Suffragette History

Imagine if the Famous Five*, Susan B. Anthony**, Emmeline Pankhurst and Christabel Pankhurst*** and the suffrage movement had had access to the consumer power that women of today have ... 80% of national consumer power! Now imagine if those 80% and the men who believe in gender equality organized that economic leverage as one grassroots network. Imagine the lobbying power. And it really can be done ... with your help.

*The Famous Five or The Valiant Five were five Canadian women who, in 1929 asked the Supreme Court of Canada to answer the question, “Are women persons?” The case came to be known as the Persons Case. Specifically the question was whether Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, included the possibility of women becoming senators: “The Governor General shall… summon qualified Persons to the Senate; and ... every Person so summoned shall become and be a Member of the Senate and a Senator.” (Listen to action poet, Sheri-D Wilson’s tribute to the Famous Five who are commemorated on Canada’s 50-dollar bill!)

***Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst founded the Women’s Political and Social Union (WPSU) in the UK in 1903 to press for franchise for women and successfully gained it in 1918.

NOTE FROM IBI FOUNDING DIRECTOR

I cannot think of a time in the world’s history when we need fresh ideas more than we do at the moment. Empowering women by opening positions of influence to them— as readily as those positions are available to men—will undoubtedly lead to a great well spring of new ideas and ways to approach problems. When acted upon, these new ideas will provide us the solutions and motivation to solve some of the most serious issues that face us all.

IBI is devoted to one goal and one goal only: To have institutions in Canada, the USA and the UK reflect the gender of their clientele on their boards of directors. IBI will manage this by organizing the most powerful consumer voice in each region, by harnessing women’s purchasing power, a force which accounts for over 80% of all consumer purchases.

• The economic leverage to accomplish IBI’s goal is already in place.
• Once the female consumer voice is organized it will not be ignored.
• IBI is an apolitical movement and it strikes to the heart of what is a most basic right, the freedom of expression of ideas and the ability to be able to act upon those ideas for one half of our population - women.

Please join IBI and ask all your friends to do the same. With your voices we can make the goal of IBI become a reality. It will be one of the most important small steps you can take to make a significant difference for yourself, your children, your friends and peers, and for generations to come.

Thank you for your support,

Alexander Strachan
Founding Director, In Balance International
March 1, 2007

GENDER BALANCE WITHIN BOARDROOMS - IT’S FAIR. IT’S SMART!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO/CALGARY—March 1: International Women’s Day is chosen as the launch date for In Balance International (IBI), to initiate its grassroots campaign toward establishing greater gender balance within the boardrooms of Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. IBI founder, Alexander Strachan, announced that this non-profit organization will begin “organizing for balance” by leveraging women’s consumer and economic powers to demand that boards of directors better reflect the gender of their clientele. He has long-believed that women have a unique point-of-view that must be heard if we’re to discover fresh solutions to today’s complex issues.

Strachan, who has had a business career that has taken him from file clerk to senior executive, to resort-owner says, “Boards of directors are decision-making bodies that impact everyone in almost any way we can think of: careers, health, education, and everything we purchase. By ensuring women are fairly represented on boards, society will benefit enormously from a female perspective; and women as well as men, will make decisions about how society operates. Currently this means substantially increasing the number of women on boards.”

Women account for 80 percent of all consumer purchases, which translates into power in our market-driven society. IBI will harness this power by creating a grassroots network through which members who share its vision, will use economics and activism and provide the leverage—by virtue of its numbers—needed to instigate change within the structure of public and private corporate, non-profit and public sector boards. Institutions already recognize the power of women consumers, and will stand to gain a competitive edge by partnering with IBI to support its goal.

Andrina Lever, president of Lever Enterprises, Organization of Women in International Trade’s (OWIT) 2006 “Woman of the Year”, and long-time advocate and champion for the advancement of women’s entrepreneurship internationally, sees the potential opportunities that IBI creates. Ms. Lever said, “Imagine a world where we actually harness the brainpower, purchasing power, intellectual power as well as the sheer influential power and energy that women share; and what the world could look like. All over the world, women meet to raise money, organize charitable events and perform volunteer work. Imagine if these women came together to be leaders in change. It’s exciting to see an organization such as IBI recognize that vision and act on it.”

