You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby…Or Have You?

Post by the WCA Progress of Women Committee

There once was a time when female journalists had to wear hats and gloves to work, as all proper ladies did. Today in Austin, the editor and the publisher of the Austin American-Statesman and the general managers of two of our local television stations are women. It seems like we’ve come a long way since women were only allowed to report on society functions.

Yet, as evidenced by recent events in the Texas legislature, we still have a long way to go. While it’s great to see women banding together to fight for their rights, much the way women  did in the 1970s, it is discouraging to think we’re still fighting for  some of the same rights we thought we’d won four decades ago.

Think about these statistics:

• Women make up 47% of the U.S. workforce.
• Women make 77.5 cents for every dollar a man earns.
• 40% of U.S. households have a female as either the primary or the solo breadwinner.
• Currently, more females than males are enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs at universities. One-third of all MBA candidates are female.
• Only 14% of Fortune 500 companies have a female CEO.
• Women hold only 16% of board seats at Fortune 500 companies. 40% of large companies have no women on their boards.

We may have come a long way baby, but we still have a long way to go. For this reason, WCA has brought back our Progress of Women committee, to look at where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we’re heading. Through blog posts, salons, and other programming, we hope to engage our members in thoughtful discussion about women’s progress in the workplace, in the home, and in other spheres where women are affected. We look forward to serving you and to receiving your insights on the progress of women. Feel free to email us at pow@wcaustin.org.