From Fortune · Jennifer Openshaw · · 2m
The doors are open. The table isn't.
Women are half the workforce and a sliver of the leadership, and the fix has to start long before the first job interview.
In brief
Women are half the workforce and a sliver of the leadership, and the fix has to start long before the first job interview. Access was the last generation's fight. Building confidence and skills early, so young women actually take the seat, is this one's. Originally reported by Fortune.
The only woman in the room
David Grinberg's 22-year-old daughter Ily started in wealth management in Chicago this summer. Her father, an M&A attorney, noticed she was usually the only woman there.
A small moment that counted
Two months in, Ily presented part of a wealth plan to a real client and got strong feedback from her team. Proof, for her father, that ability shows up when someone gets the chance.
Ability alone isn't enough
Grinberg represents founders, many of them women who have built companies worth hundreds of millions. He still watches people second-guess their judgment.
Confidence is the word
Asked what young women need most, Grinberg gave a one-word answer. Confidence comes from doing something well, realizing you can, then carrying that into the next challenge.
“The younger someone can start learning skills, the sooner they will understand what they can accomplish.”
An era ends with Steinem
Gloria Steinem's death closes a chapter. Former Catalyst CEO Lorraine Hariton calls this an unfinished agenda and a moment to hand the baton to a new generation.
“These are fragile times and we still have an unfinished agenda.”
A century from parity
The World Economic Forum puts global gender parity more than 100 years away. The U.S. sits 42nd, with the biggest gaps in economic and political leadership.
Participation isn't power
Women hold 47% of entry-level jobs and earn nearly 60% of bachelor's degrees. They hold just 31% of senior leadership positions.
“Yet economic participation is not the same as economic power.”
1.2% of the capital
Of roughly $265 billion in U.S. venture capital invested in 2025, all-female founding teams got 1.2%. Half the talent, a sliver of the funding.
“Half the talent cannot remain a fraction of the leadership and capital.”
It starts at age six
Girls begin questioning their abilities at 6. By 14, their confidence has dropped 30%. Recruiters see it later as young women who don't advocate for themselves in interviews.
Better leaders, fewer claims
Research finds women outperform men on 17 of 19 leadership capabilities. Too many young women still resist calling themselves leaders.
Build the conditions now
Give girls business skills, networks, financial knowledge and AI fluency before they enter a workplace being rebuilt. Leaders don't just emerge, they get made.
“We cannot wait for the next generation of leaders to emerge.”
The one thing
Access was the last generation's fight. Building confidence and skills early, so young women actually take the seat, is this one's.
