“YOU CAN’T BE WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE.”
- MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN
Why support women-led businesses?
WHEN WE INVEST IN WOMEN IN BUSINESS, MORE WOMEN BECOME EMPOWERED TO BE LEADERS THEMSELVES. THOUGHT LEADERS. PHILANTHROPIC LEADERS. AND SO MUCH MORE.
When we support women entrepreneurs (as well as organizations like #WOMENLEDWEDNESDAY and legislation that supports women in business), we advance innovation, economic growth, and empower women financially. It not only benefits society from a social responsibility standpoint but as an investment in a vital portion of our economy.
THE CURRENT STATE OF WOMEN
IN THE WORLD, WOMEN ARE:
50.8% of the population
52% of the professional level workforce
WITHIN S&P COMPANIES...
Women are, only 25% of executive and senior-level officials and managers, only 20% of board seats and only 6% of CEOs. (In 2015 there were more CEOs named John than there were women of any name.)
FACTS ABOUT WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE
01
Back in 2015, McKinsey & Company found businesses that were more gender-diverse were likely to outperform approximately 15 percent above the industry median. Years later in 2020, they found that the percentage had increased to 25 percent.
02
From February 2020 to January 2022, male workers regained all jobs they had lost due to the public health crisis, according to an analysis by the National Women's Law Center of the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. However, 1.1 million women left the labor force during that span, accounting for 63 percent of all jobs lost. (Read more)
03
Women of color are disproportionately affected by the pandemic and job loss. In September, 1.1 million people left the workforce. 865,000 of those people were women, and almost half of those women were Black or Latina. One in nine Black and Latina women were unemployed, a 57% higher rate than that among white women. Read more.
04
Despite calls for further representation, women-led startups account for just 2.2% of the $150 billion invested in companies by VCs annually. What's more, due in large part to the Covid-19 pandemic, that number has decreased in recent years. Read more.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY...
YES TO GENDER DIVERSITY
"More gender diversity, particularly in corporate settings, can translate to increased productivity, greater innovation, better decision-making, and higher employee retention and satisfaction" -Morgan Stanley study on gender diversity at leadership levels
AND SO...
"In essence, companies that screen better for gender diversity metrics [read: more women] are higher quality companies using our other standard financial metrics" - Adam Parker, Chief U.S. Equity Strategist