Energized by the Impossible

Data overwhelmingly suggests that when we focus on gender equity, the human experience improves exponentially.

But you know this.

You’ve heard it for years - from political rally calls to corporate social responsibility campaigns - we are reminded every day that investing in women provides a net benefit to society. So why aren’t the numbers moving in the right direction?

Why is gender equality so far out of reach? The World Economic Forum predicts it will take another 202 years to close the economic gender gap at our current pace. This is unacceptable.  

Much of the progress made in the civil rights movement has benefited white, heterosexual, cisgender women. By including only gender in measuring change and ignoring important intersectional dimensions, we inadvertently celebrate the progress being made without accounting for the significant gaps in progress. Women are still woefully behind in nearly all equality metrics, and we must stand together in solidarity and demand progress for all women, based not just on gender, but on race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, physical ability, and other marginalized identities.

How can women take a seat at the table when we’re often not even in the building? Progressive organizations are starting to pivot from finding the right “cultural fit” in candidates (which was always a euphemism for “same and similar”) to the more productive “cultural add” - what diverse thought leadership can an individual bring? This is a step in the right direction. 

But one step at a time isn’t enough.  

It’s time for a global reckoning. In the face of the current  civil rights movement and a global pandemic that is disproportionately impacting women and communities of color, it’s on us, those of us with the inclination, ability, and privilege, to utilize this inflection point for change - real change. Women are disproportionately impacted by the traumas and injustices of our world and we will - we must - disproportionately lead in healing our world.

Two years ago, off the side of my desk at Google, I began a project. Inspired by the G7 Gender Equality Council, I began to consider how I could meaningfully contribute to this imperative. Quickly I realized, the world doesn’t need another organization to take over the space of successful equity initiatives. There are many brilliant, selfless and talented leaders already doing this challenging work.

But what I could share is the fruit of my privilege. So, I created a collective of like-minded men and women with access to the tables where corporate, industry, and policy decisions are made. Men and women willing to share their influence and amplify existing gender equity initiatives.

The idea is simple. By standing together, and lifting one another up, we exponentially scale solutions - and more importantly - the impact.  

Our name, Exponent, underscores our commitment to scaling the base to the power of the coalition. We amplify gender equity efforts by activating the superpowers of the Exponent Alliance.

Change begins with partnership and solidarity. Exponent lends a loudspeaker to underrepresented voices.

In the U.S. alone, women-led companies perform 3X better than the S&P 500 average. So why do more men named John have positions of leadership than women of any first name? Why are we not operating in our own economic self-interests? 

At Exponent, we accelerate, champion and increase the impact of gender equity initiatives to improve the global human experience. We’re collaborating with a partner alliance of organizations including BBC, Bloomberg, Google, and Nasdaq, already tackling issues through a gendered lens.

Data overwhelmingly suggests that when we focus on gender equity, the human experience improves exponentially. Join us at Exponent.org to help us create the solutions to change our world for the better.