Reinventing Workplace Success: 9 Strategies for Women to Achieve Equality and Victorious Advancement
In 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton set a hopeful tone for gender parity with her now-iconic statement: "Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights." Thirty years later, at the Beijing+30: Addressing 21st Century Challenges to Gender Equality event at Columbia University, Secretary Clinton poured cold water on the optimism, acknowledging the enduring gender inequities: "Any country that holds back women, by norms, by law, by force, is just hurting itself."
Fast-forward to 2025, and while the landscape may have shifted, the picture is still far from rosy. While women have made their mark in the corporate world, there's a palpable sense the progress is precarious. According to the 2024 Lean In/McKinsey Women in the Workplace report, although more women have risen to executive positions, their progress remains fragile. Despite this, it's expected to take 22 years for white women, and a whopping 48 years for women of color to achieve workplace parity.
Dr. Kecia M. Thomas, Fellow of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, points out that the growing number of women occupying C-level positions may inadvertently send a message that there's no need to put in effort to support women's career development anymore. The federal policies have also been moving back instead of forward. The Trump Administration has fired two high-ranking women military officers, Admiral Linda Fagan, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, in the last two months alone. Additionally, workplace protections have been dismantled, and reproductive rights have been curtailed through the enforcement of the Hyde Amendment.
Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, women remain relentless in their pursuit of progress. Academy Award-winning director Jennifer Klein, professor, and director of the Institute for Global Politics Women's Initiative, highlighted both the accomplishments and the challenges women have faced over the past three decades at the event. According to Klein, while there have been advances in women's education, maternal health, and legal rights globally, there's still a long way to go. Women's labor force participation has stagnated at 36% since 1995, and women continue to shoulder the overwhelming burden of unpaid caregiving responsibilities. Additionally, women's political representation remains woefully inadequate, with only 27 out of 193 United Nations member states currently led by women.
Despite the barriers, women are determined to push through and thrive. In a conversation with three women who specialize in and advise on women's career advancement, Ellen Taaffe, Deepa Purushothaman, and Dr. Thomas, their insights offer a roadmap for women looking to continue progressing in the face of stubborn barriers.
Own Your Career Narrative To Drive Gender Parity
Dr. Thomas, famous for her "Pet to Threat" model, warns that women in leadership roles placed in newly created positions can find themselves vulnerable when corporate priorities shift. To counter this risk, Dr. Thomas advises taking the following actions:
- Build Networks Strategically: Don't rely solely on your corporate network. Branch out into networks that don't overlap with your current one, whether that's within or outside your industry.
- Self-Promote Purposefully: Don't stop at building your networks. Make sure you're actively promoting yourself within them.
- Adopt A "Yes ... And" Approach To Career Decision-Making: Dare to take calculated risks and say "yes" to new opportunities, without knowing all the details. With practice, this approach can boost self-confidence and encourage thoughtful career risk-taking.
Don't Stay In Environments That Don't Support Gender Parity
According to Dr. Thomas, it may be time to leave toxic work environments that don't support gender parity if staying there is taking too great an emotional toll.* Explore New Paths: Don't get stuck in places where there's no avenue for advancement or where there are no consequences for bullying or discrimination.* State Your Intentions Clearly: Be explicit about your career goals and the opportunities you seek. Help those who want to support you to understand what they can do to help.* Consider Entrepreneurship: As more women, especially Black women, are launching businesses despite limited access to capital, entrepreneurship might be an attractive alternative for those looking for a supportive work environment.
Visiblity Helps Drive Gender Parity
According to Deepa Purushothaman, author of "The First, The Few, The Only," companies are shying away from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In that context, women must take matters into their own hands and:
- Shape The Inclusion Narrative: Share your experiences highlighting barriers to advancement and work on defining solutions. Celebrate your accomplishments, too.
- Be Visible: Communicate your impact regularly and not just during performance reviews. Use all available channels to showcase your work and make yourself heard, from LinkedIn and company newsletters to public speaking opportunities.
- Create Your Ecosystem: Cultivate professional relationships as well as leverage technology to expand your network. If you create valuable content, retain ownership through a personal email, website, and potentially trademarks or copyrights to protect your intellectual property.
As Errin Haines, editor-at-large and founder of the 19th, stressed at the Beijing+30 event, "Beijing mattered. Beijing still matters." Clinton's 1995 speech remains an optimistic foundation for gender parity, but the reality in 2025 underscores the urgency of continuous progress. By defining success on their own terms, building influence, and leveraging networks, women can continue pushing forward on gender parity—even in the face of resistance.
- Hillary Clinton, in her address at the Beijing+30: Addressing 21st Century Challenges to Gender Equality event, emphasized the ongoing struggle for gender parity and equity, stating that any country hindering women's progress is harming itself.
- Dr. Kecia M. Thomas, in her analysis of the corporate landscape in 2025, noted that while women have made strides, their progress remains precarious and it will take several more decades before workplace parity is achieved, especially for women of color.
- Jennifer Klein, in her reflection on the last three decades of women's progress, highlighted the importance of visibility in driving gender parity. She encouraged women to shape the inclusivity narrative, regularly communicate their impact, and build their professional ecosystems to influence change and continue pushing for progress.
