Cracking the Glass Ceiling: a Look at the Numbers

• Leadership
• November 10, 2016
• by Sally Ann Rivera

The dream of a woman president is still alive, and it all starts with an example of one of our favorite memory drivers:  statistics. Remember, numbers always need context or they are meaningless to your audience.

It has taken almost 100 years since women gained the right to vote for a woman to appear on the ballot as a major party presidential candidate. Men have had the right to vote for closer to 300 years. During that time, we’ve seen 45 male presidents. That doesn’t include running mates when applicable and their opponents, which have only included two women as major party vice presidential nominees.

Hillary Clinton’s run for president was a historic first in many ways. Progress was made both in seeing Hillary Clinton on the ballot and also the decision of some voters to reject her not as a woman but because of her political baggage.

Before joining the Reagan Administration, Merrie worked as one of the first two women in the FBI. She was right in line with the pattern seen across senior government and corporate leadership even still today (which is why we’re so proud to be a certified woman-owned business).

Now back to numbers. In order to get a woman to the White House we must encourage more women to run for office and support them through local elections, as they gain the experience needed to make it to Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s the law of averages in action.

We’re proud of our local political and community leaders like Westlake Mayor Laura Wheat and Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce President Beth Bowman for their commitment to service. We’re excited to see Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Chief of Staff Kathryn Barger succeed her boss as a new County Supervisor. Let’s look around and celebrate great leadership from both women and men and create an environment where women leaders and businesses can thrive.