“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.”- Michelle Obama
As International Women’s Day passes for another year, I find myself reflecting on where we began, how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go in regards to equality and rights for women. In particular, as a business student, I consider our position in the business world. It’s important to remember how International Women’s Day came about in the first place. In 1908, 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York City, demanding voting rights, along with better pay and working conditions. That was to be the beginning of a long and trying road towards achieving equality as women in our society.
Fortunately, we have come a long way since then. Although we may not be quite there yet, I do believe as businesswomen in this world, we are in the final furlong of our quest for equality. It is particularly evident in the number of female entrepreneurs emerging in the business world today.
A familiar face we often see cropping up on social media is that of Suzanne Jackson, most famously known as SoSueMe. Suzanne is currently one of Ireland’s leading fashion and beauty bloggers. She began her blog, SoSueMe, in 2010 and since then her career has skyrocketed. She has since built her own empire from scratch, launching a beauty range and most recently her own clothing line, SoSuBySJ. Suzanne Jackson is the perfect example of a female who took a small idea and made something big. Suzanne, along with so many other female entrepreneurs, are ideal role models for young women.
Women can take inspiration from many other women who have successfully made their mark in the business world through belief, hard work and innovation. Elizabeth Holmes- founder of blood testing company Theranos, Melinda Gates- co-chairwoman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Michelle Mone- founder of the lingerie brand Ultimo and fake tanning brand UTan, just to name a few. In a world where it is easy to be overlooked if you choose not to use your voice, I think it is important to take inspiration from women who work hard and achieve their dreams, despite the doubters and the non-believers.
Companies and businesses worldwide are beginning to acknowledge the inequality suffered by women in the workplace and as a result we see more women occupying senior and managerial roles. In 2011, IBM appointed their first female CEO, Virginia Rometty. It is stories such as this which prove that women are just as capable of taking on roles of leadership and authority as our male counterparts.
However, a report titled Women and Men in Ireland 2013, published by the Central Statistics Office, showed that women are still not as well represented in senior and managerial roles as men. That’s quite a disheartening statistic to read as a young woman hoping to enter into this environment but one that shows that there is still progress to be made and we can’t quite lay down and rest just yet. I can only hope that when I leave university, I will be exposed to the same opportunities as my fellow male graduates.
To look at the situation in a more positive light, I feel a deep seated pride when I think of our progression so far. I am immensely grateful for the women before me who used their voice and fought tirelessly to ensure that we, as a gender, would no longer be overlooked. I can only hope that one day, we will no longer need an International Women’s Day. A day that our rights simply become human rights for which we no longer need to protest and march to gain.
“She was unstoppable, not because she did not have failures or doubts, but because she continued on despite them”- Beau Taplin.