With Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day taking place during March, there’s no better time to talk about an essential facet of DEI, equity, specifically, creating equitable opportunities for women in the workplace.
What is the difference between equity and equality?
The words equity and equality are often used interchangeably despite meaning very different things, especially in the workplace context. Equality gives everyone access to the same resources, policies, and opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different abilities and advantages and aims to provide individuals with tools according to their needs that enable them to achieve the same level as their peers.
You may have seen this image from our previous blog, Celebrating Global Diversity Awareness in October; it’s a great visual representation of the difference between the terms.
Why does the distinction between these terms matter for women in the workplace? Because even when women are given equal opportunities, they are often still overlooked in their field in replace of male coworkers. According to ThinkImpact:
- In 2020, only 38% of manager-level positions were women.
- Women are more likely to lose their job than men in the same field.
- In 2020, women of color accounted for less than 5% of board seats in Fortune 500 companies.
- Even in female-dominated industries, a man is more likely to make it to a leadership position.
There is still a long way to go for true equity in the workforce, but this month we want to highlight the amazing women (in no special order) making waves in the work landscape and opening the door for other women to have the same opportunities. Perhaps it will move others to do the same.
1. Carla Harris
Carla Harris has made a name for herself as Wall Street’s most influential black woman. She earned her bachelor’s degree and MBA from Harvard University before starting her career on Wall Street at Morgan Stanley. Harris said it’s unusual to find a person of color or a woman in her field. A 2020 Morgan Stanley diversity report noted that of the 1,056 executives, 16 were Black men and 18 were Black women, a disappointing number.
Harris felt that if she could enter the room and the conversation, she could hold the door open for others to do the same. She continues to host regular talks encouraging workplace diversification and teaching others how to overcome adversity and climb the ladder of success.
When Orenda’s founder, LaKendria, got the opportunity to hear her speech “Carla’s Pearls,” she said it was “out of this world. I saw her for the first time in 2017 at a women’s conference in Tampa while contemplating my next career move. At the end of her speech, I got to ask her a question, and her answer changed my life. I ended up leaving my then employer for an even more exciting opportunity with the Super Bowl Host Committee.”
To learn more about Carla Harris’ amazing work, visit her website: carlaspearls.com, and watch her many inspirational talks on her YouTube channel.
2. Sheryl Sandberg
For 14 years, Sheryl Sandberg served as Chief Marketing Officer of Facebook, now Meta, the largest social network in the world. She was the first woman to serve on the company’s board of directors, a role she still retains. Sandberg was credited for making the company profitable through the implementation of advertising on the platform.
This is an especially remarkable feat considering the unfortunate fact that only 8.1% of Fortune 500 companies have female chief executives. During and after her time as COO of Facebook, Sandberg has spoken at many events and conferences about the importance of women in leadership positions.
In 2013, Sandberg released a book called Lean In: Women, Work, and The Will to Lead and a website under the same title: LeanIn.org, a non-profit dedicated to encouraging women to seek out leadership opportunities and help them achieve their goals through community, education, and social circles. Sandberg is a true advocate for female leadership, aiming to change the conversation around the working woman.
You can pick up Sandberg’s books at Barnes & Noble online: here. Take a look at her 2014 TED Talk, “Why we have too few women leaders,” for more information.
3. Ai-jen Poo
Ai-jen Poo has spent over a decade as the Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), a collection of 60 organizations advocating for the rights of domestic workers and speaking out against workplace discrimination.
Recently, the NDWA announced its Unbossed Women’s Agenda, which aims to specifically support Black domestic workers. In addition to these accomplishments, Poo has also co-founded Caring Across Generations and the civic engagement organization Supermajority, which provides networking opportunities for women voters.
Ai-jen Poo is a true social justice advocate that strives to empower women and strengthen the workforce with equity, opening the doors for women to receive more opportunities.
Watch Ai-jen Poo’s TED Talk online and read more articles from her on LinkedIn here.
4. Cynt Marshall
Cynthia, or warmly, “Cynt” Marshall, is a strong woman who has fought the odds of life and corporate America to become the success she is today. Marshall is best known for her accomplishment as the first Black female CEO of an NBA team: The Dallas Mavericks. However, before working with the Mavericks, Marshall worked for AT&T for 36 years in leadership roles, where she focused on improving workplace culture and encouraging diversity and inclusion.
Throughout her time at AT&T, Marshall said she was just “following the rules,” trying to stay under the radar, restraining herself from using her home slang, and wearing culturally significant clothes and braids. In 2007, in a speech to underserved kids at a local school, she talked about the domestic abuse in her childhood home, growing up in poverty and public housing, her struggles with multiple miscarriages, and losing a child. Not only did her talk resonate with the kids she spoke to, but it also inspired her to be more authentic in her professional life. Marshall said she wasn’t afraid to stand out at work and started using her home slang, talking more about her personal life, and making sure everyone at work called her by her preferred nickname: Cynt!
Marshall used her personal experiences at work to increase diversity and inclusion efforts at AT&T and made AT&T one of Fortune Top 100 places to work in 2017. This caught the eye of Mark Cuban, who hired her to fill the role of Maverick’s CEO and make a positive difference for their employees. To this day, Marshall is an important figure, encouraging women to persevere in the face of adversity.
Learn more about Marshall’s incredible work and story by reading this article by CNBC.
5. Keisha Credit
Keisha Credit is a serial entrepreneur who is not only making money for herself but paving the way for other entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. Before her entrepreneurial spree, Credit used to work at Microsoft and Amazon but “didn’t feel important,” saying she “felt like a number.” She bravely decided to leave her stable job to pursue her dream of becoming a business owner.
In 2013, Credit founded Lucke by Keisha, a custom wig-making firm; an organic hair care line, Ego Centric Beauty, in 2015; and Super Lit apparel, a Christian t-shirt company, in 2016. Credit has used her expertise in business to start a coaching and consulting business named Business Bestie, where she helps other aspiring entrepreneurs reach their goals.
Learn more about Keisha Credit by visiting her website and Linktree at https://www.keishacredit.com/ and https://linktr.ee/keishacredit.
We chose to highlight these five inspirational female leaders, but many other success stories should be shared and celebrated, not just this month but all year around. If there are any important women in your life and career that you want to celebrate, share their names with us on social media by tagging @TheOrendaCo. We hope these stories inspire you to lift the next generation of women leaders and help women in your life (and you) reach their full potential, and shatter boundaries.
If you want to improve DEI or workplace equity for women, follow @TheOrendaCo on social media for tips and updates! If you are ready to take the initiative and make the next steps, contact The Orenda Collective’s experts with this form or call 813-384-7630.
