Key Messages
The Struggle For Equality: How Women Are Gaining Economic Power And Redefining Success
Women have come a long way in the last century, gaining economic and political power, as well as inched closer to achieving equal rights.
However, globally they still must work hard to gain the basic respect and freedom from oppression that is taken for granted by men.
But with increasing numbers of women now occupying positions of economic power, there is a real possibility for the fast-forward change that will bring about gender equality.
It’s inspiring to know that having three or more female board members can increase returns by 50 percent, or that Grameen Bank has helped women become more independent.
There are stories everywhere of women who are changing the game and leading the charge towards a more balanced world – and it should motivate us all to do our part in ending gender inequality!
Women: The Force That Will Change The World
It’s no secret that women are beginning to make significant changes in the world.
In the past, it was more common to hear sentiments like “women don’t belong in politics.
But those views are gradually being challenged.
Just look at female leaders like German chancellor Angela Merkel, American Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton, and IMF head Christine Lagarde- all of whom have made great strides and helped level the playing field for women around the world.
Women are also proving their worth in business.
According to a report from 2014, there were around nine million businesses in the US that were owned by women, employing nearly 8 million workers, and making over 1.4 trillion dollars of revenue.
Even in liberal countries like Egypt, if women workforce matched that of men, their GDP would rise by about 34%.
These stats show us that we’re likely going to see even more female entrepreneurs and business leaders in this century.
With as many as one billion ready to enter into the global economy- which is comparable to the population size of China or India- they can bring new dynamics into markets and communities that have previously been untapped before.
Their efforts will truly drive global development forward- leading to a better future for everyone involved.
Studies even demonstrate that companies with multiple female board members have 50% higher equity return than boards who only consist of males!
Women’S Right To Freedom And Safety: Fighting Against Sexual Violence And Gender Inequality Worldwide
It’s heartbreaking, but the truth is that in many countries around the world, women are still considered inferior and denied access to opportunity.
And this mistreatment of women comes in many forms.
Sexual violence is one of the most common dangers faced by women, including assault, rape, human trafficking, female genital mutilation, child marriage and sex slavery.
In some countries such as Afghanistan, women can even be raped as a form of punishment for something their male family members have done or by their male family members.
Women are even killed in some places to maintain their family honor.
Despite such obstacles, courageous women around the world are standing up and fighting for gender equality and rights.
Organizations like Girls Not Brides are helping to end the culture of child marriage and governments have passed laws like the US Violence Against Women Act of 1994 which criminalizes sexual violence.
While these initiatives have made major progress towards empowering women across the globe and ending gendered violence, there is still a lot more work to be done in order to make sure that all women can achieve equal rights and opportunities.
Women Need To Be Represented In Leadership Roles To Foster Innovation And Profitability
One of the best advantages for companies is to have a workforce that includes more women in executive and middle management roles.
Having more females in leadership positions has been proven to be beneficial for a company’s profitability—studies have shown that Fortune 500 companies with strong female senior partners are between 18 to 69 percent more profitable than their competitors in the same industry.
Furthermore, by having additional female representation on teams, creativity and innovation can be boosted as well.
Middle management employees understand customer needs much better because they interact most directly with them, and this helps foster ideas for new projects that could benefit the entire organization.
Additionally, women in middle management are uniquely positioned to offer gender-oriented strategies across all levels of the company.
Bea Perez, chief sustainability officer at Coca-Cola, understands the importance of female participation in the corporate world: “Groundbreaking ideas come from all levels of the company – not just upper management.” By employing more women in leadership roles, companies can gain greater success both financially and creatively.
The Power Of Women: How Microcredits And Education Are Leading To Greater Global Development
It’s widely accepted that we need to see more women in leadership positions.
However, it’s not enough to just focus on those at the top.
Women across all levels of society need to be empowered – not just those at the top!
For instance, there are millions of impoverished female farmers living in rural areas and countless women working away without decent pay in garment factories.
These women account for around 70 percent of the global population living in poverty and their lives – as well as their wellbeing – are at risk due to a lack of financial support and job training opportunities available.
One potential solution to this issue is microcredits which grant small loans to these women so they can start their own businesses.
This has been implemented with great success; The Grameen Bank in India has distributed over 16 million dollars in microcredits through this program and the return rates have been incredibly impressive.
It was also reported that the participating women felt like the microcredit loans massively improved their quality of life as well as those within their communities too.
Companies such as Avon have begun taking steps towards addressing this issue, by recognizing the power of their female client base through Avon Ladies training programs.
Here, women learn about health issues such as breast cancer self exams but are also empowered to spread awareness among other women located within rural regions lacking access to health care services.