Visit http://www.inbalanceinternational.com and take steps toward a world that is in balance.
-30-

For further information, please contact:
Founders: Alexander Strachan:  (519) 927-0157, astrachan@inbalanceinternational.com; Joni Cooper: (403) 988-2234, jcooper@inbalanceinternational.com

Live Radio Interview

Listen to Alex Strachan’s live interview on AM77 CHQR from Calgary—The World Tonight with Rob Breakenridge. To skip the news and get directly to the interview, scroll to the 3-minute mark—you’ll need Windows Media Player to listen.

CALL TO ACTION!

6 SIMPLE ACTION STEPS TO INSTIGATE CHANGE

#1: Join In Balance International today to join the growing number of voices needed to provide leverage. It costs nothing and gains much!

#2: Encourage your organization to become a partner and support the goals of IBI.

#3: to make a presentation, be part of a panel, or speak at an event. We need to get out there and talk about this on a large scale.

#4: If you’re a shareholder, attend annual general meetings and ask the question, “Why are there no women on this board?” Part of IBI’s strategy, will include the purchase of minimal shares to enable members to speak up at shareholder meetings.

#5: to join IBI’s team to set the membership drive into action in your community.

#6: Encourage your friends, family and contacts to join IBI today by sending them this link!

Founding Member/Donation Form

IBI_Founding_Member_Donation_Form.pdf

What is ‘Gender Transformative’?

Being ‘gender transformative’ means that gender is central to promoting gender equality and achieving positive development outcomes. It takes on the task of transforming unequal gender relations to promote shared power, control of resources, decision-making, and support for women’s empowerment.

Privacy Policy

In Balance International respects your privacy.  We never sell, trade, or loan your information to any other organization. We will use your information only for follow-up contacts (such as our newsletters), statistical purposes, and to process and recognize your membership and donations. We disclose your information only to our own employees and agents and only to accomplish the purposes listed above. By providing this information you consent to our collection and use of the information you provide. If you do not wish to be identified as a member or donor please let us know. If at any time you no longer wish to be contacted by IBI, please contact us at info@inbalanceinternational.com. We will be happy to remove you from our lists.

What is IBI—What is Its Goal?

IBI is organizing women’s consumer power to put more women at the top. It’s fair, it’s smart!

By making fundamental changes at the board level, women’s voices will have the forum they deserve, and society will be better served by a world in balance.
Non-profit IBI is a consumer movement that is organizing the most powerful economic voice: Women’s purchasing power, to see that boards of directors reflect the gender of their clientele. At the present time this means substantially increasing the number of women on boards. Women hold 80% of the consumer purchasing power, but have little or no voice on how decisions are made in the public and private institutions that control our lives. A board of directors may not seem to touch your world, but very often has more impact on you than your elected government. IBI is committed to a world where women and men share power collaboratively; a world that IBI thinks would not only be fair, but that would bring about a new perspective to solving today’s complex problems.

Why are we doing this?
Because women as well as men, should be making the decisions about how our society operates. At the moment, corporate boards in Canada are made up of 12% women; in the USA about 15%; and in Britain about 8%. For NGO’s and legislatures, the numbers are only slightly higher. This means that currently, policy and the allocation of funds decided upon by the majority of institutions, is not done by women in conjunction with men, it is done almost exclusively by men. This is not fair individually; and on a societal level it is not responsible, as women represent a vast resource of largely untapped intellectual power that should be accessed to help solve the issues of today. Thousands of qualified women are waiting to serve on boards of directors, but they are not being invited to do so in proportion to their consumer power, their gender or qualified numbers.

How is IBI going to achieve its goal?

• Women account for approximately 80% of all consumer purchases, which translates into enormous power in our market-driven society. IBI has initiated a grassroots membership campaign across Canada, the USA and the UK; and will organize women’s economic power by creating a far-reaching network of women, men, women’s advocacy groups and other organizations who share IBI’s vision. This grassroots network will mobilize its members through economics and activism to provide the leverage needed to instigate change within the structure of public and private corporate, non-profit and public sector boards. We need your voice ... it costs nothing and pays much!
• IBI will become a label that many institutions will want to be allied with to:
  - Attract consumers.
  - Gain a competitive edge.
  - To gain a competitive edge.
  - Attract the best employees by demonstrating that women are welcome at all levels - this in a world where babyboomers are fast retiring and leaving gaps in the workplace will be vital.
• With a detailed strategy and membership campaign.
• A multi-media presentation is being developed that will enable members to introduce IBI to groups in their communities; and allow IBI to take its strategy to institutions.
  

