Business women are springing up everywhere now. The world is moving towards gender equality. In most countries, women can vote, own land, hold jobs and get divorced if they so choose. However, we still have a long way to go. While most businesses will have workforces filled with women, there is a huge discrepancy between the genders when it comes to senior management positions. Women dominate the lower-paid office roles while men bag the executive jobs. There are a number of reasons for this and gender discrimination is one of them.
In 2018, being a powerful woman in business is an impressive feat. It means you have beaten down the competition and shown the powers that be (usually men) that you are the best person for the job. It shows determination, ambition, and commitment in a way that has formerly been expected predominantly from men. Women don’t want high-powered jobs because they want to be at home with the kids, right? Hell no. Sure, some women would rather stay at home, but so would some men. It is never ok to paint an entire community with one brush – especially when that community makes up 50% of the entire human population.
These women are the most powerful business women right now, showing us that women can boss it in the workplace as well as anyone else.
Indra Nooyi
Nooyi is the Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, the maker of Pepsi and just about every other food brand you know and love. Born in Chennai, India, Nooyi made her debut working in various positions at Johnson & Johnson before moving to the U.S and completing a master’s degree at Yale. She then joined PepsiCo in 1994 and worked her way up the ladder until she was appointed President and CEO. If you were looking for a female role model, you could do worse than Indra Nooyi.
Mary Barra
Barra is blasting two misogynistic stereotypes. Firstly, that women don’t make good CEOs; and secondly, that women don’t know anything about cars. Barra is the Chairman and CEO of General Motors and has been since 2014 when she became the first ever female CEO of a big global automaker. Barra always had a fascination with cars and got her first job in the industry when she was just 18. She let her passion guide her and is now at the very top of her game.
Ginni Rometty
Another first, Rometty became the first woman to head IBM when she was appointed CEO in 2012. The former CEO, on stepping down, commented that her promotion had nothing to do with gender quotas or being progressive. Rometty got the job because she deserved it. Rometty is a strong career woman who has set the bar high for others following in her footsteps. Hopefully, she will be an inspiration to other women who want to do big things.
Ruth Porat
Porat has had the kind of career you thought you could only dream of. After leaving her role as CFO at Morgan Stanley, she became CFO for Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary – a little company you might have heard of called Google. Her focus on the bottom line has earned her a respected reputation at the company and the results of her work have been astonishing. Google shares have jumped 70% since she’s been in charge. Oh, and she has three children. You go girl.
