April 7, 2012

Sex & The Street: Business Week Review

According to one psychologist’s survey, more than 30% of Smith Barney women were suffering from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

With all the challenges faced by new Smith Barney Chief Executive Sallie L. Krawcheck, there’s one she may not have thought of: the firm’s reputation, earned in the 1990s, for mistreatment of women. Krawcheck, the former CEO of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., signed on with the Citigroup (C ) subsidiary on Oct. 30. The selection of the highly respected executive is a smart move by Citi CEO Sanford I. Weill, since Smith Barney has become the focus of outrage over the cozy ties between analysts and bankers. However, as Susan Antilla’s comprehensive and sharply written Tales from the Boom-Boom Room: Women vs. Wall Street reminds us, only six years have elapsed since the firm was regarded as a den of sexism. Read review.