Amidst the ongoing #MeToo movement and a series of other vast public events, like a women-led march on Washington that drew global headlines, business owners and innovators everywhere are asking themselves how they tap into the power of the female workforce in order to create a healthier market future for everyone. Companies are struggling when it comes to realizing the potential of their women employees, however, and many are giving up thanks to the frustration of overcoming gender inequalities in the workplace.
Now more than ever, however, companies need to be pushing for more women in the workplace, as doing so won’t just further equality, but will also generate booming market results that boost the quality of life for everyone. Read these tips, and start making changes in your office, and you’ll be well on your way to tapping into the power of women at work.
The makeup of the workforce is changing
The traditionally male-dominated workforce has been evolving for some time, but now more than ever we’re seeing serious gains for women in the workplace. Whether it’s the rising number of female executives on the fortune 500 list (though it’s still dismally too small) or the gradual increases in pay and benefits women are attaining around the globe and in the West in particular, it’s easy to see that the makeup of the workforce is becoming significantly more female, and will continue to trend that way for some time. Companies need to get moving, then, and start making changes to accompany the shifting demographics of the workforce.
These changes won’t occur overnight, however; as of today, women still remain woefully underleveraged in the workforce, and have plenty of room for advancement. Business owners in particular should start examining ways that they can help women succeed in the business world, as it’s not until the currently dominant market actors take action that we can expect any serious change to occur.
Despite an uptick in businesses investing in the future of women, however, female professionals need to understand that there are still many hurdles in their future; institutionalized sexism will remain to be a huge challenge for women in the workforce for the immediate future, for instance, and today’s political and social movements will need time to enact and enforce meaningful change on a large scale. That doesn’t mean feminist of all genders and sexes should be dissuaded, however; rather, they should feel fired up and ready to fight, as it’s the only way they’ll be able to ensure a more equitable and productive economy that includes women at the top.
Whether or not the future of work will be a “golden age” for women remains to be seen, but one thing is already abundantly clear; if our workforce is to remain productive enough to support rapidly aging populations and savvy enough to keep churning out innovations to deal with our emerging threats, it needs to start doing more to welcome women into its ranks.
Tapping into women’s potential
To make proper use of women in the workplace, companies and entrepreneurs of all genders and sexes everywhere need to begin hiring more women, funding more women-led projects, and investing in female-focused training programs using a registered agent service. These efforts shouldn’t stop at local boundaries, either; investing in the future of women abroad, particularly young girls in developing areas who lack opportunities more so than anyone else, will be necessary if the workforce of tomorrow is to be truly equal.
Companies and individuals alike should get ready for some cultural changes; many traditionally male-dominated industries are about to undergo a fundamental retrofitting, and women are about to start asserting themselves into positions of power more forcefully. The future of finance is looking to be particularly rosy for women, for instance, but it’s imperative to remember that a female workforce can only ever truly be productive if women are properly cared for in the workplace with the benefits they need to thrive.
Paid parental leave, for instance, is something that many companies in the West and the United States in particular have yet to embrace fully enough. Today’s women are often incapable of meaningfully entering the workforce, particularly for longer periods of time, in large part because they’re often shouldering the brunt of the workload in domestic households, and don’t have the time, energy, or funds to boosts their own futures as they raise their children. More burden-sharing is needed in homes everywhere as well as workplaces, then, if women are to be properly fused into society’s labor force.
Don’t expect any sudden, overnight changes to our workforce, but do understand that the wheels of progress in the workplace will continue to grind forward despite opposition from institutionalized sexism and unfair labor expectations placed upon women. Start investing in the women in your local workforce today, and you’ll be well-prepared for a future defined by a more equal and productive market.