durham inc.
RISING TIDES
WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE
BY S H A N E S N I D E R | P H O T O G R A P H Y BY J O H N M I C H A E L S I M P S O N
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he women’s workplace equality movement is slowly chipping at the “glass ceiling” holding back so many from reaching like-forlike benefits and pay with men doing the same work. It’s unclear whether the pandemic helped or hindered women’s fight for equality in the workplace – remote work forced by COVID-19 lockdowns gave more flexibility but also blurred the lines between home and work. But one thing is clear: More and more women are reaching out to their peers in the struggle as remote and hybrid work bring new opportunities and challenges. The effort to encourage women to empower one another in the workforce is a growing call to arms. LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company’s 2022 study found women are still dramatically underrepresented in leadership roles – with one in four C-suite executives being a woman and only one in 20 being a woman of color. Women are 1.5 times as likely to switch leadership roles compared to male colleagues, according to the study. A 2018 Institute for Women’s Policy Research study found working North Carolina women earned a median income of $36,400 per year – an average of $8,600 less
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than male counterparts. The study said that, if that trend continues, women may not see equal pay until 2060 (those interviewed for this article think that’s a generous estimate). Local activists are fighting the ongoing disparities, and they say a key weapon in the equality war is cooperation among women. “We’ve made some strides, but we still have a long, long way to go,” said Casey Steinbacher, executive director of nonprofit Made in Durham and former Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “Now, we have a situation – postCOVID – where you have the wife and mother at home and doing it all – trying to juggle it all at once. At this point, it’s critically important for women to realize they have this role [to encourage other women].” She added, “I think [corporations] can figure out how to better align their performance requirements in a post-COVID world that’s also going to be remote.”
COMMUNICATION AND REINVENTION
Tivi Jones, founder and CEO at marketing firm Hey Awesome Girl, said women can start empowering one another simply with words. “Words of affirmation are so powerful,” Jones said. “I think more of us need to feel seen and heard. And a lot of times we don’t want to open up, or we don’t want to compliment people because we’re worried about what others will think.”
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