Women’s Equality Day 2024: Honoring progress and continuing the fight for equality
Article
Article by Horizontal Team
Aug 26, 2024
August 26th marks Women’s Equality Day in the United States, a day to commemorate the certification of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. It’s a time to celebrate the strides women have made in achieving equality. However, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing challenges that women continue to face both in the U.S. and around the world.
While we have much to celebrate, from breaking barriers in leadership to advancing in education and the workforce, significant gaps in equality persist. Today, we address the current landscape of gender equality, women supporting women, women and investing and equality around the world.
The report also states that companies that have addressed gender pay equity issues have reported improvements in market performance, customer satisfaction and innovation. Pay equity is a key factor in employee retention and satisfaction—13 times more important than pay level alone.
Her article focuses on the fact that women supporting women is much more complicated that the popular narrative suggests. Research shows that workplace bullying among women is prevalent, with women targeting other women 65% of the time.
In a Women’s History Month panel, Horizontal employees Isabella D’Burke and Chris Shaw shared their experiences with this.
“I never felt this at Horizontal, but I do think potential past negative experiences are important to consider when interacting with women in the workplace. Growing up competing with men for leadership opportunities made me more competitive with women as it always felt like there could only be one female representative competing against a plethora of men. Those past and sometimes present experiences are difficult for women in the workplace. After my experiences competing with women, I’ve made it a priority in high school, college and now professionally to lead and be involved in female empowerment organizations and to always prioritize women’s empowerment.” -Isabella D'Burke, Digital Content and Sustainability Manager
“When I first started working, this type of competitiveness was very prevalent, and in fact working for a woman was much, much harder than working for men. If I saw a job opportunity where a woman would be my boss, I didn’t even want to apply because what I found was most women that made it to leadership positions decided their career was going to be their life. It used to feel like all women were competing against each other for the same leadership position, not competing against the majority of leadership positions that men held. It felt as if the men’s positions weren’t available. At some point, women woke up and said, 'What are we doing? We need to support each other!'” - Chris Shaw, Global Controller
Supporting other women isn’t just about breaking the glass ceiling—it’s about fostering a culture of empathy, collaboration and mentorship. Join organizations, network, educate yourself and find a community of women supporting women. If you’re looking to get involved in a community or learn more about empowerment, women at Horizontal have recommended organizations like Lean-In and books like Together We Rise. If you’re local to the Minneapolis area and looking for professional networking opportunities, Horizontal is a proud partner of Women of Work and the Women Leading in Technology (WLiT) community.
But, conversations about female investing and knowledge sharing is changing this narrative. In 2023, Fidelity shared that 60% of women invest in the stock market, while only 44% invested in 2018. Bankrate shares more statistics about this shifting dynamic in their article, “Women and investing in 2024: Here’s everything you need to know.”
Social media is creating positive awareness about the need for women to educate themselves financially, with female experts sharing tips and best practices online.
Some social media channels our female employees recommend include:
- Her First 100K: Book, podcast, Instagram
- Erin McGoff TikTok / Erin McGoff Instagram
- Laura Whaley Instagram / Laura Whaley TikTok
Finance and budgeting app recommendations:
- Monarch
- Honeydue (for couples)
- You Need a Budget (YNAB)
- Pocket Guard
- NerdWallet
The gender pay gap in the APAC region stands at approximately 20%, meaning women earn 80% of what men do on average. This gap is even wider for women of color, migrant women and those with disabilities.
The gap between male and female labor market participation rates in the APAC region remains substantial. In South Asia, this gap is particularly pronounced, with a difference of nearly 50 percentage points. Women are often concentrated in low-value sectors such as agriculture and retail, where work deficits are high.
Women’s Equality Day is a reminder that while we’ve come far, the journey towards true equality is ongoing. By continuing to support one another, addressing pay inequities and empowering women in all aspects of life—from the workplace to financial independence—we can help create a world where gender equality is no longer a distant goal but a reality. Let’s keep pushing forward, together.
While we have much to celebrate, from breaking barriers in leadership to advancing in education and the workforce, significant gaps in equality persist. Today, we address the current landscape of gender equality, women supporting women, women and investing and equality around the world.
