It doesn’t take 20/20 vision to see that there is a severe lack of women in leadership positions within most industries. The erasure of women in the workplace has begun to slowly bubble to the surface, but unfortunately, most of the time the issue is treated as flotsam.
In 2009, women only made up 24 percent of CEOs in the US, and they only received 74.5 percent of what male CEOs did). Many seriously mistake the lack of visibility as being reflective of women’s abilities — or lack thereof, according to detractors. If they don’t think this, critics cite the improvement of women’s status today as rectifying any possible inequalities of the past. The truth of the matter is that women’s value within the workplace is relative: although it seems like things have improved from 50 years ago, the gap is still present. Even in 2010, American women on average received 81 percent of what their male colleagues did. By comparison, American women were paid about 62 percent of what men did in 1979. That is not a huge improvement. To say that these statistics are skewed due to differences in demographics within certain fields is to ignore the even greater issue — which is that sexism within the workplace is what maintains that imbalance.
Women’s History Month is not only about recognizing and celebrating well-known women like Marie Curie, but also women like Johnson, Jackson, and Vaughan who had been lost or pushed aside in the current of mainstream history. It’s not just about recognizing the accomplishments women have achieved thus far, but also about recognizing that work still needs to be done.
In honor of Women’s History Month last month, GetVoIP created an infographic compiling our personal favorite quotes from 25 fictional women — from Disney, to Game of Thrones, to Gilmore Girls. Do you see any of your favorites? How did you celebrate Women’s History Month? What women — in fiction or otherwise, in the past or present — inspire you?
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Reuben Yonatan is the founder and CEO of GetVoIP. With an extensive background in cloud communication technologies, and building industry leading internet companies, Reuben's writings blend commentary, research, and perspective on cloud computing, digital media, business/leadership strategies, and enterprise solutions. Follow Reuben on Twitter@reubenyonatan.