Career Girls

Am I the only one tired of hearing the endless debates about whether or not women can “have it all,“ whatever that means for today’s woman?

Or, why women are not advancing into leadership positions and what they should be doing instead of what they are doing now (like it’s all their fault)?

We have been telling women that they can’t have a career and a family. We have been telling women that they can’t be good mothers if they don’t stay home with their children. We have been telling women that they can't be successful in their careers if they do have children. We have been telling women that they don’t know their own hearts and minds and are not capable of deciding what is best for themselves.

Let’s acknowledge that women bring value, and much needed skills, to the workplace. Let’s also acknowledge that over the next ten years, as many as one billion women will be bringing those skills into the global workforce. Some will choose to be mothers and some will not. It should not matter in terms of what women can contribute.

This is an evolution that is inevitable and everyone will benefit from it.

Here Are Just a Few of The Benefits:

It will create healthier economies all over the world. For example, recent data shows that when the labor force participation rates are equal for women and men, by 2030 the US GDP will grow by 10%, 16.5% in the CzechRepublic, 19% in Japan, and 12% across OECD countries.

It benefits everyone to continue welcome women into the workforce and support their advancement into leadership positions. If you have not read the research about the positive financial impact on companies that have three or more women on their boards and parity in the C-suites, you might want to go take a look at the half a dozen or more studies that have been done.

Diversity and inclusion of all kinds makes for a more innovative and productive environment.

Young women will be stepping into leadership positions faster than at any other time in history. Why? Because by 2025, 75% of the workforce will be Millennials and 50% of those Millennials will be women.

We need to make these women feel welcome. We also need to provide the training and coaching that ensures they get up to speed as soon after their entry into the workforce as possible.

Let’s get ready for that by telling women what they CAN do.