There are many reasons why this might be. Fewer than 13% of VC decision-makers are women, and less than 3% of all VC dollars flow to companies led only by women.
IPOs' Giant Gender Gap
Each year since the New York Stock Exchange was founded, in 1817, hundreds of companies have gone public. Only 20 have been founded and led to an IPO by women. "Corporate America is broken for women. They need to blow it up and rebuild it if they want more leadership positions," writes Alyson Shontell, Editor-in-Chief of Business Insider.
Photo: i.insider.com
By the Numbers
The data shows a giant gender gap.
In 2019, women only made up 21% of executives. And women are underrepresented at every level, not just the top tiers.
Only three women on the list of Fortune 500 female CEOs are women of color.
In a basket of 600 European stocks, companies with more female leadership saw their share price outperform on average by 2.5% a year.
Companies that bring a diversity of experiences to their boards and C-suite are typically better prepared to meet the needs of their customers.
Welcoming Workplaces for Women
Top companies for women include Axios, Boston Consulting Group, and Adobe.
How to Succeed
It's important to talk about the progress women have made, as well as the setbacks they still face, such as the wage gap and bias in performance reviews.