• Give the huge reservoir of women’s brainpower and its ideas, the real powers to be acted upon in our world.
• Generate new thought about how to solve some of today’s difficult problems in private and public sectors.
• Give society a way to break down some of the existing gender barriers that are still preventing women in large numbers from being asked to serve at the top.
• See political parties reflect the same gender basis in their nominations of candidates.

A link to a printable version of quick facts about IBI: IBI_INFO.pdf

Women Board Directors Internationally

Women board directors were less than 10 percent of the total number of directors of companies headquartered in Australia, the UK, Germany, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy and Japan. Only Norway (greater than 25 percent), where federal legislation required all boards to have at least two women by 2006 and to have 40 percent women by 2008, and Sweden (almost 20 percent) had percentages of women directors greater than those calculated for the U.S.
(source: Ethical Investment Research Services, How Global is Good Corporate Governance? 2004)

Women Board Directors on Fortune 500 - USA

Women held 14.7 percent of all Fortune 500 board seats, compared with 13.6 percent in 2003. Women are more likely to sit on boards of U.S. corporations than Canadian (12.0 percent), South African (10.7 percent) or Australian corporations (8.6 percent).

The industries with the highest percentage of women board directors (18.2 - 40.9 percent in decending order): Savings Institutions; Real Estate; Household and Personal Products; Health Care Insurance; Temporary Help; Food and Drug Stores; P&C Insurance; Pharmaceuticals; Building Materials (Glass); Insurance: Life, Health; Truck Leasing; Specialty Retailers; Toys/Sporting Goods; Publishing/Printing.

At current average growth rate of one-half of a percentage point per year, it will take 70 years for women to reach parity with men on Fortune 500 boards.
(source: 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Board Directors of the Fortune 500)

Strategies to Seek Board Positions Yourself

SHAPE YOUR CAREER

• Obtain leadership experience
• Make a strategic plan for yourself that includes line positions
  -- Operating experience and financial knowledge are key
• Be visible at your company
  -- Seek committees or projects that give you a chance to interact with top management.

BE VISIBLE OUTSIDE YOUR COMPANY

• Serve on a nonprofit or advisory board
• Seek appointment to government commissions
• Join and speak at professional or industry-related organizations
• Seek and accept interview requests with the media

MAKE YOUR INTEREST KNOWN

• Make board members, colleagues, and senior management aware that you are interested and available for nonprofit and corporate board positions
• Introduce yourself to those who conduct board searches

PREPARE YOURSELF

• Know about boards; be well read; take courses
• Get your resume ready
  -- Emphasize what boards are looking for
  -- Be clear about the responsibilities you have had
  -- Use dates clearly when describing your education and
  professional experience
  -- Write your biography and gather articles you have authored
  -- Keep your resume, biography, and articles handy

(From the 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Board Directors of the FP500)

Women Board Directors on FP500

In 2005, women held 12.0 percent of all FP500 board seats, up from 11.2 percent in 2003—only a 0.8 percent increase in two years.

In 2005, the following industries had the highest percentages of women board directors (30.8 - 16 percent in descending order): Insurance Services; Real Estate; Credit Unions; Property and Casualty Insurance; Entertainment; Multimedia; Life and Health Insurance; Banks; General Merchandisers; and Food and Drug Stores. Insurance Services; Real Estate; and Multimedia were new to this list in 2005.
(source: 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Board Directors of the FP500)

It Pays for Women to Attend University

Gender differences in university participation (1977 to 2003)
Women’s participation in university has outpaced men’s since the late 1970s. In fact, the gap widened substantially during the 1990s.

This study uses data from two Statistics Canada surveys to investigate the reasons for the differentials of growth in university attendance between 1977 and 2003. Its findings suggest that a major factor underlying the steady increase in university enrolment among women is that it pays more for women to attend university. The study showed that the financial return for both men and women with a university degree is proportionally higher than it is for their counterparts who have just a high school diploma. But this return to education has been consistently higher for women than for men since 1977.

