Women's History Month: Equality in the Workplace

For far too long, women’s extensive contributions to history, society, and culture had gone unrecognized. After one school district held a weeklong celebration of women in 1978, word spread and by 1987, Congress designated March as a month-long recognition of women’s triumphs.

To celebrate Women’s History Month this March, PulsePoint gathered our team for a virtual event to discuss the State of Equality for Women in the Workforce. During the event, we discussed the progress women have made, the impact that COVID has had on women in the workplace, and how we work together to collectively advance the movement toward equality…. Because at PulsePoint, we believe it starts with each of us. 

The Event: The State of Equality for Women in the Workplace 

The event was hosted by diversity champion, Alison Vorsatz, whose personal and professional mission is to empower women to have the equality and success they deserve. Alison believes that if we can create equality in the workplace, we can create equality in the world.

“We as a society need to think about how we can support those women and how we can support women overall,” said Alison. While advancements have been made toward equality for women across all industries in recent years, the coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected women in the workforce, especially women of color. 

Here’s what else we learned:

We’ve Reached Some Major Milestones…. 

Since Congress first declared March Women’s History Month back in 1987, we’ve seen Antonia Novello become the first female, Latinx Surgeon General; Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim woman awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; Nancy Pelosi named the the first female speaker of the House of Representatives, and much more. In the past year alone, we witnessed Walgreens appoint Roz Brewer as the first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and Kamala Harris, a woman of color, begin serving as the first female Vice President of the United States.

….But There’s Still A Lot of Work to Be Done….

However, in spite of these achievements, we are still over 200 years away from equity for women. In a survey of 41 developed nations, the United States is the only country that does not offer federal parental leave.

….And That Work Starts With Each of Us

While implementing these necessary structural changes for women in the workplace may seem overwhelming, Alison shared six key actions that we can take to combat gender inequity:

1. Advocate for Gender Diversity in Business Terms: Based on a study done by Catalyst, companies that boast more women actually tend to outperform companies with a higher number of men; with a 66% greater return on invested capital.
2. Seek Out Stretch Assignments and Leadership Roles: There are currently more CEOs at large companies with the name Jeff than women CEOs–don’t shy away from seeking out growth opportunities or helping to promote the career advancement of women around you.
3. Show Confidence: Studies show that having more women employees leads to more successful business outcomes; women are an asset to growth.
4. Advocate for Flexibility and Families: 70% of women have created changes in company policy by petitioning alongside like-minded colleagues, most notably in regard to parental leave benefits.
5. Engage Male Allies: Across industries, men occupy more senior roles than women, so it is important to seek out male allies and decision-makers that support the growth of women in the workplace and hold them accountable.
6. Form Alliances with Other Women: Aligning yourself with other women who are passionate about workplace equality will foster an environment for progress and a network of support.
   

We’re Just Getting Started

At PulsePoint, we’re just getting started and we #ChoosetoChallenge gender bias and inequality so together, we can create a more inclusive world.

We want to give a shout out to Sara Seigel, Director of Marketing, and all members of our Diversity and Inclusion Council who champion our diversity initiatives. A huge thank you to our wonderful guest speaker, Alison Vorsatz. 

If you’re interested in joining PulsePoint, explore our open career opportunities and join our innovative team that is working to revolutionize healthcare.