PERSPECTIVE: More women are taking leadership roles, and that’s good

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court judge and women’s rights activist, passed away this year, leaving behind a great legacy and also some very inspiring words. Ginsburg may have made the words famous but women across America are following her advice. Women are taking over leadership positions by storm. 

From a governmental standpoint, 104 women are serving the U.S. House and Senate, making up 19% of Congress. This is double what it was 20 years ago.  

On the business side, 26 women are now CEOs of Fortune 500 companies – about 5%. In 1995 there were none. And there are more women in the boardrooms than ever before.  

This is happening not just on a national level. Business professionals in the Lehigh Valley are embracing women in leadership. Local organizations such as the Chamber’s Women’s Business Council and Mompreneurs of the Lehigh Valley help to support this mission. 

The Women’s Business Council empowers women within the business community and provides a networking forum for professional women through events that provide professional development. Event topics include things like sales and marketing strategies, personal growth and health issues.  

Mompreneurs of the Lehigh Valley is a support group for moms who own their own business and want to connect with like-minded women, learn from each other, share ideas and collaborate. This unique group focuses on the “Super Moms” who balance running a business with running the household.  

While women are finding more outlets to participate in business, men are supporting them in many ways. Some men in the Lehigh Valley are helping their wives run their business; others show their support by attending or sponsoring women-led events; and male business owners are hiring more women to lead their teams. 

In fact, more than half of the employees at our business, EBC Printing, are women. My brother, Mustafa, and I see the value in having women leaders on the team. Last year, we moved to a new facility. One of the goals of the move was to empower women leadership and allow them to have a powerful pink space to inspire them at work. The pink, or magenta, color was added to EBC’s branding colors, in addition to green. The green represent printing using sustainable methods, such as recycled paper and petroleum free printing presses, while the magenta color represents women empowerment.

Women make up almost 51% of the population. Having women as leaders and decision-makers is critical to advancing equality for all.  

“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” -Michelle Obama 

Murtaza Jaffer is the co-owner of EBC Printing of Trexlertown. He can be reached at [email protected]