This coming Sunday, September 22, is American Business Women’s Day, a holiday recognizing the founding of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) in 1949. According to a 2021 article titled Research: Adding Women to the C-Suite Changes How Companies Think published online by Harvard business Review, that is a good thing.
The ABWA has a stated mission "to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership; education, networking support and national recognition."
From a business perspective there is a great benefit when women leaders are included in the executive levels of the organization. According to Post, Lokshin, and Boone, “Research has shown that firms with more women in senior positions are more profitable, more socially responsible, and provide safer, higher-quality customer experiences — among many other benefits.”
Recognizing the value that women leaders bring to the business community helps support opportunities for women to rise in organizations and take on roles that have historically been unavailable to them. This is sometimes framed as an equity topic, but from a statistical perspective, it’s a strong business decision to support a more diverse leadership team.
From the top of an organization to the entry level roles, the strength of the economy in Southeast Missouri is improved by businesswomen, and I want to say thank you to all of our businesswomen helping to keep our region growing and thriving!
