Daily Archives: October 27, 2024

What The U.S. Elections Mean For Women Business Leaders

The 2024 Election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is extremely close. With House, Senate and gubernatorial races at stake, either party could gain considerable influence over the country’s laws and policies.

The policy and legal ramifications of this election will depend on how much power each party secures across the branches of government. But regardless of who wins, the professional landscape for women leaders will shift.

Here’s what women leaders can anticipate in the months to come, and what strategies can help them stay resilient and focused in their careers.

Women’s 2024 Election Victories Could Unlock Seats On Corporate Boards

When women win elections, it sends a message about society’s attitudes toward women in leadership. These victories can help convince boards that society as a whole views women as legitimate leaders. In turn, the shift in social norms encourages companies to add more women to their boards.

Electoral successes by non-incumbent women running against men caused large U.S. firms headquartered in the corresponding zip codes to add more women to their board of directors, according to an analysis of 365 House, Senate and Gubernatorial elections between 2004 and 2016. The researchers, professors at Rutgers University and Bucknell University, published their findings last year on the Social Science Research Network.

Women’s ballot box wins translated to even greater gains in the boardroom when they generated high voter turnout and received substantial media coverage, according to the researchers. The gains were also larger when decision makers on the board lived locally, allowing them to witness the enthusiasm for women’s leadership firsthand.

A significant number of women are bound to get elected in November. Women represent 27% of U.S. House candidates, 23% of Senate candidates, and 20% of gubernatorial candidates, according to Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics.

In places where women are expected to win, we can anticipate an increase in women’s representation on boards as companies respond to these societal signals, especially in races where voter turnout and media attention were especially high.
Beliefs About The Glass Ceiling May Shift
Obama’s election to the White House led many to believe that the U.S. had entered a post-racial era—one where Americans would increasingly make race-free judgments about their leaders. Could the outcome of the 2024 election change how we think of the corporate glass ceiling?
A Harris victory could shatter both gender and racial barriers, buoying the optimism of women, particularly women of color, in their careers and leadership possibilities. A Trump win, in contrast, may deepen pessimism that gender and racial gaps in the C-Suite will close anytime soon.
After Clinton’s loss in the 2016 election, many Americans concluded that the world was not yet quite ready for women in top corporate leadership roles—even as they remained personally remained committed to gender equity ideals and attitudes. This is what researchers at University of Queensland concluded from their survey of 165 U.S. residents 12 days before the 2016 election and of another 159 individuals 2 days after Clinton’s defeat. In the span of two weeks, participants’ ratings of women applying for leadership roles dropped significantly, whereas the ratings of male candidates did not change. A replication of the study in an experimental lab yielded similar results.
The outcome of the 2024 election will undoubtedly affect perceptions of women’s progress in leadership. A Harris victory could inspire women to pursue leadership roles with renewed confidence in the possibility that racial and gender barriers are finally falling. In contrast, a Trump win might lead some women to feel more hesitant about their chances of advancing in male-dominated and predominantly white spaces, reinforcing concerns about the persistence of gender and racial inequality.
Sexism And Verbal Aggression Likely To Increase
Women in corporate leadership can expect to be on the receiving end of more aggressive, uncooperative communication from some men. That’s because, regardless of who wins, the election will very likely amplify the undercurrents of sexism and racism that began in the aftermath of the 2016 election.
In negotiations with women, men began adopting more adversarial strategies after the 2016 election, according to Wharton Business School professors who conducted pre- and post-election simulations with University of Pennsylvania students. They found a 17.2 percentage point increase in the likelihood of men using hardline tactics against women in negotiation.
Similarly, while the most egregious forms of sexual harassment have declined since 2016, gender harassment became more pervasive by 2018, suggesting that shifts in leadership may influence workplace dynamics in subtler but equally damaging ways. In 2018, women reported more everyday occurrences of suggestive stories, offensive jokes, crude sexual remarks, and sexist comments than in 2016.
Women in the highest positions of power in their organizations and female business owners experienced the greatest increase in harassment, according to researchers at Leeds School of Business and University of Colorado, Boulder, who surveyed full-time working women in 2016 and again in 2018.
A Trump victory would likely worsen sexist attitudes, as the election of a leader with openly hostile sexist views seems to deepen already held ideological positions and associated behaviors, particularly among men, research shows.
In one U.S.-based study, Republican men embraced more traditional masculine ideals after the election, such as avoiding anything seen as feminine, suppressing emotions, prioritizing work, and taking risks. In contrast, liberal-leaning men became more likely to stand up against everyday sexist comments. Research from Spain echoed these findings, linking rises in sexist attitudes and support for far-right parties to backlash against feminist mobilization efforts.
Meanwhile, a Harris win may not eliminate sexist or aggressive communication toward women leaders, largely due to the growing ideological divide among men—where Republicans and Democrats diverge significantly. The quality of interactions with liberal men may remain stable under a Harris presidency, but the presence of a woman in the highest office could provoke considerable backlash from conservative men. These issues are likely to be compounded for Black and Latina women who face sexist but and racialized stereotypes in professional settings.
As I documented in an earlier Forbes column, men who feel more powerless view women as less legitimate candidates for leadership roles, propose paying them less, and show higher tolerance for gender discrimination and inequalities.
Post-Election Strategies To Keep Moving Forward
As the political landscape unfolds, here are three strategies to leverage your momentum, stay focused and remain resilient in your leadership journey.
Leverage Local Election Wins
Stay informed about high-profile races in your area, especially those with female candidates. When women succeed in visible roles, it signals broader social support for women’s leadership. Consider raising your profile in community and professional spaces to build on this momentum.
Ready Yourself For Bias-Driven Interactions
Prepare strategies to handle more aggressive and sexist communication from some colleagues. Practicing responses to hardline tactics can keep interactions professional and focused, helping redirect challenging conversations. Find support and learn how to be an ally by joining a mentorship group for women of color in leadership or LGBTQ+ women in business.
Stay Focused On Long-Term Goals
No matter the election outcome, don’t let it derail your ambitions. Continue to pursue leadership roles and push forward with advancement goals, knowing that the perseverance also builds up emotional intelligence, enhances creativity and can inspire others around you. You may also find strength in advocating for and preparing the next generation of women for leadership roles.
The 2024 election will profoundly influence the professional landscape for women, shaping leadership opportunities, interpersonal interactions, and stereotypes. Yet, regardless of the outcome, women leaders who continue to pursue their goals and prepare for the challenges again continue to have an essential role in redefining leadership norms.
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Harris’ small business pitch resonates in Georgia’s most diverse county. Can it win her the state?

ATLANTA — The election could be decided in Georgia’s fastest-growing and most ethnically diverse county.In Gwinnett County, a part of metro Atlanta where 58% of voters backed Joe Biden in 2020 versus the 40% who voted for Donald Trump, both parties are again locked in a race centered on the economy. Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic pitch has heavily emphasized small-business owners, and those in Gwinnett County — one of the “Decider” counties NBC News is tracking — acknowledge they could use more support.So far, many like what Harris is offering, though some remain undecided just over a week before Election Day. Their choices could be pivotal with Georgia’s 16 electoral votes up for grabs, the two campaigns in a virtual dead heat in recent polling, and important local issues also shaping the race.Roberto Correa of Beto’s Tacos.Chris Knowle / Beto’s TacosRoberto Correa, who owns Beto’s Tacos in Suwanee, said Harris’ proposal to allow up to $50,000 in tax deductions for startup expenses would “be great for a lot of people like me.”Correa, who was born in Mexico, opened the first Beto’s in 2019 and expanded during the pandemic. He now operates four locations in the Atlanta area. Higher costs for produce like avocados have dented his margins, and sales are down about 20% this year, he said, which makes it harder to access credit.“We need help so we can have more money and we can buy in bulk and [gain] more power” to compete with bigger franchises, Correa said. But so far, he still hasn’t decided which presidential candidate to back.While both campaigns have blitzed Georgia, Harris will need to run up the tally in and around the heavily Democratic state capital — whose metro area spans 29 counties — to blunt her Republican opponent’s rural appeal. She commands 75% support in metro Atlanta, compared with Trump’s 22%, while the two were neck and neck at 49% statewide in a recent Marist poll of likely voters, with a roughly 4% margin of error.“If you have a strong, robust economic development plan that supports small businesses, you have a real opportunity to get more than just the average votes,” said Fred Hicks, a Georgia-based political strategist who worked on Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s narrow 2021 win. That could create “the kind of cushion that she wants going into Election Day,” he said.Vice President Kamala Harris rallied supporters in Atlanta on July 30.Elijah Nouvelage / AFP via Getty Images fileGwinnett County could offer a test of both campaigns’ appeals to voters of color and immigrants, especially on issues that matter to business owner.The county is exceptionally diverse, with no single ethnic group comprising more than a third of residents, according to 2020 census data. It’s also a cauldron of commercial activity. Four Atlanta-area counties were among the top 10 nationwide for new business growth from 2019 to 2023, with Gwinnett at No. 7, an analysis of federal data by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, found in March.“When you have a substantially higher percentage of an immigrant population, you do have a lot of business creation activity,” said Jerry Parrish, chief economist at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, an area business group. “Folks find a place to live, and they find people like them. They’ve managed to create a lot of jobs and a lot of opportunity up there.”There’s a lot of people that work here from everywhere around the world.Roberto Corea, owner of Beto’s TacosTrump has been working to convince his supporters that many immigrants are an economic drag and those here without authorization should be detained in camps and deported by the millions. At a rally last week in Duluth, a suburb in Gwinnett, he blamed Harris and Biden for the killing of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, on the University of Georgia campus. A 26-year-old Venezuelan migrant who had entered the U.S. illegally was indicted on multiple charges for the crime.“She resettled these people into your communities all over America, and they’re the roughest people,” Trump told the crowd of Harris.Correa said he tries to ignore Trump’s rhetoric about immigrants, which has ranged from lies about Haitians eating pets to language used by white supremacists, such as remarks describing migrants as “animals” who have “invaded” or “infected” communities, are “poisoning the blood of our country,” or possess “bad genes.” The Trump campaign has said that these comments were directed only at violent criminals or those who entered the U.S. illegally and rely on social services.