For a lot of history, business has been the sphere of the bros.
Much to-do has been made of the fact that many panels, business boards, advisory committees, venture capitalists, CEOs … the list goes on … are dudes.
And with good reason!
This is a board for a philanthropy organization in 1918. Two ladies! Frustratingly, at the top of many businesses, it’s looking like even 2018’s will still look a lot like 1918. Image via Center for Jewish History/Flickr.
Among 500 top-ranked companies in 2015, only about 14% of the highest leadership positions were held by women, and just 4% of the businesses’ CEOs were female.
Because the odds are not so hot that you’ll learn about a fantastic, inspirational lady boss today, we’re gonna fix that!
Here’s a sampling of some of our favorite female entrepreneurs and lady bosses.
1. Sara Blakely
“What I think I sell with my clothes is confidence, so hopefully all my dresses, my accessories, are friends to the women. When you open the closet, and your eyes are swollen, and you don’t like the way you look, you go to your friends.” von Frstenburg to the Wall Street Journal
3. Madam C.J. Walker
4. Lizzie Magie
5. Ayah Bdeir
Image via Ayah Bdeir/Flickr.
Bdeir is the founder of LittleBits, modular electronics that snap together with magnets. Think: electronic Legos that move. She’s also a major supporter of the open hardware movement, an initiative mainly focused on keeping technological knowledge open to everyone. Bdeir created a product that teaches tech and supports a movement that keeps knowledge flowin’ (and LittleBits has more than 65,000 followers on Facebook, so it’s clearly doing something right). Cool!
“We are hoping … littleBits will make electronics sexy, and when you see how empowering it is, then you will want to learn more, as opposed to thinking its too hard and boring,” she told the online magazine We Make Money Not Art.
6. Nely Galan
“Zipcar believes that you really can do well by doing good. … Most people who own cars do not really need a car full time, especially if they take public transportation to commute to work. Zipcar allows people to live car less without being car free.” Chase to FastCompany.
As you can see, many of these lady entrepreneurs and bosses have created products and businesses that aren’t just successful (because that’s a duh), they’ve created ecosystems of commerce that take advantage of their potential for impact.
They raise voices, fill needs, empower, and represent.
Soon there will be a day when all businesspeople, both ladies and dudes, will not be singled out for their gender. And that will be an awesome day.
But until the playing field is a little more even, we’ll be over here cheering for the smaller but mightier team of ladies in business.