Women's Equality Day: Are We Making Progress?

The topic of women’s equality began in the U.S. as early as 1848 when a group of abolitionists, both men and women, met in New York to discuss a woman’s right to vote and be deemed as their own individual. In the 1890s, women’s equality evolved when Elizabeth Cady Stanton led the National American Women’s Suffrage Association. Prior to the constitutional landmark 19th amendment on August 18, 1920, several states permitted women to vote including Wyoming, Washington, Arizona, California, Kansas, New York, and Michigan to name a few. 

Fast-forward to 2019 where we have a multitude of successful women-owned businesses, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, producers, actors, and athletes in every major sport, yet true equality remains elusive. For example, according to the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) https://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/women-us-congress-2019, women comprise roughly only 24% of Congress; far from a 50/50 equal split. However, there are some signs of progress; albeit slow. In May 2019, the Fortune 500 listing of female CEOs https://fortune.com/2019/05/16/fortune-500-female-ceos/ indicated modest increases from 2016 to 2019 with a total of 33 female CEOs listed vs. just 21 in 2016.

As we celebrate Women’s Equality Day, let it also be a call to action for both men and women to speak up and support gender parity. In the words of activist Malala Yousafzai, “when the whole world is silent even one voice becomes powerful.”  For me, it means reflecting on what I can do each and every day to inspire and advocate for equality. We have come a long way but know that this journey is far from over.

How can companies work to bridge the gap for women? Below are some recommendations:

• Encourage conscious inclusion – many employers have some form of unconscious bias training. Organizations fall short when they solely rely on training alone to address the bias that may be disrupting their diversity efforts. Conscious inclusion is a way to encourage leaders to take intentional action-oriented steps to promote inclusion in their own departments. When each leader is actively engaged and openly supportive, it can help cascade and amplify your diversity and inclusion mission and goals. 
• Model inclusion – what does inclusion look like in your organization? It should be visibly seen. It’s more than words on your website or diverse images. It is the heartbeat of your culture. One way to model inclusion as a leader could be as simple as allowing different diverse team members the opportunity to lead a department meeting. Another way could be to pair team members on projects that will provide greater exposure to diverse perspectives. For men, it could mean becoming a mentor and ally in their women’s employee resources group.
• Empower a movement – when diversity and inclusion is embedded in business it inspires employees, talent, and contractors to get involved in a meaningful way. For me it means that I don’t focus on naysayers or detractors; I use that as motivation to fuel the work and let my successful outcomes answer the critics. When you feel empowered and fully supported to own your job, the sky is the limit to what you can accomplish. More importantly, when you empower and uplift others, it sets off a chain reaction leading to a movement of motivated, engaged, empowered teams.  In the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” 

In honor of Women’s Equality Day, take a moment to reflect on what you can do to make a positive difference. We all can do something whether it’s encouraging young women to register to vote, mentoring a young female colleague, starting or amplifying a women’s employee resource group, or volunteering at a women’s shelter. There is always something both men and women can do to lift and encourage others to further #diversity and inclusion.