Celebrating women this month and every day

Exactly one hundred years ago, the 19th Amendment was ratified, guaranteeing all American women the right to vote. While many factors contributed to this historic constitutional change, it’s no coincidence that Congress passed the amendment a mere six months after the end of World War I. The Great War had unveiled a truth previously masked by traditional gender roles:

Women could, in fact, perform the exact same jobs as men.

Not only did women work the farms and keep the factories churning while men were off at war, but the role shift extended to professional fields such as banking, medicine, law, and civil service. Society kept functioning on every level, and women discovered what it felt like to be paid for their work.

This first taste of socio-economic power brought with it a sense of freedom: Women knew with certainty they had the capabilities and talent to do a “man’s” job.

Women’s History Month is one way to honor the efforts of all the incredible women who fought—and continue to fight—to break through the barriers and glass ceilings put in place that keep women on unequal footing. This commemorative month also serves as a great reminder that we need to keep fighting until we reach true equality, especially in the workplace.

Today, it’s wonderful to see how many organizations are focused on improving diversity and inclusion, both within their workforces and in leadership positions. Change starts at the top, and we are proud that our leadership team at Inkling includes two female executives and that women account for nearly half our employees.

As highlighted in a recent Gender Insights Report from LinkedIn, women apply for jobs differently than men, with women being 14% less likely to apply than men. These types of insights are super helpful and continue to inform how we conduct our search for new talent. We recently attended Women Impact Tech in San Francisco as a Silver sponsor with the specific goal to hire more passionate and talented women into our company.

Winklings share workplace & inspirational insights

Here at Inkling, we have an internal, cross-department group called “Winkling” (Women at Inkling) whose purpose is to provide a means to support one another in the workplace. To uncover insights into work-life balance, career advice, and our female vision for the future, we surveyed our Winklings and received some great responses!

Outside of work, how do you prioritize your life goals while managing a busy schedule?

• Set micro-goals. If you have a crazy day, still do at least 10 minutes a day on your own goal. It will add up.
• I try to surround myself with like-minded people who are pursuing similar goals. I also seek out advice from mentors or people who have already achieved goals that I’m pursuing.
• My family has always come first throughout my career. I have been fortunate to work for companies that supported the work/life balance. I am proud that I have never missed ‘anything’ with them, from sports to dance to volunteering at their schools.
• I struggle with that. I put my family first and myself last. I wouldn’t recommend keeping that pace all the time because it’s a shortcut to personal burnout.

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

• Ask for what you want.
• Trust my gut. I am very in touch with my intuition, so to me, trusting and following my gut has been my saving grace in a lot of different situations!
• Passion can be both a good and bad thing. Be smart about what you are passionate about and embrace the positive side.
• Keep fresh—always be learning.

In the next 10-15 years, what dream do you have for women in the workplace that you’d like to see come true?

• Young women see all of the advantages of pursuing a STEM career, and there is an equal number of women in technical fields.
• I’d love for it to no longer be a “shock” when people hear of women CEOs. I hope the future generation of women can dream of becoming a CEO one day without it feeling rare or unlikely.
• Equality, diversity, and respect in all levels of an organization.
• For women to be paid equally and respected equally.

Building a better future

The global celebration of International Women’s Day is a highlight of Women’s History Month. This year’s theme was #EachforEqual, illustrated visually by people holding their arms, one above the other, in an equal sign. Former Inkling CEO Jeff Carr shared this message with Inkblots on March 8th:

“Gender equality goes hand-in-hand with inclusion, diversity, and opportunity, which leads to innovation, which leads to making businesses and the world a better place. And who doesn’t want that?”

Women are incredible contributors to society, and our collective voice is strong. As we continue to empower and champion women of every background, we build a stronger workforce for all. It’s heartening to realize that true equality in the workplace is closer today than it was yesterday and further away today than it will be tomorrow.

The future is bright.