It’s no secret that the number of successful
and professional women grabbing hold and empowering the entrepreneurial
world has grown exponentially not only in the last decade, but even more so in the last several years. More and more women
are working in executive roles such as CEOs, VPs, other various high level or managerial positions, and even becoming business owners.
Regardless of the position or level, women all over the
world are developing new networking skills and strategies and even experimenting with their entrepreneurial skills and abilities. Interestingly enough, women were stereotyped in working secretarial,
educational, or nursing roles not thirty years ago. While these positions are
still predominantly held by women, they are also branching out into other roles
and industries that are commonly stereotyped as “male roles”, such as doctors and physicians, scientists, lawyers, and even military service members and law enforcers.
In fact, here are some renown facts related to women in business that prove that exceptional females are working out of the homes, out of the secretarial pools, and up the corporate ladders:
Trust the facts, Jack:
- In the last decade
(approximately between 1997 and 2006), women-owned and operated businesses grew
more than any other business in the U.S. As of 2011, it was estimated that at
least ten million businesses had ownership of 50% or more women.
- In 2012, approximately 6,000
companies in the world have at least one female director working at an
executive level.
- As of 2008, women hold approximately
46.3% of the labor force in the U.S. Approximately 15% of Fortune 500 companies
in the U.S. have female corporate officers.
While some of this data was from several years to almost a
decade ago, it is almost certain that these numbers have increased at the rate
that small businesses and start ups are growing in the U.S.
So this now begs the question: Why the gradual and astonishing
increase in the number of female business owners,
directors, and CEOs? This could be due to economic changes and pressure for
women to survive in the work force, the desire for women to be successful as men, or even in an attempt to help close the pay gap between men and women.
Regardless of the reason why more
and more women are pouring into business, the statistics are still
surprising. On the flip side, however, it's also true that women still have a long way to go to catch up
with men in the work force. But look on the bright side, ladies, there are even
organizations and foundations established to help women in business succeed. In
fact, there are also grants available to those women who are looking to start
up small businesses. It's out there and it's possible. You've just got to know where to look.
So hats
off to the ladies who have been busy networking, consulting, solution-ing, and
just rocking it in the world of the business in the last few months, the last
year, and in the last decade.
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