Professional Women Still Marginalized

Reports reveal painful truth despite ‘incontrovertible proof’ that women are key to business, economic & societal growth

It’s a painful revelation. “At the current rate of change, it will take until the year 2085 for women to reach parity with men in leadership roles in our country.” This staggering estimate, reported by the Center for American Progress (CAP), persists despite “over the past two decades, a considerable body of research has emerged to lend incontrovertible proof to the idea that when women thrive, organizations thrive—and nations thrive too. From that research, there is now a consensual view that women’s leadership is not just a matter of fairness, but also has the potential to move companies, governments, and societies in new and better directions.”

The opportunity loss implications of women who continue to be marginalized in today’s corporate and overarching economic landscape cannot be taken lightly. Especially when one considers these frightening female factoids:

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About the Author

Visionary and lauded business accelerator Michelle Patterson is President of the Global Women Foundation and The California Women’s Conference – the largest women’s symposium in North America that has featured esteemed First Ladies, A-List Hollywood celebrities, and high caliber business influencers. Michelle is also the CEO of Women Network LLC, an online digital media platform dedicated to giving women a voice and a platform to share their message. Michelle may be reached at WomenNetwork.com.

References

“Women’s Leadership: What’s True, What’s False, and Why It Matters,” Judith Warner, Center for American Progress, March 7, 2014 (http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2014/03/07/85467/womens-leadership/)
“Yet some companies prove “the new normal” is women in top leadership,” Catalyst, December 10, 2013 (http://www.catalyst.org/media/catalyst-2013-census-fortune-500-still-no-progress-after-years-no-progress)
“Fulfilling the Promise: How More Women on Corporate Boards Would Make America and American Companies More Competitive,” The Committee for Economic Development, 2012 (http://www.fwa.org/pdf/CED_WomenAdvancementonCorporateBoards.pdf)