Male or female, it’s not easy for anyone to grow a scalable business. If it were, everyone would be doing it. But, historically, it has been much more difficult for women to get a foothold in the space. Women are often put at a disadvantage. Men being put up for promotions at a steadier clip, careers interrupted by motherhood and childcare responsibilities, and men being given more opportunities, it has been much more difficult for women to grow scalable businesses. One question to ask is: are times changing? and how can we, both males and females, support women in the workplace going forward?

Slowly but surely, there has been a positive shift in a variety of areas:

  • Women are breaking through at Fortune 500 corporations in the highest tier positions
  • We’re witnessing more family/friendly working environments enabling a better work-life balance

There has also been an increase in role models which moves mountains for inspiring women:

  • Melissa Mayer from Google being appointed CEO of Yahoo
  • Google’s Susan Wojcicki named CEO of Youtube
  • Lynn Tilton: founder of Patriarch Partners, a private equity firm and holding company managing 75 companies across 14 industry sectors with revenues in excess of $8 billion.
  • Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Facebook, and best-selling author. She is a pioneer for women, creating the Lean In movement that, according to its site, “helps companies build inclusive workplaces where women of all identities are supported and empowered.”

While there is still a distance to go for full equality, these positive shifts are inspiring and show a continuous change in work-place culture. Yes, much more work needs to be done. And even if women are finally being rewarded more than in previously years, the important question to ask is: what more can we do to elevate and support women in the workplace?

Take a listen to my radio show, where I discuss career transitions for women with guest, Kathryn Sollmann, Founder and Managing Partner of 9 Lives for Women. Scroll down to: Episode 21: Career Transitions: The 9 Lives for Women.