A few months ago, our team had a conversation about women in corporate America. We discussed several instances where women took a stand for what they deserved in the workplace, and how exciting and inspiring this seemed. It was a conversation full of passion and excitement – as a women-led business, this is exactly what we work for each and every day.
After our discussion, I was tasked with writing a blog about it, so I started researching. I expected to find statistics about how women are going above and beyond in the office, information about how we are shattering the glass ceiling and redefining work life.
This was not what I found.
If you type “women in corporate America” into the Google search bar, you are going to find several articles about why women are not succeeding in corporate America. There are a variety of reasons for this. You cannot be too aggressive, and you cannot be too nice. As one New York Times Magazine article put it, “Women in leadership positions are seen as less likable when they do the same things male leaders do.” If you are a mother, you are likely less successful than both men and women without children. If you are not a white woman, it is harder to succeed. Adding to the less than encouraging statistics, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many women left their offices to return home, further hindering any progress that had been made in recent years.
“The good news is that over the last five years, the number of women in senior leadership positions in corporate America has grown. The bad news is that women are still underrepresented at every level,” Stephanie Harris writes for Forbes in the article “Why Women in Business Need a Voice Now More Than Ever.”
To be frank, this is frustrating research to find. It’s frustrating that this is a conversation that still needs to be had in 2021. It’s frustrating that women are still not taken seriously as leaders, and that oftentimes, we must push against a male-dominated workplace instead of working with it to produce change. Too many people accept the idea that men are de facto leaders instead of advocating for the concept of allowing the best person qualified to do the job, regardless of gender. In fact, there are more college educated women than men in the workforce and yet, women still lag significantly in both leadership positions and pay.
Bottom line – there is work to be done. The wage gap needs to be closed, more women need to be in leadership positions, and the pushback from dominant white male voices needs to end.
So, how do we, as women, change these ongoing inequities?
In her article, Harris lists several ways women can make their voices heard at work.
- First, create a presence. Develop your platform and make yourself known and seen in your industry.
- Find your balance, particularly if you have a family. “When I make a decision for my business, I know that 50 lives, multiplied by the number of families dependent on those people, are potentially affected. There are times when I have to balance the decisions I make for my business with those I make for my family,” Harris says.
- Lastly, Harris urges women to be definite when making decisions for their companies. Use the power your position grants you.
If you are a woman in business, use your voice. Stop shutting yourself down in an effort to appear less aggressive. Stop apologizing for doing your job or stepping up as a leader.
Stop accepting less than what you know you deserve.
Changing the narrative begins with people speaking out and creating conversations like this one, conversations that help to educate people about the realities that women in the workforce are facing everyday.
Urge the people in your life to become an ally. We need organizations, individual voices, elected officials, and corporate leadership to come together to advocate for and advance efforts and create real change, real equity, real cracks in the glass ceiling.
To read more about women in corporate America, visit the links below.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/21/magazine/women-corporate-america.html
https://wiw-report.s3.amazonaws.com/Women_in_the_Workplace_2020.pdf
– #TheMarketingMaven
