International Women’s Day 2024: Trailblazing A Path for Women at the Top
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The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (March 8) is “Inspire Inclusion.” This theme highlights the importance of gender equality and empowerment for women and young girls. We must understand the value of women’s inclusion and forge a better tomorrow with an emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, mentorship and an improvement in leadership pipelines.
So how are women faring in the media industry in particular and how can organizations continue to champion women in the workplace?
Women at the Top
Mid-way through 2023, every major U.S. media news organization was led by a woman. At the time, Amy Entelis and Virginia Moseley were part of a trio that led CNN; they’ve since handed over the reins to new Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson. But the rest of the women from the June article are still leading their organizations. Kimberly Godwin is currently the President of ABC News, Rashida Jones is the President of MSNBC, Rebecca Blumenstein is the President of Editorial at NBC News, Wendy McMahon is the President of CBS News, and Suzanne Scott is the CEO of Fox News.
This impressive list of trailblazers features a first-time woman CEO for Fox News in Suzanne Scott, HBCU graduate Rashida Jones from Hampton University, and the first African American woman to lead a major American broadcast news network in Kimberly Godwin.
These women deserve to be celebrated for their accomplishments. However, there’s still work to be done. Research has shown that many times, women are promoted to leadership positions when a turbulent period is on the horizon for an organization. This in fact was the exact scenario for Amy Entelis and Virginia Moseley of CNN who were eventually succeeded by Mark Thompson in October 2023. This unfortunate occurrence is known as the “glass cliff.”
Changing the Narrative
The aforementioned women are proof that any organization can be led by a woman through strong business periods and challenging ones as well. To change the narrative, board members and senior leadership must consider their succession plans and how those plans often set women up for failure. These individuals must be cognizant of biases such as caretaker bias and savior complexes that can have an outsized impact on women in any workplace, including the newsroom.
Championing Change
Here are three examples of how we can continue to champion women and brands that are doing just that.
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: An organization’s investment in DEI strategy needs to be more than just a strategy. It needs to be a purposeful initiative that carefully and intentionally invests and celebrates the women in the organization.
- Leadership Pipelines: Encouraging women to develop their skills within the systems and framework of an organization is an initial start to the development of women in the workplace. The support of women and their professional goals also can provide them with the confidence that what matters to them is both seen and heard.
- Mentorship: Developing Employee Resource Groups allows women at all levels of an organization to connect and develop relationships. The result of these possible connections will undoubtedly have a positive impact on any organization from top to bottom.
Catch up on all the latest Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day news from PR Newswire.
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Darnell Wilson Jr. is a Promotional Communication/Account Management professional with a love of story telling!
