{"id":10452,"date":"2018-01-29T01:33:55","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T06:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatwillittake.com\/?page_id=10452"},"modified":"2019-04-17T11:39:22","modified_gmt":"2019-04-17T15:39:22","slug":"why-it-matters","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/whatwillittake.com\/why-it-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Why It Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

On our page The Problem<\/a> we include some sobering statistics about how low the percentages of women in leadership positions are in this country\u2014in politics, corporations, businesses, media, and more. At What Will It Take, we aim to provide information and resources to help women reach parity and increase these numbers so that women have equal representation in all levels of private and public life.<\/p>\n

Why are we advocating for this? Aside from the obvious reason that women are over 50 percent of the population and therefore deserve to have 50 percent representation, the reason it matters is that we ALL would benefit from a more diverse and reflective democracy and society.<\/p>\n

It has been proven<\/a> that the more diverse a group, the stronger that group will be, because each individual brings to the table their own unique background, perspectives, skills, knowledge, and experiences. This leads to more expansive and inclusive dialogue, collaboration and problem-solving. And I am sure we would all agree that there are so many serious problems we face in this country and the world right now and we need women\u2019s voices, visions and perspectives\u2014as well as those of other underrepresented groups and marginalized voices\u2014in order to arrive at the best solutions that benefit all of us.<\/p>\n

For my book, What Will It Take to Make a Woman President?<\/i><\/a> I had the opportunity to ask a diversity of thought leaders and public figures to tell me in their own words why having gender diversity in leadership is so important. Here are just a few of the things they had to say (the full interviews are available in the book<\/a>):<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is very solid evidence that more diverse groups come up with better decisions, and people who study decision making have typically found that the group that comes out with the most optimal results is not the group containing the most optimal individuals, but rather the most <\/i>diverse<\/i> individuals.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

I think that if we don\u2019t have gender diversity at the top of American politics and in corporate boards, then we\u2019re just going to get weaker decisions, and I think that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been stuck with\u2026. [Women] bring a certain level of different perspective, a different way of thinking, and that is just really valuable for all of us. This is not something that is just going to benefit the women of America; it\u2019s something that\u2019s going to benefit all of America.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Nicholas Kristof\u2014
\n<\/strong><\/i>Journalist, Author of Half the Sky
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about equality, but it\u2019s not just about equality. The reason it\u2019s necessary to have more voices is because that strengthens the debate and it strengthens the decisions. It isn\u2019t that women coming in are better than men; they\u2019re different from men. And I always say the beauty is in the mix. To have diversity of opinion in the debate strengthens the outcome and you get a better result.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Nancy Pelosi\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Speaker of the House of Representatives<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c[Women] broaden the information that goes into decision making. I think people tend to connect with and bring into their own circles people who are like them, so by bringing in one person, you are more likely to bring additional women\u2019s voices into the decision-making process, and that\u2019s going to be better for everyone if the perspective is broadened. I think we\u2019ve got so many complex issues that cannot be resolved by looking at them from one perspective. And ultimately, allowing more women in will help make better decisions if, in fact, those women are powerful and in tune with and connected with other women\u2019s voices, and perhaps voices of people who have been left out of the conversation, including people of color.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Anita Hill\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Attorney, University Professor<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot written about what the world would be like with more women [leaders]. My view is that if all the players play, that creates more competition, and more records get broken. I just think we would perform better as a society. Plus, I want to live in a more equal world.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/i>Sheryl Sandberg\u2014<\/i>
\n<\/em><\/strong>Facebook COO<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of research into how men and women lead differently\u2014research that tells you women are more collaborative, and I\u2019ve read a bunch of that. But what I think is more powerful is you come from this outsider perspective, so when you take your seat at the table you don\u2019t necessarily ask all the same questions that other people would. You don\u2019t necessarily bring with you all the same people that other people would. You bring a different perspective, a different background.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Soledad O\u2019Brien\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Journalist, CEO Starfish Media<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“It\u2019s probable that walking around female for twenty years or fifty years in this culture has given someone a set of experiences that men don\u2019t necessarily have\u2014in the same way that walking around as a black person or a Hispanic person or a gay person gives people a different set of experiences than a white, heterosexual person. Experience is everything. Somebody who has experienced something is more expert at it than the experts. We need politicians who look like the country.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Gloria Steinem\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Feminist Icon, Writer, Cofounder of Women\u2019s Media Center<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWomen are not sufficiently part of the decision-making fabric of this country\u2014whether in Congress, state governments, corporate boardrooms, or corner suites, there are not enough women\u2019s voices being heard. I believe if we are going to grow our economy and really create a competitive environment against other nations, we need women as part of that effort. Until women are able to achieve their potential, America will not achieve hers.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Kirsten Gillibrand\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>New York Senator, Founder of Off the Sidelines<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPretty much all studies have shown that if you have diversity in leadership, whether it be men, women, African American, Latino\u2014all of those combinations\u2014the more diversity you have in decision-making, the better the decision. If it\u2019s all a bunch of white men that think alike, then you\u2019re not going to have broad analysis or broad possibilities of different ways to approach things. If you have diverse people in the discussion, you\u2019re going to have diverse points of view about how to resolve your issues or how to move forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Jody Williams<\/i>\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Nobel Peace Laureate, Political Activist\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDiversity comes people that are forming new connections, making new distinctions\u2014and it comes from people from different walks of life, sharing their unique experiences and perspectives. Women bring, frankly, likely so much more to the table.\u201d \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Gavin Newsom\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Governor of California<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOne gender throughout most of our history has had power, so there\u2019s little wonder that when we think of power, we think about it in one-gender terms. So we need to change that, and we can only change that by changing the people who have power. A new power paradigm emerges when a different gender holds it, has it, and then uses it differently. I mean, if women get power only to be just like the guys who had it before them, then that\u2019s not progress.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Pat Mitchell\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Media Executive, Producer, Curator of TEDWomen\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the point of view of my generation, I think visibility is so important in inspiring future generations of leaders. If we don\u2019t see female politicians out there, and we don\u2019t see them in equal numbers to men, then going into politics, or leadership in general, doesn\u2019t seem like a viable option for us.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Julie Zeilinger\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Writer, Founder of the feminist blog The F Bomb<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLeadership in the future, whether it\u2019s male or female, I believe will start to come from a place of the idea of this great experiment called democracy . . . and to do that, we have to have it inside ourselves to know not to fear any diversity, but to be able to coexist with everything and anything, and that\u2019s where power and strength for communities and our country comes from.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u2014Melissa Etheridge\u2014
\n<\/i><\/strong>Singer-Songwriter, Activist<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On our page The Problem we include some sobering statistics about how low the percentages of women in leadership positions are in this country\u2014in politics, corporations, businesses, media, and more. 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