The Latest from Women in Banking

The last movie about female executives on Wall Street was "Working Girl" in 1983. The end of the movie left the audience feeling euphoric. But in creating the movie "Equity," we set out to explore — as authentically as possible — the experiences women have in this field, and the truths that we encountered in our interviews were not pretty.

Mary Mack is beginning damage control as she overhauls Wells' sales culture; Dorothy Savarese talks diversity of bank sizes as she becomes chairman of the ABA; and Elizabeth Warren implores the president to demote Mary Jo White. Also, industry manbassadors talk work-life balance and the importance of flexibility for women as Visa's CEO resigns to devote more time to family. And a couple of small activist firms are taking on gender bias at the world's largest companies.

Rather than continuing to invest in inclusion initiatives that fail to drive diversity, banks should embrace these three programs instead.

An industry who's who turned out to celebrate the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance. The event — which drew more than 800 people — featured a keynote from Geena Davis, star of such films as "Thelma & Louise" and "A League of Their Own." Other speakers included Nandita Bakhshi, Karen Peetz and Diane D'Erasmo. Check out photos from the gala.

Many have linked the gender gap in financial services to the difficulties in balancing work pressures with family demands. To help address this, paid family leave should be compulsory in the industry.

Dorothy Savarese, the head of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank in Massachusetts, seeks a financial system where the rules encourage community banks and big banks to do the things that they are best at.

Geena Davis made a rousing speech on unconscious bias at the annual gala for our "Most Powerful" honorees. Sheila Bair writes about the importance of hiring and promoting women, while Ghela Boskovich warns that doesn't necessarily give women a voice in their organizations. Also, Avid Motjtabai, Jamie Dimon, Julie Stackhouse and a real-life Peggy Olsen.

To help ensure that women are included in digital banking's future, we must reach girls and young women at an earlier age than their college years to equip them with the IT tools they need to succeed in tomorrow's workforce.

"If you say you're going to be under $50 billion, then you say you're not growing," Ellen Alemany said after CIT announced the long-anticipated sale of the aircraft leasing unit.

Just like climate change, it is impossible to deny the gender bias in banking. Instead of sweeping bias under the rug, seek out the inequalities and unfair practices and fix them.