The current state of gender equality
A recent report from The Josh Bersin Company states that U.S. women aren’t projected to reach full pay equity until 2048, and since 2020, the pay gap has remained stagnant, with U.S. women earning about 15% less than men on average. Women in managerial positions are still earning 10% less than their male counterparts as well.The report also states that companies that have addressed gender pay equity issues have reported improvements in market performance, customer satisfaction and innovation. Pay equity is a key factor in employee retention and satisfaction—13 times more important than pay level alone.
Women supporting women: Addressing the complexities
In Kathryn Preston’s Fortune article published in July, Preston states, “Companies spend billions annually on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). However, experts predict that gender parity will lag for another 151 years. Worse, a recent report showed that, for the first time in years, the number of women in leadership is declining.”Her article focuses on the fact that women supporting women is much more complicated that the popular narrative suggests. Research shows that workplace bullying among women is prevalent, with women targeting other women 65% of the time.
In a Women’s History Month panel, Horizontal employees Isabella D’Burke and Chris Shaw shared their experiences with this.
“I never felt this at Horizontal, but I do think potential past negative experiences are important to consider when interacting with women in the workplace. Growing up competing with men for leadership opportunities made me more competitive with women as it always felt like there could only be one female representative competing against a plethora of men. Those past and sometimes present experiences are difficult for women in the workplace. After my experiences competing with women, I’ve made it a priority in high school, college and now professionally to lead and be involved in female empowerment organizations and to always prioritize women’s empowerment.” -Isabella D'Burke, Digital Content and Sustainability Manager
“When I first started working, this type of competitiveness was very prevalent, and in fact working for a woman was much, much harder than working for men. If I saw a job opportunity where a woman would be my boss, I didn’t even want to apply because what I found was most women that made it to leadership positions decided their career was going to be their life. It used to feel like all women were competing against each other for the same leadership position, not competing against the majority of leadership positions that men held. It felt as if the men’s positions weren’t available. At some point, women woke up and said, 'What are we doing? We need to support each other!'” - Chris Shaw, Global Controller
Supporting other women isn’t just about breaking the glass ceiling—it’s about fostering a culture of empathy, collaboration and mentorship. Join organizations, network, educate yourself and find a community of women supporting women. If you’re looking to get involved in a community or learn more about empowerment, women at Horizontal have recommended organizations like Lean-In and books like Together We Rise. If you’re local to the Minneapolis area and looking for professional networking opportunities, Horizontal is a proud partner of Women of Work and the Women Leading in Technology (WLiT) community.
Women and investing
Traditionally, women have fallen behind their male counterparts when investing and saving for retirement. BNY Mellon states that only 1 in 10 women globally feel that they fully understand investing and only 28% of women feel confident about investing.But, conversations about female investing and knowledge sharing is changing this narrative. In 2023, Fidelity shared that 60% of women invest in the stock market, while only 44% invested in 2018. Bankrate shares more statistics about this shifting dynamic in their article, “Women and investing in 2024: Here’s everything you need to know.”
Social media is creating positive awareness about the need for women to educate themselves financially, with female experts sharing tips and best practices online.
Some social media channels our female employees recommend include:
- Her First 100K: Book, podcast, Instagram
- Erin McGoff TikTok / Erin McGoff Instagram
- Laura Whaley Instagram / Laura Whaley TikTok
Finance and budgeting app recommendations:
- Monarch
- Honeydue (for couples)
- You Need a Budget (YNAB)
- Pocket Guard
- NerdWallet
Equality around the world
While August 26th is a U.S. specific holiday, the occasion is a good opportunity to address global inequalities and the impact we can have building community around the world. Horizontal Talent has offices in India, Malaysia and Australia, so creating equal opportunities abroad is a high priority for our team.The gender pay gap in the APAC region stands at approximately 20%, meaning women earn 80% of what men do on average. This gap is even wider for women of color, migrant women and those with disabilities.
The gap between male and female labor market participation rates in the APAC region remains substantial. In South Asia, this gap is particularly pronounced, with a difference of nearly 50 percentage points. Women are often concentrated in low-value sectors such as agriculture and retail, where work deficits are high.
Women’s Equality Day is a reminder that while we’ve come far, the journey towards true equality is ongoing. By continuing to support one another, addressing pay inequities and empowering women in all aspects of life—from the workplace to financial independence—we can help create a world where gender equality is no longer a distant goal but a reality. Let’s keep pushing forward, together.