Specifically, a woman with a university degree in 1977 earned $1.88 for each dollar earned by a woman with a high school diploma. The corresponding ratio for men was $1.63. By 2003, women with a university degree earned $2.73 for every dollar earned by those with a high school diploma. The corresponding ratio for men was $2.13.

Between 1977 and 1992, the university premium for women was 16% higher than for men; between 1993 and 2003, it was 22% higher for women. This higher premium for women and its growth relative to that for men explain a large part of the divergent trends in university attendance, the study suggests. It points out that tuition fees, parents’ education and family income are well-known important factors related to university attendance. However, these factors cannot explain why women’s enrolment has increased steadily relative to men’s.

The study found that the gap in university attendance between children from high and low income families declined more over the period for women than men, but this fact by itself did not account for the divergent trends. In 1977, there were four people attending university from families in the top fifth of the income distribution for every person attending from the bottom fifth. By 2003, this ratio had fallen to only 1.6 for women, and to 2.7 for men. The study shows that university participation for both men and women has increased within all income brackets, more so for women than for men. This suggests that other trends underlie the divergence in women’s and men’s university enrolments.

(source: “The Gender Imbalance in Participation in Canadian Universities (1977 to 2003)”, Louis N. Christofides, Michael Hoy and Ling Yang (Guelph University), prepared as part of the “New Realities in Gender Facing Canadian Society Project”. This project is organized by Statistics Canada’s Family and Labour Studies Division and features work conducted in the Agency’s Research Data Centres.)

Canada - 1 in 9 Corporate Directors Are Women

1 in 9 CORPORATE DIRECTORS ARE WOMEN IN LATEST COUNT
Status quo remains with some signs of progress

TORONTO - (March 1, 2006) - Women now hold 12 percent of corporate director positions in Canada (508/4225), a 0.8 percentage point increase since 2003 indicating little progress has been made in adding women to the boardroom, according to the 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Board Directors of the FP500, released today. This fourth-of-its-kind census provides an accurate measure of women’s advancement to leadership in Canada’s 500 largest companies.

In releasing the study, Sonya Kunkel, Catalyst Canada Senior Director, said: “The sluggish rate of progress demonstrated by many of Canada’s leading businesses pales in comparison to the robust domestic corporate climate these companies have experienced. The number of women on FP500 boards clearly does not reflect their true impact on the Canadian economy as wage earners, managers, professionals, consumers, investors, and business owners.”

The 2005 Catalyst census key findings include:
* Publicly traded companies experienced virtually no change in the percentage of women directors (9.2 percent versus 9.0 percent in 2003).
* Crown corporations had the highest percentage of women on their boards at 28.5 percent, up from 23.7 percent in 2003. Their superior performance masks the slow rate of growth in the number of women board directors in private companies, co-operatives, and public companies.
* The percentage of companies with at least one woman board director increased from 48.6 percent in 2003 to 52.8 percent in 2005.
* The percentage of companies with multiple women board directors increased almost 4.0
points since 2001 to 25.8 percent.
* Certain industries continue to have the highest representation of women on their corporate boards including insurance, real estate, financial services, retailers and entertainment. Gold, mining, construction, engineering and information technology are among the industries with the lowest percentages of women directors.
* Women chaired five of the 244 publicly traded companies on the FP500, up from three companies in 2003. “The pool of talented women, qualified and available for board responsibilities, has grown significantly in recent years. Catalyst’s study shows that the larger Canadian companies are not yet taking advantage of this opportunity,” said Claude Dussault, CEO of ING Canada. “Canada needs, and will benefit greatly from, much stronger representation from qualified women in the ranks of our corporate directors,” said Bill MacKinnon, CEO of KPMG LLP in Canada and a member of the Catalyst Advisory Board. “As Canadian business leaders, one of our most important jobs is to reduce the roadblocks that still impede women’s progress to senior ranks.”

