Well, here we are at the tail end of March 2023, and I can’t help but feel reflective. Yes, after several weeks of “Get it girl!!!!” and “Treat yo self queen!!!” marketing emails, you’re likely well aware that March is Women’s History Month. The fervent tone and saccharine sentiments feel at odds with the moment in which we find ourselves.
You should know what you're risking when you give up your financial independence. When I was young, I determined I would never depend on anyone, if I could help it, for my financial wellbeing. And so, I started working as soon as I could, taking any job I could get my hands on: from delivering newspapers to babysitting to dog-walking to working at a dry cleaners.
Osnat (Os) Benari is author of the upcoming book, Starting from Scratch, which is about managing change and making smart career choices. She is a product creator and active mentor and is grounded in her belief in the power of women supporting other women.
It’s no secret that the pandemic plagued small business owners nationally and across all demographics with shutdowns, supply chain shortages and inflation. And while AAPI women entrepreneurs have grown significantly in the recent past, the negative impacts of the pandemic affected these women at a higher rate than their male-owned and non-minority-owned counterparts.
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York, a leading feminist philanthropic organization that quite literally puts money where its collective metaphorical mouth is: in social progress, in the advancement of women, in promoting equality regardless of gender, creed, race, or nationality.
According to Gallup, the number one concern women looking for work have—work-life balance, even over salary—was also a primary driver of women leaving the workforce at the start of the pandemic, whether by choice or by fiat. Women, faced with the challenge of trying to simultaneously do their jobs, care for their homebound families, homeschool their kids, and all the myriad other responsibilities that fall primarily on women, suffered termination, burnout, downsizing, or “gentle encouragement” to resign voluntarily.
Imagine a world - for just one moment - where we had equity. A world where we had balance and fair gender distribution in professional, political and economic life. A world where women were in all the places where important decisions are made. Here are three reasons why we need more women in leadership:
Starting your own business takes a healthy ego, or sense of self-esteem and importance: you have to believe in your own capability. The investors or first customers you attract will be buying as much in your idea as your personality and aptitude. But as you find early successes, it can be easy for a growing sense of confidence to morph into ego and interfere with your ability to learn, spot chances to grow, bring on experts in areas you’re not, and address when you’re wrong—all of which are key for growth.
I get asked the question a lot: WHY did you start Behave? And the answer is a simple one: I started Behave because I saw my needs reflected in more than 50 million women all over the US. I saw there was a huge whitespace that needed filling in the lingerie market, and I felt that I had the perfect idea to fill it with my Wire-free Lounge Bras and Stayz technology! My WHY has never faltered or changed. Behave exists to help large-busted women get comfortable in their bodies and their bras.
Society is essentially telling women to take up as little space as possible, a disempowering message on all levels. The good news is that it’s possible to find the courage to overcome that little voice inside us that wants to keep us “safe.” That's how we grow, and find success. Being able to recognize what’s holding you back is the first step.