Women’s History Month 2022 #BreakTheBias

Women’s History Month 2022 - Break The Bias!

“Outstanding women can function as inspirational examples of success, illustrating the kinds of achievements that are possible for women around them. They demonstrate that it is possible to overcome traditional gender barriers, indicating to other women that high levels of success are indeed attainable.” -Penelope Lockwood, Psychologist.

This month, Catherine B. Roy and I are joining the world to celebrate Women’s History Month. This national Women’s History Month is an annual celebration of women and their contributions to the global community. As we celebrate all women, from stay-at-home moms, nurses, engineers, CEOs and world-renowned thought leaders, the National Woman’s History Month Initiative, also seeks to educate woman and allies on topics important to women’s ability to be empowered; empowered to influence and create the world they want to see around them. This year’s theme is “Break The Bias”.?This theme celebrates women's achievements, raises awareness against bias, and invites everyone to take action for equality.?Women all around the globe will galvanize around this central theme and use their voice and platform to amplify this important message.??Women’s voices are powerful, important and deserve to be heard.?

Throughout history, women have worked tirelessly toward a path of equality. Because of their courage and determination, they’ve blazed trails and achieved milestones that we honor today. Their voices have had a profound impact on the generations that followed them. Many of these milestones aren’t as far in the past as we think.

In the last 50 years, we have seen many “firsts” of women having a seat at the table.?

• Forty years ago, we had our first woman Supreme Court justice, Sandra Day O’Connor.
• Twenty-four years ago, Madeleine Albright became the first woman secretary of state.?
• In 1990, Antonia Novello served as the first woman surgeon general of the U.S. This year,
• Kamala Harris became the first woman vice president of the U.S., the highest position any woman has held in our country.
• And, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who will likely be confirmed as the 1st?Black woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.

In addition to politics, women continue to blaze new paths in businesses and communities.?

• ?In 1972, Katharine Graham became the first woman to lead a Fortune 500 company when she was named CEO of The Washington Post.?
• In 1986, Oprah Winfrey became the first woman to own and produce her own talk show.
• Then there’s Stacey Cunningham, who made history as the first woman president of the New York Stock Exchange in its 226-year history. That just occurred in 2018.?

There are countless women who now serve as CEOs and Board Directors of multi-billion-dollar corporations like, T-Mobile, IBM, Amazon, and General Motors.

In science we honor the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, Marie Curie. She won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 with her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel. Curie is also both the first person and the only woman to have won multiple Nobel Prizes; in 1911, she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Curie's daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935, making the two the only mother-daughter pair to have won Nobel Prizes.

And the woman who is truly impressive but often overlooked, Mileva Maric Einstein was the only woman among Einstein's students at Zürich Polytechnic. Mileva was working with Albert Einstein on all main projects, including The Theory of Relativity and?The Law of The Photoelectric Effect, for which he received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.

In tech we honor pioneers and modern sheros of innovation like Ada Lovelace. She is often referred to as the “world’s first computer programmer”. It was Lovelace's notes on the Analytical Engine?that Alan Turing used as a form of inspiration for his work on the first modern computer in the 1940s.?

Ginni Rometty?is the current CEO of IBM Under Rometty’s leadership, since 2016, cognitive computing is a key focus for the organization. She continues to drive IBM to lead in this space and be competitive in the digital age.?

We also honor the groundbreaking work of Kathryn Finny. She has been named one of the?most influential women in tech by Inc. Magazine.?She’s the founder of?digitalundivided, a non-profit that merges data and heart to develop innovative programs and initiatives that catalyze economic growth in Black and Latinx communities.

While we honor these extraordinary women, it’s also important to be grounded in the facts so that we can create impactful programs to eliminate bias, especially in the tech industry. A 2021 study found that women make up only?26.7%?of the tech workforce and just 22% of tech leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies are held by women. We have an even steeper hill to climb. Of the 26% of?women?working in?tech, Asian?women?make up just 5% of that number, while?Black?and Hispanic?women?accounted for 3% and 1% respectfully. But we will win. Future generations of young women are depending on all of us, men included, to engender an environment ready for tomorrow’s tech thinkers and leaders.

'Being a woman in tech means breaking barriers so that those who come after me won't have to struggle the same way. It means showing the world my ability and believing in myself wholeheartedly.'?- Kike Oniwinde Founder & CEO of BYP

We want to see these firsts become seconds, seconds become thirds and so on …

To break the bias, we must continue to educate ourselves about other powerful women and amplify the work they are doing to show up as their full selves in their industries.

We must speak up if we see anyone being treated unfairly and encourage all coworkers to be themselves. We must create a climate and a culture where everyone feels heard .?

Ultimately, we all have bias, yet when you are in a position of power or influence, you must go the extra mile to ensure that your Biases don't destroy or discriminate against people around you.

TOGETHER- We can build a diverse world where difference is valued and accepted. TOGETHER- We can co-create a more inclusive world that we all deserve!

To learn about more incredible women who are changing the world, click on the links below.

https://magazine.theshesuite.com/spring-2022/we-interviewed-eight-women-about-how-theyre-resetting-the-standard/

https://www.mccannpartners.com/chief-leaders-share-mantras-to-lift-up-women-in-tech/

Happy Women’s History Month!

We are history in the making!

by Catherine B. Roy & Edwige A. Robinson

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Learn more about?the authors?

Catherine B. Roy?is a Bestselling Author, Personal Growth and Business Coach, Human Potential Thought Leader and award-winning artist and scientist whose stimulating, upbeat and inspirational writings have helped countless people in the world. It has helped them solve personal problems, infuse their lives with hope, energy, and success, and remarkably improve people's relationships at work and at home.

1st Edition of Catherine's "Live from Your Heart and Mind" book reached best-selling status on Amazon Kindle in just 3 days. And her viral post "Love Yourself First" reached over 1.2M people in just 7 hours.?

As the author of published articles on The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, McGill Media, The Simple Reminders, The Wellness Universe, The Spirituality Post and several published books Catherine's approach to life, growth and all living things is one infused with positive faith, knowledge, and conviction. And imbued with the knowledge and experience that exclaims, "Positive change, true progress, growth and greatness lie within everyone's grasp and capacity to achieve!"?

Personal Growth Coach and Business Coach Specializing in Creating Visibility, Leads & Unlimited Impact

https://www.catherinebroy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/catherinebroy/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinebroy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinebroy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamCatherineBRoy

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Edwige A. Robinson?Edwige is?a distinguished Technologist, Transformational and heart-centered leader who consistently bridges the gaps between Engineering and business domains. Described as the Translator of innovations, she is a “Triple Minority” in Tech - A native of Ivory Coast, West Africa - a female and black foreigner. She is known for her unwavering courage and optimism. With over 25 years of experience,?Edwige A. Robinson is an executive leader whose expertise in strategic planning, P&L management, engineering, operations, and risk management, has led to sustained organizational transformations in the US and Global marketplace. Driven by data and a passion for continuous improvement, she has consistently provided structure and glide paths for organizations to realize their potential for sustainable business growth. Edwige believes in a more diverse & inclusive Tech World! She is a board of directors & advisory member to key organizations. She also regularly delivers keynote speeches about Digital transformation, women in Tech, leadership, and many more subjects.

?LinkedIn:?https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/edwigerobinson?

Her website: ?https://www.edwigerobinson.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/edwigerobinson