“We Did It!” is the title of this week’s cover story in the Economist. The occasion is women surpassing the 50% mark in the U.S. workforce. The Economist‘s “Leader” calls it “the rich world’s quiet revolution”: “Women’s economic empowerment is arguably the biggest social change of our times. Just a generation ago, women were largely confined to repetitive, menial jobs. … Now, millions of brains have been put to more productive use. Societies that try to resist this trend—most notably the Arab countries, but also Japan and some southern European countries—will pay a heavy price in the form of wasted talent and frustrated citizens.” Moreover, the Economist notes, as have others, that with girls and women dominating in terms of educational performance and sheer volume of university degrees, especially advanced professional degrees, this “trend” is quickly becoming a tsunami.
This has been a—or even the—issue nearest and dearest to my heart since 1996, and I am thrilled by the stats and the recognition alike. Maybe, corporations will begin to take product-service development and marketing to women more seriously. This is still, in 9.63 out of 10 cases, a great void–monster opportunity (e.g. when even a single movie comes along, like It’s Complicated, aimed at women, particularly boomer women, it’s treated as Big News).