Canadian Comparisons to the U.S.
A higher percentage of board directors in the United States are women - 13.6 percent as compared to their Canadian counterpoints at 12 percent. In the United States, the number of companies with at least one board seat held by a woman is nearly double that of Canadian companies. According to Catalyst, 89.2 percent of Fortune 500 companies have at least one board seat held by a woman, versus just over one-half (52.8 percent) of FP500 companies according to the 2003 U.S. Catalyst Census of Women Board Directors.
(source: Catalyst, full report available at http://www.catalyst.org)

Famous Five Foundation

Become a Member

In Balance International needs your voice!

Become a member to lend your voice - it costs nothing but moves IBI closer to its goal. As our numbers grow so does our influence -- together we'll have the leverage to demonstrate that women's voices need to be heard. It's fair, it's smart!

And if you're able to make a donation to keep IBI moving forward, please do!

 

We're unable to accept credit cards directly, so if you do not wish to use the "Make a Donation" link or "Founding Membership" link (below) to connect to to support IBI, please consider regular mail to support IBI's vision by sending this IBI_Founding_Member_Donation_Form.pdf along with a cheque.

We encourage you to join IBI as a Founding Member by making a pledge of $100 or £50. This support and donations are what IBI depends on to maintain neutrality and remain member-driven.

Join now, and Tell a Friend about us!

Donations to In Balance International are not tax deductible. Your donation will support our movement toward a world where women and men share power collaboratively. Please stay tuned for IBI's first quarterly newsletter.... coming soon.

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Five Old Biddies on a Fifty

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Register

By staying informed ...

If you can’t afford a membership right now, but would like to be kept informed of In Balance International’s progress, please email us and include your name, street address and email address.

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Women on Public & Crown Corporation Boards, Canada

The percentage of women on corporate and public boards has not changed significantly in the past 3 years. Crown corporations have a dismal 28.5% of women on their boards.
(source: 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Board of Directors of the FP500, Catalyst 2005)

There has been some progress in British Columbia and Quebec.

British Columbia accomplished major strides on gender balance in governance roles through the implementation of a structured and rigorous process. Women currently hold 59% of the board seats on public corporations and agencies in British Columbia.
(source: http://www.gov.bc.ca Appointment Process Board Resourcing and Development Office, April 29, 2006)

In recent legislation regarding public corporations in the province, Quebec has set the benchmark of 50% representation of women on boards by 2011. Women currently have 28% representation on Quebec public boards.
(source: Canadian Women in Communication, April 2006 Update)

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Women in National Parliaments

To see a world-wide table on the number of women in National Parliaments as of October 2006, follow this link to Women in National Parliaments.

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How Women Get Ahead

* Consistently exceed performance expectations (69%)
* Successfully manage others (49%)
* Develop a style with which male managers are comfortable (47%)
* Have recognized expertise in a specific content area (46%)
* Seek out difficult or highly visible assignments (40%)
(source: Women in Corporate Leadership, Catalyst 2003)

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Women in the Boardroom

The more women in a boardroom, the better off that company will be. Corporations with three or more women on their boards tend to benefit most from women’s contributions as women bring a collaborative leadership style that benefits board dynamics, as well as adding new perspectives, and raising controversial issues and tough questions.
(source: Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario in partnership with Wellesley Centers for Women, 2006)

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June 2006 - In Balance International Inaugural Planning Session

THE LODGE AT PINE COVE, Ontario—June 23 - 25, 2006 saw In Balance International’s first strategic planning session take place. Fifteen interested souls from different sectors and backgrounds from Alberta, Ontario and Quebec took part in this information and brainstorming session to help IBI’s founding board determine how best to move forward into action. Ideas were shared, discussion was generated, friends were made, fun was had and an action plan began to emerge as the weekend drew to a close. The beginning stages of the action plan are what you see on this website.

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Women’s Buying Power

Buying power is defined as the total personal income of residents that is available after taxes, for spending on goods and services; and women hold 80-85% of this power. They are the most powerful buying force in business and consumer markets today.
(sources: Catalyst, United Nations Platform for Action Committee, The Business and Professional Women’s Foundation, TrendSight, Business Women’s Network)

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The Lodge at Pine Cove

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It Could Take 40 Years to Achieve Parity with Men

PROJECTED TREND INDICATES IT COULD TAKE 40 YEARS FOR WOMEN TO ACHIEVE PARITY WITH MEN IN CORPORATE OFFICER RANKS.

