OUR INSIGHTS

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"With realistic optimism in our corner, we can guard against cynicism, inertia, and burnout. We can better understand that we are not spinning our wheels; that we are doing much needed work for women in business; and significant successes for both women and their organizations are our likely outcomes." -Gwen Young

Happy New Year!

As CEO of Women Business Collaborative (WBC), I have carefully considered how our organization can advance our mission of “equal position, pay, and power for all women in business” in the coming year.

In our current environment, where some resist progress toward parity and equity, a blend of Realism, Optimism, and Activism (ROA) is our major strategy to ensure all women have a place and voice at all corporate levels.

Realism: We can’t put our heads in the sand. We need to identify our battles and combat anti-gender, ethnic, and LGBTQ sentiments; fight plans to overturn affirmative action; and address conscious and unconscious bias. Realistically, the surest way to take on these challenges is by expanding our Collaborative of like-minded thinkers and doers. Through deeper engagement with our Partners, Sponsors, and Champions, we’ll build an even more formidable force for advancing equity and parity for all women. In other words: WBC will continue leveraging our commitment to the proven power of “faster together.”

Optimism:  Despite the understandable sense of gloom and doom among equity and inclusion advocates, we have compelling reasons for realistic optimism—and numbers help:

    • A record number of companies (1,449) were rated by The Human Rights Campaign Foundation in their 2025 Corporate Equality Index. It’s the nation’s leading benchmark survey of LGBTQ+ corporate policies and practices. The survey found a 28% increase over the previous year in companies that earned a perfect score of 100.
    • A Deloitte survey found that 83% of millennials are more actively engaged when they believe their organization fosters an inclusive culture.
    • According to the Center for Talent Innovation, companies with a diverse workforce are 45% more likely to capture a larger share of the market.
    • 2024 data from Edelman, show 60% of people surveyed say an inclusive work environment is critical to attracting and retaining them.

With realistic optimism in our corner, we can guard against cynicism, inertia, and burnout. We can recognize that we are not spinning our wheels — we’re doing much needed work for women in business and our likely outcome is achieving significant successes for both women and their organizations.

Activism: Since its founding, WBC has been an active and relentless advocate for hiring, promoting, and retaining ALL women, at every corporate level, in all industries. Through connecting and collaborating with movers and shakers committed to equity and parity, our work has taken many forms, including conferences, action initiatives, and independent research. This year, we will be an even greater force for positive change. Our expanded activism will include:

  • In May, we will host the Women’s Capital Summit, where we will bring together women entrepreneurs and investors to grow capital for women-owned businesses
  • In September, our Annual Action for Impact (A4I) will provide a five-day focus on the 2025 trends in business that most impact women’s leadership
  • Throughout the year, we will spearhead events under the umbrella: In the Arena: Women in the Business of Sports. Initiatives will include awards to women in sports, panels and events with leaders from owners to general counsels to investors in sports, and events like film screenings showcasing tributes to women’s sports teams.
 
We at WBC look to 2025 as a year to significantly advance parity, equity, and power for women across all industries. With ROA buoying us, we are confident of success. Even more so with your help! 
 

Author

  • Gwen K. Young

    Gwen K. Young is the Chief Executive Officer of the Women Business Collaborative. She is also a Visiting Scholar at the Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University and former Director of the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative and Women in Public Service Project at the Wilson Center. She is an Advisor to Concordia and President of BalanceUp Leadership. Ms. Young has worked across the globe to promote equal opportunity, and peace and justice. She has developed strategy, programming and advocacy in the areas of humanitarian policy, international affairs and international development. This includes developing public private partnerships focused on public health, agriculture, gender equality, and access to finance. Further, Ms. Young has advocated for and published on the role girls and women play in political, social and economic development and designed exploitation and SGBV guidelines. As an attorney, Ms. Young has worked as a professional advocate for women and human rights in corporate law settings, with the ICTY and the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego.Her career has encompassed a comprehensive array of international organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Medecins Sans Frontieres, International Rescue Committee, and the Harvard Institute for International Development.An alumna of Smith College, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the University of California Davis, Martin Luther King Jr School of Law, Ms. Young has pursued a career of international public service in humanitarian relief, international development, and human rights.

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