The Last Word: Kirstine Stewart
When we leave women and girls behind, we miss out on untold opportunities and innovations. The evidence is clear and now it’s time to force the change we need and build structures that will begin to balance the scales, writes Kirstine Stewart.
By this point, we’ve all heard the exhortations over and over again: women are being left behind in the startup world, receiving a tiny fraction of investment dollars, while the status quo marches on unabated. The gap is growing, the numbers getting worse.
And it’s not that women aren’t up to the challenge. We know investing in women is good business. The data on that is clear. Study after study has shown us that it pays off. The research gives us important evidence, both about the disparity that exists and the benefits we can reap by bridging that gap, but research alone won’t solve this problem. We’ve done enough studies and surveys. We need solutions that don’t continue to push women to compete for the same women-focused funds and incubators. We need a wider pool, one that doesn’t relegate us to one small piece of the pie while the rest of the pie is left out of reach.
The time now is for concrete action—mechanisms that will provide support, resources and money for the people and places that have been left behind for too long. Investors, fund managers, governments and educational institutions all have a role to play in creating these levers. We need to take steps, whether it's tying executive pay to improved diversity and environmental measures, as Nike is now doing, or like I did during my time at CBC by requiring a diversity plan to be part of any new show proposal. We need a combination of efforts, and leaders need to step up and introduce these expectations to spark these necessary changes. I’m confident that if we do it consistently and honestly, we’ll begin to see that disparity shrink and successes grow. Opportunities will multiply, innovations will gain momentum, and creativity will blossom. When we show women and girls that they are valued, we will encourage more to become entrepreneurs and innovators and investors, helping them not only enter the pipeline but also to stay there.
Of course, as with all efforts to challenge the status quo, there will be resistance from some who will poorly implement half-hearted changes with no real effort or support. And when those dishonest efforts fail, they’ll throw up their hands to say they tried. We need to call these performative actions out, and not let them cast a shadow on real and meaningful efforts that will catalyze change.
The next Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs, isn’t being given the chance to flourish because she’s a girl and the world isn’t paying enough attention to her potential and the opportunity it holds. I’m tired of imagining what we’re missing out on. It’s time to build the path toward the innovations, the solutions, and the wealth of opportunities that will grow when we welcome and encourage women and girls the same way we do men and boys.
Kirstine Stewart is a technology and media expert, and the author of the bestselling book Our Turn. She is the former Vice President of Media at Twitter Canada and former head of English language services at CBC.