Men Only-No Women are allowed

[Che -Guevara]

Augusta National a powerful holdout among men-only clubs

By Emanuella Grinberg, CNN

 

CNN) -- Divisions between sexes start with pink and blue clothes for babies, move into dance classes and football practice and later into single-sex book clubs and bowling leagues.

 

Those divisions, for the most part, are accepted and definitely don't make headlines. That's not the case for a renowned golf course in the Deep South that's raising lots of questions about the relevance and fairness of exclusive, male-only clubs in the 21st century.

Since opening in 1933, Augusta National Golf Club has not allowed women to join, although women can play as guests of members. But conversation swirled around the men-only membership policy at the prestigious Georgia club as it prepared to open the Masters Tournament on Thursday.

 

IBM sponsors the tournament, and the club has always extended membership to the company's officers. But IBM's new CEO is a woman, Virginia Rometty. Critics have called on Augusta National to offer her its traditional green jacket.

 

Augusta: Membership private matter Eye on McIlroy, Woods at Masters 2002: Martha Burk on Augusta Inside the Masters IBM CEO could challenge male-only status

 

When it comes to the famed club -- and the dwindling number of exclusive men-only social clubs around the country -- it's not about enjoying the company of a single gender, critics say, and it's definitely not about golf.

 

"It really is ultimately about power, and Augusta National is a big symbol of the last bastion of male hegemony over economic issues, the place where big business deals are done among the biggest, most influential corporations in this country," said Gloria Feldt, author of "No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power."

 

Men and women, boys and girls can still benefit from time apart, some critics say, but not when the separation deprives another group of influence.

 

Click

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

they meant powerful white men only. Not sure but I have a hunch that there are as many black men in that club as women. Be that as it may, the nostalgic in me whole heartily supports this male only club....

[Che -Guevara]

There are black men but obviously not in significant number. It will be interesting to see what IBM Woman CEO will do when she is invited to the club.

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

when or if she is invited?

[Blessed]

What's the big deal? Can't see why any self respecting woman would want to socialise with a bunch of old, golf playing cadaan men. Urgh!

[Che -Guevara]

Naxar...She will be invited if not already. IBM is sponsoring the Masters and CEO of the Sponsor is automatically invited since it's their purse paying for the Masters. And traditionally, all industry titans are invited even if the CEO is not member.

 

 

Blessed....Members of the club are CEOs of every industry and other influential figures. This is where the deals are made. It's really about access to power and money not so much chatting with bunch of old white guys.

[Che -Guevara]

CEO revives Augusta no-women membership debate

 

(CBS/AP) As a club that prides itself on tradition, Augusta National has unwittingly wound up in the middle of a membership debate it thought it was done with nearly a decade ago.

 

Just seven days before the Masters, no less.

 

The last four chief executives of IBM — a longtime corporate sponsor of the Masters — have been members of the exclusive golf club in Augusta, Ga. The latest CEO of the computer giant happens to be a woman. Virginia Rometty was appointed this year.

 

One problem — a woman has never worn a member's green jacket since Augusta National opened in 1933.

 

"I think they're both in a bind," Martha Burk said Thursday evening.

 

Masters: Burk among top 10 most influential people

 

Burk spearheaded a campaign 10 years ago for the club to admit a female member, applying pressure on just about everyone connected with the club and with the Masters, the major championship that garners the highest TV ratings. She demanded that four companies drop their television sponsorship because of discrimination. She lobbied PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem not to recognize the Masters as part of the tour schedule.

 

But it didn't work.

 

Hootie Johnson, chairman of the club back then, said Augusta might one day have a female member, but it would be on the club's timetable, and "not at the point of a bayonet." The protest fizzled in a parking lot down the street during the third round of the 2003 tournament.

 

Now it's back, and this time it has a face — Rometty, a 31-year veteran of IBM who has been ranked among the "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" by Fortune magazine the last seven years. Rometty was No. 7 last year.

 

What's the next step?

 

Augusta National declined to comment, keeping with its policy of not discussing membership issues. IBM has not commented publicly, and did not return a phone call Thursday night.

 

"IBM is in a bigger bind than the club," Burk said. "The club trashed their image years ago. IBM is a corporation. They ought to care about the brand, and they ought to care about what people think. And if they're not careful, they might undermine their new CEO."

 

Augusta has a new chairman in Billy Payne, who ran the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. When he replaced Johnson as chairman of the club and of the Masters tournament in 2006, he said there was "no specific timetable" for admitting women.

 

The question was raised at the 2007 and 2010 Masters. Both times, Payne said membership issues were private.

 

CBSports.com senior golf columnist Steve Elling says Rometty provides Augusta National the perfect opportunity to end its policy for good. He predicts that Payne offers Rometty a membership -- a few days after the Masters ends next week.

 

"She shows up at the tournament in 2013 in green, after the gender issue has died down," Elling writes. "That way, the club avoids the appearance that Payne has been backed into a corner or forced into making an accommodation."

 

Elling: Augusta National faces potential double whammy with membership policy

 

Rometty succeeds Sam Palmissano at IBM, which runs the Masters' website from the bottom floor of the media center. According to a list published by USA Today in 2002, the previous three CEOs also were members — Louis Gertsner, John Akers and John Open.

 

As the corporate sponsors became the target, Johnson wound up doing away with TV sponsorship for two years at the Masters to keep the corporate partners — IBM, Coca-Cola and Citigroup — out of the fray.

 

Only IBM returned as a TV sponsor for the 2005 Masters. The others were SBC Communications and ExxonMobil.

 

Continue

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

am certain there are other ways for woman to go about it.

[nuune]

What are the chances of establishing a non-female Somali club, I am sure many sisters would be disappointed

[Blessed]

Ditto@ NN. Women at the level have the opportunity to network through conferences, conventions etc. Some things are just not worth pursuing.

[nuune]

Blessed, when you say networking through conferencing, are you anyhow referring to some form of shukaansi, I ask this cuz nowadays there are so many words for shukaansi, one of them being, jumping, climbing, perfume, clock, wiper, gasoline, so networking falls in the mentioned list in my neck of the wood and everywhere I guess!

[Blessed]

Shukaasi? What has that got to do with the price of bonds?

[nuune]

it is a very important bond in modern day finance, are you against Jinni shukaansing humans

[Che -Guevara]

Naxar Nugaaleed;815074 wrote:

am certain there are other ways for woman to go about it.

There's certainly but many big deals in industry are made behind scenes in the good old boy's club. Considering the number of powerful men in the club, many decisions made in this informal settings have tremendous effect on the economy and politics. It's more than mere networking.

[Blessed]

LOL. Nuune, I dare not say. Heedhe, what happened to the daily instalments of jinn stories you've promised me?

 

Che,

Most of the worlds rich and powerful (irrespective of gender) are known to each other and don't need to be part of these clubs to make business deals or to network. There are similar women only clubs and I think that while they serve some purpose, on the most part these clubs are overrated.