Texas corporations just do not get it - they continue to practice sexual discrimination in the workforce.

My proof?

Today's Dallas Morning News reported the CEOs' pay for the top fifty largest publicly traded companies (as measured by 2007 revenue) in the Dallas / Fort Worth area and only two of them are women - Katherine J. Harless of Idearc Inc. (number 27 with $4.8 million) and Mary E. Burton of Zale Corporation (number 47 with $2.5 million).

And worse, according to Dallas Morning News reporter Karen Robinson-Jacobs, the number of women in the boardroom and corporate executive officers is a paltry 8.6% (98 women out of 1,138 positions).

The paper surveyed the top 100 DFW area companies and received 69 responses. The results are pitiful. Of the responding companies, nineteen had no women on their board and no women in executive officer positions. Amazing! 138 directors and all men. 124 officers and all men. And these are the largest companies, where it would be fair to presume diversity. But no sir! (sorry for the pun).

I wonder why 31 companies failed to respond? Perhaps they have even fewer women in executive positions and are hiding from public scrutiny?

God forbid if you are a minority woman! Out of 528 corporate officers, precisely two are minority women (and it's not much better if you are a minority male with just eight).

Folks, these are publicly traded companies. When will shareholders wake up and demand equality?

I am ashamed of these numbers. And you should be too!

But I do know one thing - there will be exactly zero white men on the democratic ticket for this fall's presidential election. Maybe as a result, we'll see a "trickle-down" effect in the Texas boardrooms and corporate offices.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive