why we need ywl

  • "Women make up 51% of the US population, but make up just under 20% of the United States Congress. 
  • Women hold 18.5 percent of congressional seats, and they are just 20 percent of U.S. senators. 
  • Women of color represent only 4.5 percent of the total members of Congress.
  • Women make up only 14.6 percent of executive officers, 8.1 percent of top earners, and 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs.
  • They hold just 16.9 percent of Fortune 500 board seats. 
  • Women accounted for 16 percent of all the directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors who worked on the top-grossing 250 domestic films of 2013. 
  • Women of color hold 3.2 percent of the board seats of Fortune 500 companies. In fact, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies have no women of color as board directors at all.” 
While these facts are unfortunate, Young Women in Leadership is an opportunity for young women to unite and discuss how to break these barriers and become strong leaders.
  • "American women hold almost 52 percent of all management- and professional-level jobs, yet seven will lag substantially behind men in terms of their representation in leadership positions.
  • In a broad range of fields, [the presence of women] in top leadership positions remains stuck at 5 to 20 percent. [...] They have not moved up to positions of prominence and power in America at anywhere near the rate that should have followed.”
Women have the power to change this, starting in our very own communities. Don’t let a male-dominated field be a barrier to your passion.
  • “2018 was a watershed year for women in U.S. politics [...] with notable gains for young women and veterans; historic wins in Senate and governors’ races; and major breakthroughs for women of color in the House of Representatives.”
“Tailoring a network to a group with shared experiences is the best way to allow members to discuss and gain advice without judgement – this helps tackle the challenges women face.” 
- Lauren MacPhail, Senior VP at Ayima and Founder of Women in Digital. 

Visit this website to learn more about the importance of women's networks and Lauren’s experience in the digital marketing industry as a female leader. 

References

Judith Warner. (2014, Mar 7). The Women’s Leadership Gap: Women’s leadership by the numbers.  Center for American Progress. https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/WomenLeadership.pdf?_ga=2.70198035.2020506769.1604541859-1138783892.1604541859.

Judith Warner, Nora Ellmann, and Diana Boesch. (2018, Nov. 20). The Women’s Leadership Gap. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2018/11/20/461273/womens-leadership-gap-2/.
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The importance of women's networks and why you should join one. (2017, Sep 18). B2B Marketing. https://www.b2bmarketing.net/en/resources/articles/importance-womens-networks-and-why-you-should-join-one.