These solutions, along with many others, demonstrate how empowering all levels of society is key if we want to create positive change regarding global development- especially improving quality of life for people in individual communities.
The Multiplier Effect: How Female Empowerment Benefits More Than Just Women
When women are empowered, a number of positive effects ripple through society.
In particular, the multiplier effect speaks volumes about how a single woman can empower many.
Increased access to education and financial security means more female leaders, who help other women gain similar opportunities.
Moreover, when a woman is able to earn higher incomes, they can often invest in their children’s future by providing them with better options than what they had available to them.
This has a beneficial impact on the economy at large, as well as society as a whole.
However, there are still parts of the world where female empowerment remains out of reach due to access issues such as starting businesses or earning credit being restricted to men only.
Thankfully programs such as Project Nurture by The Gates Foundation and Coca-Cola show that it is possible to create gender equality even in these circumstances – in just four years Project Nurture had provided 53000 farmers from Uganda and Kenya with basic training which resulted in income increase for some women of over 140 percent!
Ultimately there is no doubt that female empowerment has a number of positive effects on society.
Women Entrepreneurs Need Capital To Make A Difference In Developed Countries
Women around the world face many obstacles in the business world and it can be difficult for them to succeed.
Yet, when women are able to overcome these obstacles, they are able to develop powerful new enterprises.
This is especially true in developed countries where female business owners often lack access to sufficient credit needed to fund their businesses – getting only one dollar loaned out of every 23 dollars given to male business owners.
Fortunately, some influential female entrepreneurs are working hard to change this.
Take Belle Capital for example; a venture capitalist group run by women that focuses on funding businesses with female leaders or owners.
Through this method, qualified organizations get the resources needed to continue going deeper in their business ventures.
Moreover, when female entrepreneurs have access to opportunities and all the resources they need, they can make a tremendous impact on society through socially responsible initiatives geared towards providing young mothers-to-be with more opportunities or finding ethical solutions for global problems.
Kavita Shukla is a great example of this with her invention Fresh Paper – an environmentally friendly way of keeping food cool that she hopes will help people in less privileged areas who lack proper electricity and experience food spoilage and illnesses due to it.
Finding Purpose And Building Connections: Pam Seagle’S Journey To Empowering Women Through Mentorship
It’s not just men who need leeway and guidance to find a purpose in life; women do, too.
Paving their own unique path can be difficult for women when there are so many restrictions in the world.
But what really matters is that they take a good look at themselves and figure out what their true passions are—and then dare to follow them.
Pam Seagle was a former senior marketing executive for Bank of America who found her purpose after surviving a plane crash.
Instead of focusing on her career, she chose to dedicate herself to helping other female leaders thrive in the business world.
In order to make sure her vision came true, Pam had to build a strong network with like-minded people, culminating into the Global Ambassadors Program she and Anne Finucane started up at Bank of America, with support from Rena DeSisto.
This initiative helps empower women all over the globe by guiding them through their own professional journeys and scaling new heights of success.
The truth is, everyone needs leeway to find out what they want to do in life—women or men!
Having that network of supportive people is vital in order for one’s journey to have any kind of success; this is especially true when someone chooses an unconventional route – as yPam did – towards self fulfillment.
How Education, Technology, And Media Can Help Women Achieve Global Gender Equality
When it comes to ending gender inequality, there are three keys that can make a real difference – education, technology and media.
Education is vital in helping women understand their rights, giving them the power to fight for their own futures.
Malala Yousafzai provides an inspiring example of someone who was willing to stand up for female education rights, which resulted in her being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
Technology has also become more important than ever before as a tool to access global opportunities and create meaningful change.
For example, Girls Who Code offers science and IT classes to young women so they can better participate in future technologies and industries.
Finally, there needs be greater representation of women in the media.
Influential players like Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie are leading the charge by advocating for more books, plays and films depicting the struggles of women.
Through these three pathways – education, technology and media – we can work towards achieving true gender equality on a global scale.
Wrap Up
The Fast Forward Book Summary conveys an important message to women: you are capable of more than you think.
The book emphasizes the fact that women have the potential to drive economic and social growth if they are given access to resources, and it speaks of the challenges that many women still face in countries around the world.
At its core, this book encourages women to be empowered and embrace their own strengths and skills.
It is meant to inspire women to become leaders in their field despite any social or gender-based obstacles, in order to create real change in their communities.
Overall, this book underscores the incredible power that lies within all women, and proves (once again) that when we set our minds to something, and we put in the necessary effort, nothing can stand in our way.
