And though a company's survival often hinges on its ability to attract and retain talent, the fact remains that many companies fail to utilize female talent fully. The one-dimensional model of career progression and compensation is outdated and ineffective. While women working in startups may feel liberated from traditional models of career progression, the vast majority of women in older corporations still find themselves facing the outdated career tracks that have dominated corporate America for more than half a century. That's not necessarily what the workplace looks like anymore. And the further you travel down in an organization, the more diverse the population becomes.
Leadership needs to reflect that diversity.
Those compensation models were designed to support men as the sole breadwinners in families, and that's not the reality anymore. Women offer a unique and valuable business perspective. By promoting women to top-ranking, highly visible positions, corporations can send a message to female employees throughout the organization that women's voices matter. Women's opinions can be a complex and valuable asset to the business package. But the responsibility of amplifying women's voices should not rest entirely in the hands of upper management.