Women in Business

Posted on: 2011-03-20

Women have made major inroads in business over the past century but the obstacles still remain at the top are prompting some women to simply go around.

Since the late 1800's, the Women's Movement set the agenda for how rapidly society would change - old ideas would be challenged and traditional roles would be shattered. In just 100 years women have advanced from gaining the basic right to vote, to becoming highly influential politicians and heads of major corporations.

While these advances are significant, there are major hurdles to overcome. For instance, a study by the University of California, Davis found that over 25 percent of the top 200 companies studied have no women board members or executives. The study also found that 68 percent of the companies studied have no women in the top five executive positions and only 8 percent have over two women in top executive positions.

It appears that women are not taking their lack of access to top positions sitting down. In fact they are bypassing the companies that stifle advancement and access, and creating their own companies outright.

According to About.com's "Women in Business" section, women owned business have grown up to 130 percent in the retail and trade and up to 283 percent in the Wholesale and Trade sector between 1997 and 2006.

This is a stunning advancement which will no doubt send a wake up call to those companies who continue to live in the past. The perspective and networking access that women continue to build can no longer be ignored by large companies if they want to continue to compete in an ever changing and more diverse business environment. To turn an old adage on its head, it appears that women are saying, "If you can't join em, beat em."

Meghan Kirk
WomensJobList