NEW YORK - (July 26, 2006) - Women continue to be severely underrepresented in top corporate leadership positions, according to a census study released today by Catalyst, the leading nonprofit research and advisory organization working to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work. The census, which tracked women executives in the Fortune 500, found that most large U.S. companies have made scant progress in advancing women—and especially women of color—to leadership and top-paying positions over the past decade. If this rate of progress continues, it could take 40 years for women to achieve parity with men in corporate officer positions.

The 2005 Catalyst Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners of the Fortune 500 found that in the last three years, average growth in the percentage of corporate officer positions held by women fell dramatically to 0.23 percentage points per year, the lowest yearly gain in the past ten years. Between 2002 and 2005, the total number of women corporate officers increased by a mere 0.7 percentage points to 16.4 percent.(1)

“This tenth anniversary census is a wake-up call to business leaders. Although the total number of corporate officer positions has declined since 1995 and women’s representation has proportionately increased a bit, the continuing gender gap in senior leadership, especially among women of color, demonstrates a persistent uneven playing field” said Ilene H. Lang, President of Catalyst.

According to the census, the average Fortune 500 company had 21.8 corporate officers in 2005; on average, women held only 3.6 of these positions. Women occupied only 9.4 percent of clout titles (those higher than vice president(2)), up from 7.9 percent in 2002. More than one-half of the Fortune 500 had fewer than three women corporate officers. Only eight companies in the Fortune 500 were led by a woman CEO in 2005, and none of those companies were among the Fortune 100. Women held only 6.4 percent of top earner positions, up just 1.2 percentage points from 2002. And fully 75 percent of Fortune 500 companies reported no women as top earners.

(1) Corporate officers were defined as executives who were board-elected or board-appointed.
(2)According to the study, women executives were more than twice as likely as men to hold staff positions versus line positions. Staff officers are responsible for the auxiliary functioning of the business, while line officers are responsible for a company’s profits and losses. According to CEOs interviewed by Catalyst, having line experience is critical for executives to reach the most senior levels in most companies.

Catalyst’s study also showed that women of color held just 1.7 percent of corporate officer positions and represented only 1.0 percent of Fortune 500 top earners in 2005, suggesting that little has been done to remove the multiple and intersecting barriers that hinder the advancement of women of color. Men of color fared only slightly better, holding 6.4 percent of corporate officer positions.

“Smart companies know that developing and retaining top talent yields solid results,” said Lang. “Women have the education, expertise, experience, and ambition to advance to these top positions in much greater numbers. However, this census reveals that some companies have yet to understand the compelling business case for diversity and women’s advancement or to take meaningful steps to develop and retain women leaders.”

The study also found correlations between certain factors and the number of women reaching upper management levels. Companies that were ranked higher on the Fortune 500 list had greater numbers of women in clout titles. Also, there were more women in corporate officer positions at companies in industries in which women represent 49 percent or more of the total workforce, including finance, insurance, real estate, retail trade, and services.

Advancing more women leads to competitive advantage.

(source: Catalyst, Release July 2006)

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Check out this website

In Balance International is working toward a world where women and men share power collaboratively.

But they need you and me to help reach that goal ... and for all of us to speak as one voice.
Check it out!

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Roberta Mack, Director

A native Calgarian, Bird began her financial services career with Scotiabank after a brief foray into the import business. She worked her way up the ranks and ended up in Commercial banking for several years followed by stints in both Private and Corporate banking.  Along the way she attained her Financial Planner designation, and merged that knowledge with her tremendous drive for efficiency, while working with the corporate sector after leaving the bank. Bird is presently combining all of her talents while teaching her year-old twins, the wonders of the world.

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Contact Us

IBI is a grassroots organization dedicated to ensuring that men and women share equally in business, political and social influence, leadership and decision-making. By harnessing women’s consumer purchasing power, IBI will create more thoughtful, humane, efficient and sustainable decisions in world affairs that will lead to increased return on investments - of all kinds.

In Balance International
16968 McLaughlin Road
Caledon, Ontario
L7K 1T4
Canada

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Links Intro

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Stephen Lewis Speech - UN Reform & Human Rights

“We need, need now, need desperately, a mass movement in support of women’s rights, whose culminating achievement will be the creation of an international, multilateral women’s agency. If the (High-Level UN) Panel, however male-laden, however cerebrally-resistant, were to take on board the issue of women as a fourth frame of reference, and emerge, for the first time in the 61-year history of the United Nations, with a recommendation that gave to women an organizational vehicle to change and challenge the world, then we would have the breakthrough that gives voice, breath and sinew to the meaning of equality.

Agencies of the UN system are capable of changing the world. A true international, multilateral agency for women can do the same. There are infinite numbers of studies to show that to achieve the human rights of women leads, irresistibly, to the amelioration of the human condition without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion. God knows, that’s what the world needs.”
(Excerpt from Stephen Lewis’s speech to a conference on UN Reform and Human Rights, Harvard Law School, February 26, 2006)

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Corporate Performance

Discussion and decisions are more inclusive, caring and impactful when diverse points of view are at the board table. In fact, organizations “with the highest representation of women on their senior management teams had a 35% higher Return on Equity (ROE) and a 34% higher Total Return to Shareholders (TRS) than companies with the lowest women’s representation”.
(source: The Bottom Line: Connecting Corporate Performance to Gender Diversity, 2004 Catalyst)

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Janine Suboch, former Director

Janine Suboch was born in Toronto and has lived in various parts of Canada, the United States and Europe. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in architecture and the University of Ottawa with a degree in education. She worked in the architectural field for several years before becoming an educator. Janine believes that society would be better served by having significant numbers of women contributing to the governance of institutions. 

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Intro to Facts

Some quick facts that might interest and may even astound you!

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Media & Photo Gallery

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Reports and Statistics

Please take a look at some reports that we’ve uncovered to support gender balance in all facets of life and work.

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Joni Cooper, Founding Director

Joni left a 10-year government career within Engineering and Architecture for the national parks region of western Canada to go to film school, and soon after entered the not-so-glamorous life of independent film. After surfing that chaos for awhile, she spent 15 years dividing her time managing the content and programming for the Banff World Television Festival; as guest services director for the California Film Institute; and consulting with film and television festivals around the world. While these projects furthered her core objectives to cultivate partnerships for business and professional development—especially within developing markets, she wanted to expand her purpose and put her 15+ years of non-profit experience toward more complete ends. And that’s exactly when In Balance International came a’ calling. She believes that a world In Balance is within reach.

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Alex Strachan, Founding Director

Alexander Strachan was born in the United Kingdom and immigrated to Canada in the 1960's. He has worked in both the agricultural and real estate industries in senior positions. Currently Alex owns and operates The Lodge at Pine Cove. Alex has a strong vision that with the inclusion of significant numbers of women on the boards of institutions, society will have the benefit of a new perspective and a wealth of talent that has never previously had the chance to bring its ideas to the boardroom.

A Note from Alex

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Get Involved

“We need, need now, need desperately, a mass movement in support of women’s rights. A true international, multilateral agency for women can [change the world].” from Stephen Lewis’s speech to Harvard Law School conference February 26, 2006 - Read more

Why Join?
In Balance International (IBI) is blending economics and activism together toward positive social change and we need your voice!
It costs nothing to lend your voice and become a member to support In Balance International, a gender transformative, non-partisan grassroots network, and you will be speaking out loud and clear. Your voice will not only begin to be heard with the growing number of other voices, but will be acted upon. By organizing women’s economic power, IBI will affect change as it gathers influence through a large membership who will act as a consumer pressure group. You will begin to see a world where women and men share power collaboratively. The wishes of so many will be heard as never before. In addition, institutions and corporations can partner with IBI to gain a competitive edge by beginning their journey to earn the designation of being “In Balance”.
Here’s how it will happen - IBI’s Strategy.

Of course we need funds to continue In Balance International’s actions:

• To build IBI with marketing & membership drives
• To build IBI’s voice in the media
• To build the IBI profile
• To sell IBI to institutions
• To provide education so change will be lasting

And these initiatives will enable IBI to move forward; to advocate for gender balance on boards and in legislatures; form buyers’ groups; provide forums to share ideas, information and opportunities for senior jobs and board positions ... IBI will become a voice for change that will be heard!