“This country was built [by] immigrants,” said Correa, adding that at least half of his employees are foreign-born. “There’s a lot of people that work here from everywhere around the world. I just keep it moving forward and focus on my business, make sure I do right by people.”Black men are also key to Gwinnett’s diverse business community, and the Harris campaign has been working to counter Trump’s inroads with that demographic. This month she rolled out proposals including 1 million forgivable $20,000 loans to Black entrepreneurs and reforming tax laws to incentivize employee ownership and profit-sharing plans.Ron Tyler Jr., who owns the Duluth-based entertainment companies Tyler Studios and Payus Productions, said these ideas could help blunt higher costs.Ron Tyler Jr.Courtesy Ron Tyler Jr.“Running a production company requires capital, and a loan like that could be a game changer for scaling operations, purchasing better equipment and expanding our reach,” said Tyler, who has benefited from generous Georgia tax incentives that have helped turn Atlanta into a production hotbed for the likes of Disney and Netflix.Still, he said, “I’m keeping my options open right now” on which candidate to vote for.“While the campaign has made strides, particularly in highlighting issues that impact Black communities, sometimes Black men can feel overlooked in the broader conversation,” he said. “I would love to see more policies that focus on bridging those gaps and more engagement directly with Black men.”A campaign spokesperson said Harris “has focused on issues prioritized by Black voters,” citing recent interviews with Charlamagne Tha God, journalist Roland Martin and the “The Shade Room” podcast. She also kicked off an “Economic Opportunity Tour” in Atlanta this summer, highlighting the administration’s economic accomplishments for Black communities.Sharon Catter, who owns an interior design business in Suwanee, said Trump’s stance on abortion helped lock in her vote for Harris, though she approves of the vice president’s economic plans too. Catter mentioned two high-profile deaths of pregnant women in Georgia following the state’s six-week abortion ban, and said that a family member nearly died from pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy complication, this summer.Sharon Catter.Courtesy Kris Janovitz Photographer LLC“I wouldn’t vote for Trump if you paid me,” she said. “I have baby granddaughters. I want them to have rights.”Catter also worries about her business debt since the pandemic, including a $200,000 federal disaster loan, and said Harris’ outreach to small businesses and her proposed $50,000 startup tax deduction “speaks to me.”“Gwinnett County has grown so much now, and now I have competition left, right and center,” said Catter, who added that she hasn’t felt financially comfortable hiring full-time staff in over a decade.Many of Atlanta’s name-brand employers are headquartered in Gwinnett, including Waffle House, CarMax and MassMutual. Other big companies such as Airbnb, Microsoft and Target have expanded in the area recently, which some community leaders say is contributing to soaring rents and snarled highways.“Businesses are moving to where the population base is, but then the population moves out even further,” said Tad Leithead, executive director for the Gwinnett region at Council for Quality Growth, a Georgia economic development group. “Those commute times, that sprawl, is a huge challenge.”Some solutions are underway. The Biden-Harris administration allocated $113 million to upgrade the notoriously jammed I-285/GA-400 interchange, and Gwinnett residents will also be voting on a ballot measure to add a 1% sales tax to fund public transit. But it’s anyone’s guess how these issues will intersect with national ones at the ballot box, Leithead said.“There’s an old expression that all politics are local,” he said. “Your vote for your local county commissioner or mayor can be a far more relevant vote in terms of the day-to-day impact on your business than a vote at the presidential level.”

Cyberone Group Limited Delivers Full-Funnel CPA Marketing Solutions for Global Brands

Cyberone Group Limited Delivers Full-Funnel CPA Marketing Solutions for Global Brands – Business News Today – EIN Presswire