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Catalyst Inc. records

Creation: 1950-2019
 Collection
Accession: 2728

Abstract

Catalyst Inc. is a global nonprofit headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing women in the workplace through research, consulting and advisory services, and outreach initiatives geared toward driving positive change. It was founded in 1962 by feminist author and advocate Felice N. Schwartz (1925-1996). Areas of focus have included workplace flexibility, dual-career families, and childcare; women on corporate boards and in leadership positions; diversity, equity, and inclusion issues; sexual harassment; the gender pay gap; and unconscious bias. This collection consists of records dating from Catalyst's early days in the 1960s until 2018. These materials include administrative and presidential papers, materials documenting Catalyst's founding and early activities, original research, publications and reports, marketing and publicity materials, media clippings, and files connected to the organization's work with Catalyst Supporters. The collection also includes documentation of the Catalyst Awards. Of note is an extensive vertical subject file originally maintained by Catalyst's library (later called the Information Center) that offers insight into topics of interest to the organization.

Dates

  • Creation: 1950-2019

Creator

Extent

320 Linear Feet

46.9 Gigabytes

104,765 digital_files

Historical Note

Catalyst Inc. is a global nonprofit headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing women in the workplace through research, consulting and advisory services, and outreach initiatives geared toward driving positive change. Areas of focus have included workplace flexibility, dual-career families, and childcare; women on corporate boards and in leadership positions; diversity, equity, and inclusion issues; sexual harassment; the gender pay gap; and unconscious bias.

Catalyst was founded in 1962 by feminist author and advocate Felice N. Schwartz (1925-1996). A Smith College graduate, Schwartz led the organization as president for thirty-one years. During its early decades, Catalyst focused on supporting individual women in their careers. It launched a pilot job-sharing project with the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare, proving that part-time social workers could manage welfare caseloads without a significant loss in productivity and with less turnover. Other endeavors included a National Network of Career Resource Centers, a Career and Family Center, and a series of publications aimed at helping female college students envision and plan for their careers. The Corporate Board Resource, later named Corporate Board Placement, was launched in 1977 to assist corporations in identifying suitable female candidates for their boards of directors.

Schwartz wrote prolifically and made many media appearances advocating for women. While her 1972 book How to Go to Work When Your Husband is Against It, Your Children Aren't Old Enough, and There's Nothing You Can Do Anyhow was well received, she later became a controversial figure following the publication of her 1989 Harvard Business Review article, "Management Women and the New Facts of Life." Critics claimed Schwartz's article suggested two possible paths for working women: one career-focused (fast-track, viewed positively) and one that balances work and family life (slow-track, viewed negatively). The resulting phrase "Mommy track," coined by the New York Times, became part of the larger cultural dialogue of the 1990s. Schwartz maintained that her article was misinterpreted, asserting that her point was to illustrate how women face barriers men do not, and to encourage top (generally male) executives to fully utilize women's talent and potential, no matter how they choose to organize their lives.

Following Schwartz's retirement in 1993, Sheila Wellington (1932-), former secretary of Yale University, succeeded to Catalyst's presidency. The organization's operations expanded, both in scope and geographically. During her tenure, Wellington pursued a shift in approach first articulated by Schwartz: that Catalyst could increase its efficacy by focusing on changing corporate culture from the inside rather than elevating individual women. Accordingly, Wellington launched a series of major research projects over the course of the next decade that put Catalyst on the national stage as an information broker, including Women of Color in Corporate Management (1997-2001), the first significant research study to be conducted in this country focusing specifically on women of color professionals in the workplace. Wellington also launched the Census of Women Board Directors (WBD) and Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners (COTE), two annual studies aimed at exposing the lack of women in corporate leadership at Fortune-list companies.

Catalyst Canada's Toronto office opened in 2000, followed by the Western Region office in San Jose, California, in 2001. In 2003, former technology industry executive and founding CEO of AltaVista Internet Software Inc. Ilene H. Lang (1943-) became president and chief executive officer. Lang further expanded Catalyst globally during her tenure, opening offices in Europe, India, Australia, and Japan. Lang was followed by Deborah Gillis, who led the organization from 2014 to 2018. Prior to her tenure as president and CEO, Gillis was vice president of North America at Catalyst Canada from 2006 to 2012 and chief operating officer from 2012 to 2014. Lorraine Hariton succeeded Gillis as president and CEO in 2018. Catalyst's twenty-first-century work focuses on four key areas: Advancing Women, Women and the Future of Work, Lead for Equity and Inclusion, and MARC (Men Advocating Real Change). The organization offers a variety of knowledge products, workshops, webinars, and events, and exhibits a strong social media presence.

In 1976, Catalyst held its first annual Catalyst Awards to celebrate individual women corporate board members. The nature of the awards changed in 1987 to recognize corporations and specific programs and initiatives that recruit, develop, and advance women in the workplace. The awards are presented at the annual Catalyst Awards Dinner. An accompanying Catalyst Awards Conference began in 1991, assembling experts from around the world to present and lead discussions related to women's leadership. The conference and dinner draw more than 2,000 attendees.

Catalyst maintains an extensive network of member organizations, referred to as Catalyst Supporters (numbering more than 500 in 2022). These financial contributors—corporations, firms, associations, and other organizations—receive premium content and services and engage in community building.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of records dating from Catalyst's early days in the 1960s until 2018. These materials include administrative and presidential papers, materials documenting Catalyst's founding and early activities, original research, publications and reports, marketing and publicity materials, media clippings, and files connected to the organization's work with Catalyst Supporters. The collection also includes documentation of the Catalyst Awards. Of note is an extensive vertical subject file originally maintained by Catalyst's library (later called the Information Center) that offers insight into topics of interest to the organization (Series IV., Subseries C.) This vertical file will be of interest to researchers working on media coverage of women's issues, both in the popular and academic presses, and how that coverage has changed over time (1950s to 2000s). The collection does not include materials related to Catalyst's Advisory Services, or consulting, arm (launched in 1988), although it does contain files related to other corporate services, including Corporate Board Placement, Corporate Women's Group Resource, and Mentoring Resource (Series V).

The collection is arranged in nine series: Administration; Early initiatives; Research; Information Center; Corporate services; Marketing, communications, and public affairs; Catalyst Awards; Development; and Artifacts. Detailed scope and content notes can be found at the series and subseries level for more information.

See Catalyst Inc. audiovisual materials (Accession 2021.222) for related audiovisual materials. Printed materials, including Ilene H. Lang's personal library, have been transferred to Published Collections and can be found by seaching the library's catalog. Previous iterations of the Catalyst website can be found via Hagley's Archive-It web archives.

Access Restrictions

Some portions of the collection are subject to 25-year or 50-year time seals from the date of creation due to privacy/security reasons. Specific restrictions are noted at the subseries level and in individual file titles.

Litigators may not view the collection without approval.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Provenance Note

On deposit from Catalyst Inc.

Separated Materials

Catalyst Inc. audiovisual materials (Accession 2021.222), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.

Some publications received as part of the same accession were transferred to Hagley's Published Collections Department. They can be accessed via the library's catalog.

Previous iterations of the Catalyst website can be found via Hagley’s Archive-It web archives.

Processing Note

This finding aid is dedicated in memory of Lynn Ann Catanese.

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
Catalyst Inc. records
Author:
Diane E. Bockrath, with Peyton Cleary, Nicole Kolessar, Paige Howarth Owen, and Laurie Sather
Date:
2022
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400