Support IBI by joining as a Founding Member or through a donation. The first 1000 members to join by becoming Founding Members will be acknowledged as In Balance International Founding Members in perpetuity and recognized on the Founding Members page. Please join with us today!

Do our Vision and Mission fit with your idea of the world you’d like to live in? Then go ahead and take action ... lend us your voice, become a member, become a partner, tell a friend, follow our simple 6-Step Call to Action ... any or all!

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About IBI

In Balance International (IBI) is organizing women’s consumer power to put more women at the top.
It’s fair. It’s smart!

Women have 80% of the purchasing power but have little or no voice on how decisions are made in the public and private institutions that control our lives. A board of directors may not seem to touch your world, but very often has more impact on you than your elected government.

Why is this?
Boards of Directors are the decision-makers that govern all corporations, public sector institutions and non-profits, but women make up less than 15% of total board directors of major institutions in the USA, Canada and the UK.

How can we change this?
IBI is a consumer activist movement that is organizing the most powerful economic voice, women’s purchasing power, to ensure that:

• Boards of Directors reflect the gender of their clientele. This means substantially increasing the number of women on boards.

How will IBI do this?

We invite you to join In Balance International now and ask you to invite your friends to do the same ... we need your voice to give women’s ideas and their approaches to solving problems, the power to be acted upon. It costs nothing and pays much to you ... and future generations!

A Note from one of the Founders
Value Proposition

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Volunteer

Do IBI’s Vision and Mission resonate with you? Would you like to contribute to help make this world a reality?

!

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IBI Partners

Your organization can join In Balance International as an Institutional Member today.

• We will acknowledge the partnership on our website; and that your organization believes in, and is striving for balance.


• Once your organization, institution or corporation joins IBI, and reaches the goal where its board of directors reflect the gender of its clientele, it will earn the ‘In Balance’ designation and will be promoted by IBI’s network.

We are Organizing for Balance!

In Balance International acts as a hub and consolidating agent to connect all like-minded individuals, groups, organizations and associations working toward the goal of ensuring woman and men have equal voices in all aspects of living and business: locally, regionally, nationally and globally. IBI believes that if we put our voices together as one, we will have the leverage and power to facilitate lasting change more quickly. Once your organization meets ours by becoming a partner, voices will multiply, exponential change will occur and the wheel will truly begin to roll.

Get your organization rolling to help instigate change.
Institutional Memberships are available for $250.(CAD/USD) or £125 per year.

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Our Vision and Mission

Our Vision

A world that is In Balance, where women and men share power collaboratively.

Our Mission

In Balance International (IBI) connects women and men to recognize and leverage their individual consumer powers to ensure community, regional and global decision-making is gender balanced.

IBI is committed to a world where institutions reflect the gender of their clientele on their boards of directors.

To ensure balanced decision-making, IBI works to:

1. Create a global grassroots network to leverage women’s consumer power and share ideas, information and opportunities that will facilitate lasting change within institutions.
2. Build a brand that will convey a positive message to consumers and from which institutions will derive a benefit.
3. Facilitate institutional transformation by advocating for representation of women on boards of directors to ensure that institutions reflect the gender of their clientele.
4. Cooperate with other organizations devoted to furthering women in Leadership, with an aim to becoming an internationally recognized brand that institutions and corporations will be proud to partner with as they become In Balance.

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Who We Are

In Balance International was born sometime before 1998 when Alexander Strachan started to put his vision of a better world on paper. Alex believes that the world would be enhanced if the half of the world’s population who remain largely unheard, were actually listened to, as the available pool of sharp minds that could focus on problem-solving at the top level would effectively be doubled. He founded In Balance International to provide a grassroots network for women to use as a conduit to flex their economic and political muscles. Alex believes if women begin to exercise their enormous economic clout, regardless of geography, background or economic status, and if strategic investments in women are made; lasting change will occur.

With a great desire to see his daughter benefit from a shift in our social paradigm, and through something Alex has attributed to intuition, he contacted Joni Cooper. These two came together to devise the first steps of a plan which would propel Alex’s vision into a reality. They asked Janine Suboch, an experienced educator and creative thinker and Bird Mack, a financial professional, to join them; and in March 2006 the four of them became the founding directors of In Balance International.

We need your help to see the vision become reality!