The impact the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had on the lives and livelihoods of women business owners cannot be overstated.
An article in Forbes this week detailed the Justice’s impact on American business over the course of six decades of legal scholarship and argument.
“…a career spent slowly dismantling gender discrimination in American life and work, and it is for this work that Ginsburg is most often celebrated. But her sense of justice, and quest for fairness, extends to many corners of work and business.”
From my perspective, it’s personal.
I’m a first-generation college graduate. I was hired and promoted in my field. I’m a women business owner. I’m a working mom. I’m empowered to make decisions, ask questions, and explore opportunities.
Of course, I’ve had my share of gender-based hurdles to overcome, including being asked in a job interview if I planned to have children. But had it not been for Justice Ginsburg’s landmark cases, I would not have been able to launch a business on my own, sign a lease and buy property on my own, or secure credit cards and lines of credit on my own.
In my lifetime, that wasn’t always the case.
Imagine for a moment that women still needed a man’s signature of approval to do these things. The impact would be profound.
Here’s a look at numbers according to the 2019 research study for NAWBO Columbus conducted by our colleagues at Measurement Resources Co. The impact of women-owned businesses (WOBs) on Ohio’s economy includes:
- Over 306,000 WOBs
- $29 billion in revenues
- $9.5 billion in payroll
- 333,000 jobs created
- WOBs hire more employees for their size of business than men-owned businesses
Had the legal environment not changed, would any, or even a fraction, of these businesses exist?
Our community and our country would be not be the same. I would not be the same.
Thank you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for your strength of conviction, your intelligence, and your tireless efforts. Mollard Consulting is proud to be a small part of your legacy.
Article by: Kerri Laubenthal Mollard, Founder & CEO
