Despite slow and steady progress toward addressing gender disparities in the professional world, much work remains to be done toward equality in the workplace.
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Worcester Business Journal is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its founding this year. As part of that celebration, we will publish a special edition at the end of October highlighting the Central Massachusetts business news from the last three and a half decades. Much of the research for this special publication started with our journalists pouring over years and years of WBJ editions.
Looking at those pages from the early years, it’s easy to see why WBJ launched the Outstanding Women in Business awards in 2009. While female professionals certainly made their way into the pages of WBJ, men were featured much more frequently and often in more dominant roles. Of course, WBJ reflected the overall economy and Central Massachusetts business community, where women were still making their way into more prominent positions. In launching the Outstanding Women in Business awards, we wanted a way to showcase all the great contributions women were making to their businesses and industries.
Fast forward 16 years, and the need for a female-specific award may not seem as necessary anymore.
Women are as likely as men to appear in the pages of WBJ. High-profile institutions like Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Seven Hills Foundation & Affiliates, Saint Vincent Hospital, and Digital Federal Credit Union are now all led by women for the first (or second) time.
Yet, despite slow and steady progress toward addressing gender disparities in the professional world, much work remains to be done. The national gender pay gap has fallen from 23% in 2009 to 16% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but that still means women earn about 82 cents for every $1 a man earns. Despite high-profile hires, the overwhelming majority of executives are men. Of the 25 largest banks in Central Massachusetts, 21 are led by men. Of the region’s 14 colleges and universities, 10 are led by men. Neither of these industries are outliers.
This is why WBJ proudly honors its 16th class of Outstanding Women in Business and will do so again in 2025 and beyond, along with producing our special focus on Women in Leadership early next year. Progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go.
For everyone fighting the good fight, we honor you.
This editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board.
