The Presidential Election of 2016 was a very historical and controversial election that brought to the table a lot of issues that have been overdue on their solutions. The role of women, whether it was in leadership or as members of society, versus the roles of men and their importance has been an issue since before the Women’s Suffrage in 1848 and is clearly still an issue today. However, despite the fact that, Hillary Clinton was not able to break what seems to be the highest glass ceiling of all, a female president. 
In the days and weeks post election, the sting was strong that it was hard to really think about the “what’s next?” But as dust settles we must now realize that the future is STILL female.
Women in leadership roles are essential for the growth of our country. According to the latest census, women are 50.8 percent of the population. That means over half of the talent in America that is not being used to its full potential. In 2015, women held about 14 percent of the top leadership positions in S&P 500 companies as reported by Matt Egan for CNNMoney, now in 2016 the percent has jumped to 22 percent. In this same article from 2015, Rita McGrath states that the reason there are very little women in leadership positions because they are not “in the pipeline.” If women aren’t applying for the job they can’t hold the position. While there weren’t very many women in the pipeline in 2015, I believe it’s safe to say the women ready to flood that pipeline (and the words of Beyoncé, “run the world”) are in the classroom earning their degrees.
I sent out a questionnaire for different young ladies from different universities to share their aspirations, passions and career goals the stories I read from these ladies show there is way more than what meets the eye.
Grace Bell from the University of North Texas is a Business Marketing major and is striving to own her business and is pushed to get there by her passion to “be influential and make an impact.”
Aaliyah Meade, a Biology major from Howard University is mastering sleepless nights and busy days to reach her goal of becoming a medical school professor because her passion is learning. “Engaging in learning is such a transformative process and has afforded me all of the opportunities I have been blessed with thus far. Learning I’ll be something I’ll do until my time on Earth is up!”
Ashley Ikemenogo is a Finance major at St. Edwards University who plans to become an Intellectual Property/Patent Lawyer because she has a passion in “helping others make what they’ve dreamed into a reality as best as I can.” I’m sure it comes to no surprise that the media has an effect on the way we see life and other people.
Mandisa Shields, a Public Relations major from Syracuse University, plans to bring “focus to underrepresented communities — particularly black women.”
We can all agree that being a woman can be hard with unrealistic expectations, hurdles placed before us and the current perception of the role of women in society. However, despite all of that the need for women in leadership roles are still very high and the women gearing up to take those roles are sitting right next you in class. Knowing this helps me realize that the future is still female, regardless of who is in office.
