"The most effective way to fight global poverty, to reduce civil conflict, even to reduce long-term carbon emissions, is typically to invest in girls' education and bring women into the formal labor force." –Nicholas Kristoff
It is a well-known fact that women in leadership positions has potential to provide many benefits. Yet, only 24.5 percent of all national parliamentarians are women leaders (The Borgen Project). Additionally, only 37 Fortune 500 CEO's are women. While this is a record high number, it is still only 7.4 percent (CNN).
Women in leadership positions offers diverse viewpoints, and evidence suggests that women leaders tend to have more compassion and empathy (CNN), which is more in line with modern transformative leadership styles. This can provide more responsiveness to citizens' needs and greater cooperation between party lines.
Additionally, it is extremely important for young girls to grow up seeing women lead. It is vital that girls understand from a young age that they can be leaders too. "Promoting a pathway for girls to political leadership will decrease the likelihood of child marriages, violence against women and promote the creation and maintenance of democratic societies" -borgenproject.org.
Legislation such as the Girls LEAD Act and the Keeping Girls in School Act are key to making these changes in the world.
The Girls LEAD Act stands for The Girls Leadership, Engagement, Agency and Development Act. This works to create a path to political leadership for girls around the world by addressing barriers to girls' civil engagement and political participation.
The Keeping Girls in School Act aims to increase educational opportunities and economic security for girls globally. This act will use multiple strategies to ensure programs close the gender gap in secondary education.
It is time for us to begin lifting up the women of the world and encourage them to follow their dreams. Every woman should believe she can be a leader, and once we see equal representation, our world will change for the better.