Issues of female entrepreneurship and gender equity have made their way into the headlines recently. In early September, reports were released that showed the proportion of U.S. women between the ages of 25 and 54 in the workforce climbed back up to pre-pandemic levels, which is fantastic given the current talent shortage we're facing; it signals an opportunity for both women and the companies that need to hire.
At the same time, we have a long way to go.
Recent Bain & Company research noted that fewer than 30% of women in the U.S. currently feel included in the workplace, which is problematic from a retention standpoint. If women don't see themselves as part of a team or company, they feel less job satisfaction, comfort and belonging that could incentivize them to stay in their position.
Also, according to Bain & Company, women hold far fewer positions compared to their male counterparts in fields such as computing (females represent 25% of the workforce) and engineering (just 13% of engineers are women)—careers that not only pay well but drive innovation. Without gender balance in these areas, progress suffers.
Perhaps more shocking are the findings from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. On September 13, 2022, the Foundation released its 2022 Goalkeepers Report, and researchers concluded that gender equality won't be a feasible reality on a global scale until 2108 at the earliest. That's almost 100 years from now and a far cry from the U.N. General Assembly's stated goal of achieving global gender equality by 2030. Even when I became an officer in the U.S. Air Force years ago (something I was told I had a 12% chance of achieving without a STEM background), I never believed it would take 100 more years to reach gender equality in the workforce—and I refuse to believe it now.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/10/25/how-to-incorporate-smart-finance-to-help-further-female-entrepreneurship/?sh=1ec4196f2044
At the same time, we have a long way to go.
Recent Bain & Company research noted that fewer than 30% of women in the U.S. currently feel included in the workplace, which is problematic from a retention standpoint. If women don't see themselves as part of a team or company, they feel less job satisfaction, comfort and belonging that could incentivize them to stay in their position.
Also, according to Bain & Company, women hold far fewer positions compared to their male counterparts in fields such as computing (females represent 25% of the workforce) and engineering (just 13% of engineers are women)—careers that not only pay well but drive innovation. Without gender balance in these areas, progress suffers.
Perhaps more shocking are the findings from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. On September 13, 2022, the Foundation released its 2022 Goalkeepers Report, and researchers concluded that gender equality won't be a feasible reality on a global scale until 2108 at the earliest. That's almost 100 years from now and a far cry from the U.N. General Assembly's stated goal of achieving global gender equality by 2030. Even when I became an officer in the U.S. Air Force years ago (something I was told I had a 12% chance of achieving without a STEM background), I never believed it would take 100 more years to reach gender equality in the workforce—and I refuse to believe it now.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/10/25/how-to-incorporate-smart-finance-to-help-further-female-entrepreneurship/?sh=1ec4196f2044
