# ינטערנאַטיאָנאַלוואָמענסמאָנטה כיילייץ די ינקריסינג מאָמענטום

This month, there is cause for celebration when considering how far women have come around the world in terms of leadership roles. Women have soundly proven that they are equally successful in positions of power as their male counterparts, whether it be in business or politics. It is critical in 2019 to hold the course toward even greater opportunity for women across the globe, writes Natasha Norie Standard, CEO of Norie Shoes.

Statistically, women in the United States these days are מער מסתּמא than men to start businesses. In 2018, women-owned businesses made up 39% of the 28 million small businesses. The number of women-owned businesses skyrocketed by 45% between 2007 to 2016, according to the US Census Bureau. SCORE Association found that 62% of women entrepreneurs say their business is their primary income source, and only 25% of women business owners apply for business loans compared to 34% of men-owned businesses. Data also show that women-owned businesses grow at a similar rate as men-owned businesses, 57% compared to 59%.

However, men in the United States still have a big advantage in many areas. For instance, men possess 70% of the nation’s wealth, compared to 30% owned by women. A whopping 76% of members in Congress are male, and more than 95% of Fortune 500 companies are run by men. In Hollywood, 92% of directors are men, and historically, a lopsided 72% of Oscars winners have been men.

In Europe and the United States, women occupy ווייניקער ווי קסנומקס% of the chief executive officer roles. A study by Heidrick & Struggles, revealed that women ran only 4.9% of all companies across 13 nations. The US leads with almost 7% of its companies being run by women, but absolutely no women lead large businesses in Denmark or Italy. The number of women in FTSE 100 chief executive positions in the UK has dropped from seven to six, which astonishingly is fewer than the total number of CEOs with the name David. The UK’s number of female FTSE 350 chief executives dipped from 15 down to 12.

This year, according to UN Women, just 11 nations have female heads of state and 10 females are heads of government. The organization echoes the established and growing evidence that women's leadership in political decision-making processes improves outcomes, and that women demonstrate political leadership by working across party lines. Women leaders are championing issues like gender equality, the elimination of gender-based violence, parental leave, child care, pensions, gender-equity laws, and electoral reform.

On the bright side as of January, according to the אינטער־ פארלאמענטארער פאראיין, women hold a promising percentage of parliamentary positions in at least 90 nations. Rwanda, Cuba, and Bolivia lead the pack, with more than half of all parliamentary seats held by women. Seventy-six countries have more women representatives in government than are represented in the U.S. Congress. This statistic not only includes countries you might expect like Canada, Australia, and Germany, but it also includes nations like Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and China. We have to close this gender gap in government here in America as soon as possible.

In the UK, companies with at least one woman director showed more return on their investments compared with those that had all-male boardrooms, according to a 2017 Credit Suisse report. UK Businesses with at least 15% female senior management were 50% more profitable than businesses with under 10% of women in senior management.

אַדווערטייזמאַנט

Just over a year ago, former President Barack Obama famously שפּיציק out that women make better leaders than men. At a speech in Paris, he said: “Not to generalize, but women seem to have a better capacity than men do, partly because of their socialization." A month before this event, a גאַלאַפּ באַקומען showed that 55% of Americans said the gender of their boss made no difference to them. That percentage was up from the last Gallup survey done in 2014.

According to a 2018 Pew Research Center יבערבליק, the majority of Americans said they would like to see more women in top leadership positions not only in politics, but also in business. Most also said men still have an easier path up the ladder than women do.

Around the globe, we need more women in leadership roles. We also need successful women to become mentors to other women. The evidence shows that women can and must step up and lead.

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