As we celebrate women this month, I can’t help but reflect on how far they have come in the workplace. I’m sure many can recall days when a woman’s role in the office was strictly limited to secretarial, clerical, or domestic work. Even more so, we can recall the stigma that was attached to women who chose to enter the workplace. Deviating from their traditional role of fully committed wives, mothers, and/ or homemakers was highly frowned upon and seldom done. I can even recall my own mother waiting until her youngest child was of a certain age, before entering the workforce.
As the years have passed by, we have seen a shift in these views and an increase in women stepping into other ‘non-traditional’ roles. As more and more women became educated, the opportunities for them to explore and advance into different fields and push past the gender biases became a reality instead of just wishful thinking. While we still have a long way to go, we cannot ignore the progress that has been made and the benefits of having women present in the workplace, especially as leaders.
There is more job satisfaction, more organizational dedication, more meaningful work, and less burnout. When it is all said and done, we all benefit from women in the workplace. Let us continue working toward opening doors and providing more opportunities for women to continue to excel in every area of the workplace.
As we celebrate Women’s Month, we recognize and celebrate the tremendous strides women have made and continue to make in the workplace.
