Make Way for Women

It’s no big secret, I am a baby boomer. Back in 1980-something, I was the first of two women attorneys in the 45-attorney law firm where I practiced. A few years later, I insisted on working a few hours a week while I was on maternity leave because I felt like I couldn’t “slack” since I had been recently promoted. As I progressed through my career, there were few female leaders to look to for inspiration, guidance, or support. I didn’t have a female manager until I was in my forties. These tacit signals told me that I needed to work harder than my male counterparts in order to advance—and I wound up spending much of my career living to work instead of working to live.

There has been a lot of change in the past 30 years, but there is still a broken rung in the ladder causing an imbalance. Women are still promoted at lower rates than men, and women of color represent only 4% of C-suite leaders. Add in pandemic stress, and the complexities of balancing life and work in its wake, and it’s no wonder that women are burned out, frustrated, and considering what to do next.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken with some of the nation’s most respected thought leaders and insurance industry executives to get their insights on what women need right now—and what steps organizations must take to recognize and reward them to impact sustainable change. It’s been an inspiring experience, and I’m so grateful to bring these viewpoints to you during our Women’s Forum on Nov. 2-3, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Among a dozen amazing speakers, we’ll be featuring the authors of McKinsey & Company’s “2022 Women in the Workplace Report.”

To achieve equity, men and women must both advocate for it—so this event is for everyone, regardless of gender. I hope that you will join us.

All the best –

Ronna Ruppelt

CEO

ronna.ruppelt@TheCLM.org

LinkedIn.com/in/ronnaruppelt

P.S.: You can find the complete speaker lineup at theclm.org/womensforum.