I curse. And while I’ve never apologized for swearing, now that studies link it to intelligence I staunchly defend my habit.
Plus, it’s so commonplace that – much to the chagrin of my librarian mother – no one flinches when I drop the F-bomb in casual converation with friends, strangers or even in some work settings. But if I drop the other F-word – FEMINIST – I still see people flinch. I see some squirming, some uncomfortable shuffling around.
And I’ve decided you can tell a lot about a person by judging their reaction to that word. Stand close and say, “I’m a feminist.” See if they break.
They may. Or, they may say, “Well, I’m for equal rights and all. I’m just not a feminist.” (Unfortunately, very common.) So in honor of Women’s Equality Day, marking the anniversary of white women’s right to vote, and as a proud business owner, I share these thoughts for you to consider today.
Women’s pay STILL lags behind men.
The average woman earns $.83 to every dollar earned by a man, meaning they must work until March 4 of the FOLLOWING year to earn what men earned in the prior year. Note, I said “average.” The figures are far more dismal for women of color. (Source: Equal Pay Today)
For AANHPI women, it’s May 3 at 75 cents
For Black women, it’s September 21 at 58 cents
For Native and Indigenous women, it’s November 30 at 50 cents
Latinx women are paid the least, it’s December 8 at 49 cents.
If women were paid equally, here’s how it would impact their lives:
- An entire additional year of child care;
- One year of tuition and fees for a 4-year public university, or the full cost of tuition and fees for a 2-year college;
- More than 9 months of rent for the following year;
- 7 months of health insurance (premiums through employer-based plans);
- More than a year’s worth of food; OR
- Enough money to pay off their student loan debt in under 4 years.
But women owned businesses are growing
- 40 percent of all businesses are women owned. The total: 12.3 million businesses, generating $1.8 trillion a year
- Women started 1,821 neet new businesses EVERY day last year and 64 percent of those were started by women of color
- Women-founded companies in First Round Capital’s portfolio outperformed companies founded by men by 63 percent
- Just 25 percent of women business owners seek business financing
Test your bias
This interactive quiz, created by the American Association of University Women, Project Implicit and Harvard University, is designed to see if you are biased against women leaders.
Obviously, online tests – even those shaped by these folks – are not perfect. But, they can indicate whether or not you have work to do. So, if you take it, let us know how you did!