It’s time to face the facts and see that women are making a powerful difference in business, in today’s economy and in family. Perhaps in looking at where change is being enacted, women in general will feel more satisfied with what they are doing as part of this change movement.
I was leaving late for a meeting the other day and half-joking, half-seriously told my husband, “I forgot my cape!” “Huh?” he replied. “Yeah, my wonder woman cape!” So, I—the 40-something soccer mom, wife, CEO, and California Women’s Conference Executive Producer—was definitely feeling superhero powers (or lack thereof) while juggling all those responsibilities.
Many of today’s women are trying to be modern day super heroes. After all, we have the qualities that have been proven to create, nurture, and transform. Women are shaping their communities, impacting their families, and creating positive change. Yet, it is easy to get caught up in the daily grind to do it all and be everything to everybody. Often, what happens is that our capes get tangled up or we trip over them as we rush to save the world.
Others see this happen quite frequently. For example, in an interview with Tina Konkin, Relationship Help Centers co-founding director, Tina explained: “As women, we have, for generations, learned to juggle family, career, volunteer work and, hopefully, even some alone time. Even with all the juggling and multi-tasking we do as women most of us still manage to feel that we are not good enough. We are our own judge and jury and seem to, more often than not, pronounce a ‘guilty’ verdict on ourselves. The charge? Not doing enough, being enough, giving enough or having enough. We are often plagued with toxic thoughts that turn into feelings of inadequacy.”
The Women Army: Power in Numbers
It’s time to face the facts and see that we, as women, are making a powerful difference in business, in today’s economy and in family. Perhaps in looking at where change is being enacted, women in general will feel more satisfied with what they are doing as part of this change movement.
Charles D. Vollmer, the founder of Jobenomics, a national grassroots movement dedicated to creating 20 million new U.S. private sector jobs by year 2020, has much to say when it comes to women and our economy: “This is the decade of women-owned businesses. They have greater financial needs and incentives. There are more qualified women with some even serving as heads of households. These women have more opportunities, are highly educated, and have fewer cultural barriers.”
It can also be said that there is power in numbers. The Bureau of the Census states that women currently outnumber men in the United States by six million. Recent economic figures also show a dramatic shift in job demographics, and, therefore, in economic power. Statistics show nearly eight million jobs have been lost by men and, for the first time in this nation’s history, women now hold a majority of the nation’s jobs.
In 2006, a database was created that measured the economic and political power of women in 162 countries. The conclusion was the greater the power of women, the greater the country’s economic success. This is even more when examining a recent Senate bill that failed 52-47, which was eight votes short of the 60 required that would have provided legislation ensuring that women receive equal pay. In contrast, countries that have equality in pay are flourishing.
Women are also the most influential consumers. Contributing to the total $7 trillion in consumer and business spending in America, women influence 85 percent of all purchasing decisions, including half of products that would seem more oriented to men, such as automobiles, home improvement items, and consumer electronics. The impact that women have on our nation’s market alone is substantial. For products related to home life, it’s been reported that moms represent a $2.4 trillion market. These statistics make women the key target audience for any successful business.
Women are also now being targeted by boards to join and offer their insights about how women think and make decisions about purchases. Those that have added women as board members are also realizing greater financial success. Catalyst’s 2010 statistics conclude that companies with a significant percentage of women on their boards performed better than those with no women on their boards—by 84% return on sales, 60% return on invested capital, and 46% return on equity. As Monique Nadeau, President and CEO of the Hope Street Group explained, “[B]ecause women overwhelmingly hold the consumer purchasing power in our country, whether we’re talking about individuals or households, their understanding of the market allows them to start businesses with a high degree of insight about both their potential customers and competitors.”
Time to Get Your Cape Out of the Dry Cleaners!
By all accounts, it could be said that women truly are superheroes. We can take care of our families and save the economy single-handedly. That means you are more than enough – whether you are winging our way up the Fortune 500 ladder or you are building an entrepreneurial idea into a viable business. You. Are. Enough.
As a result, it is important to end the negative self-talk where that little voice is telling us that we are still not doing enough even when working around the clock. You can wear your super hero cape without feeling guilty about what you ar trying to achieve in running a business, managing a family, and holding up the economy while looking fabulous in those Louboutins.
More than just superheroes, we are nurturers who are helping to heal our economy and adding a decidedly feminine – and fresh – approach to achieving the well-being of the economy. There is nothing to feel guilty about there. If anything, we should feel proud that we can contribute so much during such challenging times. Now, don those capes, girls (ladies), and take flight!
Visionary and lauded business accelerator Michelle Patterson is CEO of Event Complete—a full service event management company. She also serves as Executive Director of the largest women’s symposium in North America: the California Women’s Conference (www.californiawomensconference.com) that has featured the First Lady Michelle Obama, former First Lady Laura Bush, Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey, and others. Michelle may be reached online at www.eventcomplete.com.
