Advances for women, but more to be done

August 26, Women's Equality Day, marks the 99th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment - the day women were given the Constitutional right to vote.

In the last 99 years, women have made remarkable strides, especially in the world of politics and business. In 2018, America elected 117 new women to the U.S. House or Senate, a record number, bringing the total number of women in Congress to 127 and 25 in the Senate. Plus, nine women were elected governor in 2018. As we look to the presidential election, six women are viable candidates.

The same can be said for women business owners and entrepreneurs. According to the 2018 American Express State of Women-Owned Business Report, there are approximately 12.3 million women-owned businesses nationwide, a major contrast to the approximately 402,000 nearly 50 years ago. The Women's Business Development Center, with offices throughout the Midwest, including Chicago, is proud to be part of that success.

When we began in 1986, roughly 1 in 4 privately held businesses were owned by women. Some states still had laws on the books that required married women to get their husband's signature on a business loan. Today we serve several thousand woman-owned businesses in our nine-state region.

Despite this progress, there is still more work to be done such as equal pay for women and men. Access to capital for women-owned businesses and programs and networking opportunities for women to continue to grow and move ahead.

So, this Women's Equality Day, we celebrate the past and look forward to a future of great things for women. Let's all strive to do more in the next 365 days to continue moving women ahead as we march forward to the 100th anniversary next year.

Cynthia Johnson, Director, Established Business Program, WBDC

Meg Cook, President, Painters USA