As a woman, it may be difficult to imagine being a powerful leader in the workplace when men typically hold those positions, but it’s time to step up.
We know that we can do a job just as well, if not better than a man can. With a college education from a great University, there should be nothing stopping women from having leadership roles at work.
According to PEW Research Center, women have just as high, if not higher career aspirations as men; “two-thirds (66%) of young women ages 18 to 34 rate career high on their list of life priorities, compared with 59% of young men.”
Many women have these high aspirations but do not try to get ahead at work.
Rent the Runway is an organization that is at multiple universities. Rent the Runway was created by women and for women.
Allison Eng is in charge of public relations for Rent the Runway at the University of Illinois, and she emphasizes that Rent the Runway is a source of empowerment for women.
“I think that it’s important to remember that no one knows better what will look good on a woman’s body or what a woman wants to wear, other than another woman,” Eng said.
Two women founded Rent the Runway. Jennifer Hyman (Jenn) and Jennifer Fleiss (Jenny) were each students at Harvard Business School. Jennifer Hyman came up with the idea for Rent the Runway when her sister needed help choosing a dress for a wedding.
Since both Hyman and Fleiss knew many women all over the nation went through the same problem every time an event required a fancy dress, they came up with the idea for Rent the Runway.
“Rent the Runway came about so women could have their dream closet without having to break the bank buying new dresses,” Eng said.
The main idea of Rent the Runway is women who are looking to get a dress for just one event can rent a high fashion dress for much less than if they were to buy it.
Organizations such as Rent the Runway that are founded and run by women are successful because only women know what services or businesses will benefit other women.
Hyman and Fleiss have shown that women can take the lead of a business industry.
For some leadership roles, men may be more qualified. At the same time there are leadership roles that women may be more qualified for.
Women are qualified to be effective leaders in the workplace. A woman who doesn’t live up to her potential because she is afraid to step up in a territory normally inhabited by men will not be satisfied with her work life.
“Jenn and Jenny are really inspirational figures that lots of young women can look up to because they came up with an idea and worked hard to fulfill that idea,” Eng said.
Source: PEW Research Center