growth and impact can look like at every career stage and inspiring us all.

Read More Here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2026/08/11/2026-50-over-50-lifestyle/

Meet the doers shaping the way we eat, shop and play.

08/13/2026

Applications for the G.R.O.W. Midcareer Mentoring Program are closing soon. Apply by Monday, August 17, 2026. 🚨

Are you a mid-career professional with 10-20 years of experience looking to advance your leadership journey? Or a small business owner seeking to grow your network, leadership skills, and impact?

The G.R.O.W. Mentoring Program is designed to help you strengthen your leadership, expand your network, and move forward with greater confidence and clarity.

To date, the program has supported more than 700 mentees, with 90% reporting improved confidence and leadership presence.

This virtual program connects participants with senior executives at the VP level and above and certified coaches through a research-based curriculum focused on meaningful career, leadership, and business growth.

Across five interactive virtual sessions from September through December 2026, participants will explore:
✅ Self-advocacy and career advancement
✅ Preventing and managing burnout
✅ Building a powerful professional network
✅ Developing a compelling personal brand
✅ Strengthening executive presence

You'll gain practical strategies to advocate for yourself, communicate your value, build meaningful professional relationships, and navigate career or business growth with purpose.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners may join a specialized cohort with a curriculum tailored to the opportunities and challenges of building and growing a business, along with targeted mentorship and peer networking.

Whether you're advancing within an organization or growing your own venture, you'll become part of a supportive community that will challenge, encourage, and inspire you.

Open to Rutgers alumni ($100) and non-alumni applicants ($150). Program fees are subsidized by the generous donations of our community and corporate sponsors.

Apply Here: https://mentoring.business.rutgers.edu/p/p6/about

08/11/2026

The concept of the "mental load" isn't just about doing tasks. It's about carrying responsibility for noticing, planning, organizing, and delegating them.

In Good Housekeeping, CWIB Fellow Kate Mangino, PhD, suggests a simple family exercise called “Noticing Time.” Set a timer and ask family members to look around, identify what needs attention, and take care of it—without waiting to be given a list.

The goal is not perfect chore completion. It is to develop the skill of noticing and responding. Practiced with children of all genders, it can help shift the family dynamic from “helping when asked” to sharing responsibility for recognizing what work needs to be done in the first place.

By teaching everyone in the household to notice, anticipate, and respond to what needs attention, families can move toward a more equitable sharing of both the visible work and the invisible mental load.

Read More Here: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/relationships/parenting/a71602678/noticing-time-chore-method/

Seeing what tasks need to be done is just as important as doing them.

08/07/2026

There is a lot of discussion about “Care AI”—AI-powered tools that can help coordinate caregiving, household schedules, appointments, meals, reminders and other everyday responsibilities—as a potential solution to the disproportionate share of caregiving, domestic labor and cognitive load carried by women.

But history gives us reason to be cautious. Earlier household technologies like washing machines and vacuums did not always reduce women’s work. In many cases, they simply raised expectations and created higher standards for what a well-run home should look like.

The same risk exists with AI. If women remain responsible for anticipating needs, managing the tools and ensuring everything gets done, technology may intensify the load rather than relieve it.

For Care AI to create meaningful change, it must be accompanied by a fairer distribution of responsibility at home—and a shift in the social norms that continue to expect women to do it all.

“In the end, what is most likely to ignite the gender revolution at home are not large language models but a cultural reckoning over why we continue to expect women to do it all and hold them to such impossible standards.”

Thank you, Marianne Cooper, for this timely and important piece. This is a critical conversation for all of us working toward greater equity for women in business, leadership and life.

https://time.com/article/2026/08/05/can-ai-free-women-from-the-mental-load-of-caregiving-/

Innovation has not brought about women’s liberation, writes Marianne Cooper.

08/05/2026

Are you a mid-career professional looking to grow as a leader—or a small business owner looking to expand your impact?

The G.R.O.W. Mentoring Program is designed to help you strengthen your leadership, expand your network, and move forward with greater confidence and clarity.

To date, the program has supported more than 700 mentees, with 90% reporting improved confidence and leadership presence.

This virtual program connects participants with senior executives at the VP level and above and certified coaches through a research-based curriculum focused on meaningful career, leadership, and business growth.

Across five interactive virtual sessions from September through December, participants will explore:
✅ Self-advocacy and career advancement
✅ Preventing and managing burnout
✅ Building a powerful professional network
✅ Developing a compelling personal brand
✅ Strengthening executive presence

You’ll gain practical strategies to advocate for yourself, communicate your value, build meaningful professional relationships, and navigate career or business growth with purpose.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners may join a specialized cohort with a curriculum tailored to the opportunities and challenges of building and growing a business—along with targeted mentorship and peer networking.

Whether you’re advancing within an organization or growing your own venture, you’ll become part of a supportive community that will challenge, encourage, and inspire you.

Open to Rutgers alumni ($100) and non-alumni applicants ($150). Program fees are subsidized by the generous donations of our community and corporate sponsors.

📅 Application deadline: Monday, August 17, 2026
Apply Here: https://mentoring.business.rutgers.edu/p/p6/about