The WiS NextGen Committee continues its series of Virtual Coffee Chats in a casual format to encourage conversations and connections. May’s discussion, hosted by Nathan Herbert, Global Structured Finance Attorney at Ford, and Angela Ulum, Partner at Mayer Brown, will explore the differences between mentors and sponsors and discuss the unique value proposition of each of these types of relationships, how to identify and cultivate these relationships, and personal stories of successful relationships - and lessons learned.

The Structured Finance Association (SFA) today announced it has established a partnership with Junior Achievement USA (JA) as part of its Women in Securitization (WiS) initiative to support the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in the securitization industry. Through an initial $57,500 grant, SFA will work with JA to launch a program that will create opportunities for high school-aged girls to gain financial literacy and prepare for successful careers, while also encouraging SFA members to engage directly with aspiring young women at SFA-hosted events and through other volunteer opportunities.

MINNEAPOLIS, April 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - The winds of investing in the U.S. are shifting and women are a driving force behind the change. A recent client survey conducted by RBC Wealth Management – U.S. shows that responsible investing, namely Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), is gaining traction. Women are leading the charge for ESG investing and are more likely to have a positive outlook toward this growing investment trend.

The WiS Next Generation Committee is excited to launch a series of Virtual Coffee Chats on timely topics in a casual format to encourage conversations and connections.

London (CNN Business)A new report from the World Economic Forum estimates that attaining global gender parity will take nearly 136 years, up from its previous estimate of almost 100 years. WEF measures parity in four ways: economic participation and opportunity, education, health and political empowerment. Data examined by the organization showed that the gap in political empowerment has widened significantly since its 2020 report, while economic participation has improved only slightly.

Despite some progress, it will take women in North America approximately 61.5 years to have economic parity with men according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report for 2021. Why it matters: Women in the U.S. have made strides in political representation, but they still lag behind men in job market participation and income, according to the report.

March 24 marks Equal Pay Day for women, the day that women have to work into 2021 to make what white, non-Hispanic men earned in 2020 alone. On average, women working full time, year-round are paid 82 cents for every dollar paid to men, according to the National Women's Law Center, a policy-focused organization that fights for gender justice.

Join WiS for an interactive panel of senior leaders in the industry sharing their experience and perspectives on the current and future state of the workplace.

March is National Women's History Month, but since women are pretty historic year-round, it begs the question: Why March? Is this month significant to women's history, or is it just an arbitrary month on the calendar? The answer involves a little bit of history and a little bit of coincidence.

Just before the 2020 recession, Black female professionals were advancing in the workplace. But according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in January 2021, Black female professionals' unemployment rate continued to increase, reaching 9.0% from 7.7% in December 2020. Compare this percentage to white female professionals' unemployment rate, which held steady from December 2020 at 5.3%.