Women’s History Month wraps up today. Like so many of these commemorative moments over the past year, 2021 was a flashpoint for the conversation about change. For the past month, Ketchum has celebrated progress, expressed gratitude for the strong female leaders we partner with, and simultaneously raised our voices around distressing examples of the work left to be done.
We’re in the midst of a dichotomy–one that is ours as a society to solve for. At Ketchum, we’re lucky to work in a company with 50% female representation on our Ketchum Executive Team (our senior–most leadership group), with a workforce that is 70% female and a long-standing commitment to gender pay equity. It would be easy in our environment to believe that success is at hand.
But we need only to look at the issues of the past month to see how much further there is to go. The anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdowns show women have been far more negatively impacted in the global pandemic, both financially and emotionally. The spa murders in Atlanta, the recent attack on an elderly woman in New York and the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in general, disturbingly reveal the objectification of and racism toward Asian women. In the U.K., women were told to stay home and stay safe in the face of the Sarah Everard disappearance, sparking attention and outrage around violence towards women.
Moments in time like Women’s History Month remind us not only how far we’ve come but how much potential progress lies ahead. The female leaders of Ketchum’s Executive Team took this opportunity to share their thoughts on the changing role of women, with our employees and the world at large.
Our female leadership voices reflect both progress…
…and the continued need to be warriors for change.
We also took the time to thank those who have paved the way for us, from our mothers and mentors, to clients and iconic leaders…
It is an inspiring and empowering experience to work alongside these fearless female leaders of Ketchum. It gives me confidence in our ability to continue to improve within our company and to collaboratively address the continued fight for gender equity.
