Women’s History Month reminds us to look back at all the great change we’ve accomplished thus far: from women’s right to vote in 1920, to closing the global gender education gap to a difference of 0.3% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Many influential women have made leaps and bounds to get us to where we currently are. However, there is still so much more to be done.
On March 1st, Ernst and Young hosted a conference based on the #SheBelongs and #WomanFastForward movement that I think deserves some real recognition. E&Y is an assurance, tax and transactions advisory company that wants to promote diversity in the workplace. Tina Tchen, the former chief of staff for Michelle Obama, spoke at the event. She showed a slide that revealed the severity of our situation as women: 4.8% of woman are fortune 500 CEOs, and 21% of S&P 500 directors are women as of 2018, according to CNBC News and BNA News. I think these statistics show how much room we have for growth within the workplace as women and the need for change.
Following Tchen’s speech, the US Chairman of E&Y, Kelly Grier, elaborated on her own experience in the workplace noting how getting to the position she is in was not only about making it where she did, but feeling included and being heard in that position. I think this is important to keep in mind while pushing for equal rights as women.
2019 is the time for women to take a stand. I spent this past weekend talking to female leaders in the real estate industry in Chicago. The consensus was that an extreme amount of change is needed to take place in this industry specifically. All the incredible women I spoke to seemed to echo the same message of a need for equality and inclusion in the workplace. One woman, in particular, had some amazing pearls of wisdom. She said to always ask for more. When an offer is placed in front of you for a job, increase it by 20%. This is because the gender wage gap is at about 80 cents to the dollar. Knowing your worth is crucial for closing the gap and empowering all woman to enforce the changes necessary to reach equality.
Times continue to change because of admirable women like Kelly Grier and Tina Tchen. I feel more inspired than ever that 2019 will be an important year for women’s equality. Moving from Women’s History Week to Women’s History Month just gives us a little more time to think about the ways that we want to shape this world.