Are You AVA?
Updated: Jan 16, 2020
We are AVA, a macro-learning environment for ambitious professional women. We provide weekly on-line content and timely in-person workshops to build critical workplace competencies. Send this to friends and and share on social media @advancewithava.
AVA is a passion-project for the founders, and shortly after we launched a good friend asked one of us, “Are you AVA?”. Delighted with the question she replied, “Yes, I am AVA and so are you!” AVA is every woman seeking professional fulfillment.
AVA Was Founded With Ambitious Professional Women In Mind
With a combined 80+ years of experience, we have learned to get through hardships and to thrive in our professional journey. Our mission is to give back to women who are early- to mid-career and facing barriers to the career growth they seek. Additionally, we hope that your success leads to the collective success of all women in the workplace. We offer skills, tools and a safe environment to learn so working women have a running start on the workplace hurdles currently in their way.
Working Women Are Prominent In Workforce Demographics
Women are making good headway and have certainly increased their presence in the workforce. Here are some of the more positive statistics:
Women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men since 1982, more master’s degrees than men since 1987, and more doctorate degrees than men since 2006. (National Center for Educational Statistics)
In 2018, there were 75,978,000 women aged 16 and over in the labor force, representing 46.9% of the total labor force.These women held 51.5% of all management, professional, and related occupations. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Women own close to 10 million businesses, accounting for $1.4 trillion. (US Department of Labor)
Mothers are the primary or sole earners for 40% of households with children under 18 today. That's a substantial increase compared with 11% in 1960. (US Department of Labor)
Yet Women Are Not Thriving In The Workplace
For many women, it doesn't feel like we've made progress. There are still a lot of areas around pay, engagement, leadership, and work-life balance that aren't up to an equal standard. Here are some of the disheartening facts about women in the workplace:
Women in the United States only earn 80% of what men earn. (National Women's Law Center)
Worse, the U.S. is the only industrialized country without a national paid leave policy for mothers.
Overall, 85% of employees are not engaged in the workplace, and only 29% of employees are happy with career advancement opportunities. So it's no surprise that 48% of female employees say they are actively looking for a different job or watching for new opportunities. (Gallop, SHRM)
And the future industrial shift to automation is projected to marginalize women even more. Because women aren't strongly represented in STEM jobs, over half (58%) of the workers in the most at-risk occupations for automation are women. (Women's Policy Institute)
Women are more likely to face weight discrimination in the workplace. They are hired less and fired more. "That means they have less earning potential and career growth opportunities in the long term, which puts them at a disadvantage," says Lauren Haber Jonas, the founder and CEOof Part an& Parcel.
You Are AVA
Being a woman is hard. Being a working woman is harder. We want to arm you with indispensable workplace skills that will help you get the better of the current workplace. Every woman deserves to be appreciated for, financially fulfilled from, and proud of the work she does.
Come on a career adventure with AVA: sign up for our newsletter - to receive valuable content, to read blogs sharing relevant research and trends in the workplace, and to stay up-to-date on our upcoming macro-learning workshops that guide you to utilizing indispensable skills.
What topics do you want to discuss? Let us know in the comments below. #advancewithava