As we embark on Women’s History Month this March, it’s important to celebrate the hard work and dedication women put in, both in business and throughout politics. From Jhana Hayes becoming the first African American woman to represent Connecticut in congress, to women making up over 50% of college campuses, females across the board are stepping up! While we’ve still got a long way to go to achieve gender equality, Women’s History Month provides us with a great opportunity to recognize the amazing wins women have had throughout history.
Inspirational women have covered serious ground in the political and business space. Highlighted below are some recent wins that deserve to be recognized.
In Business…
Between the wage gap and the sheer number of men in the workforce in comparison to women, the business environment can be a constant struggle for women. With the challenges women face, they have made tremendous progress overtime and aren’t slowing down anytime soon. The number of women owned businesses has risen by 78% from 1997 to 2015 and there has been an influx of women in the workforce, growing 17% in the last 20 years.
Mary Barra is a perfect example of a female who has been breaking down barriers in the business world. As the CEO of General Motors, she was one of the few female CEOs featured on Fortune 500 CEOs (only 5% were female). She has not only been leading by example, but she has also been using her role to help pull women up and gain equality. In 2018, General Motors ranked number 1 on the Global Report on Gender Equality. It was one of only two global businesses that has no gender pay gap.
In Politics…
The political world has always been an obstacle for females to navigate through. Throughout history, women have been severely misrepresented and overlooked. Through the adversity however, many influential women have fought for our voices, starting with the right to vote and even running for the President of the United States.
Luckily, women striving for equality is not something the world lacks. In this year’s session of Congress, there will be at record 127 women serving in Congress – with 106 Democrats and 21 Republicans – roughly 24 percent of all the seats, according to the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Sen. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) is the first African American woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress, while simultaneously beating out her white, male counterpart. Alongside Pressley in Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D -NY) became the youngest woman elected at the age of 29 and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) became Tennessee’s first female senator and one of the first of two GOP women to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Sen. Joni Eanst of Iowa. These women aren’t afraid of a challenge.
A record 127 women will serve in Congress, with 106 Democrats and 21 Republicans — roughly 24 percent of all the seats, according to the Center for Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Twenty-five women will serve in the Senate, with 17 Democrats and eight Republicans.
Check out the infographic below, created by the women at True&Co.! As a women owned company who is known for their perfectly fitting bras, their mission this Women’s History Month is to recognize the areas women have accomplished overtime.
Although there is still ground to make up, it’s inspiring to know how much women have succeeded in what were once male-dominated industries. Women everywhere should live each day with the same tenacity as these ladies who got us here!
Leave a Reply