My Daughters Inspire Me To Be Bold For Change

By Shawn Goff

Recently, my teenage daughter wrote an opinion paper on a current political issue for her history class. She chose gender parity as her focus. As she dug into the data, she quickly discovered the challenges she’ll face as she makes education and career decisions in the near future. I love that my 13-year-old daughter wants to understand this issue. But, I’m concerned that she’s already aware of the gender biases she may come up against as she begins to build and live her dreams. I want all three of my daughters to know that they can accomplish whatever they want. My challenge as their father and our challenge as a community, is to ensure that those dreams can become a reality.

I’m not the first father who wants his daughters to be able to achieve whatever they put their minds to, but just wanting that isn’t enough. It’s unacceptable that it will take the next 170 years, as some estimates predict, to achieve gender parity in the workplace. In Utah, it’s been a common thread of our past to take the lead on this issue. In fact, Utah was the second territory in the nation to allow women to vote in 1870. Forbes recently ranked the Beehive State as the #1 place for business. In order to continue to grow and develop our unique economy in Utah, we need more women leaders at the table.

Here in the Silicon Slopes, progress is happening, just not fast enough. A few or our local iconic women business leaders and former Entrepreneur Of The Year winners– Amy Rees Anderson and Carine Clark — frequently quote the wise words of Marie Wilson of The White House Project: “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Amy and Carine are trailblazers in our community who are fervent supporters of helping women see their full realm of possibilities. Just like men, women need strong mentors they can learn from and trust. Mentorship leads to growth in talent, access to capital, and introductions to customers and potential partners. I want my daughters to see examples of visionary, bold women impacting change. I also want them to see men who are advocating for them and challenging antiquated workplace cultures that may hinder their success.

We must all be invested in taking an active role. EY found in our recent women in industry study that over 50% of business leaders said they need to do more to attract, retain and promote women to leadership positions. Accelerating this progress is necessary so that future generations of women who follow trailblazers like Carine and Amy don’t have to overcome the same obstacles.

Today, on International Women’s Day, all of us at EY have made a commitment to “Be Bold For Change,” and to take real actions that accelerate achievement of gender parity. One of the ways we do this is through EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™. The EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program is a national competition and executive education program that identifies a select group of high-potential women entrepreneurs whose businesses show real potential to scale — and then helps them do it. We identify women entrepreneurs who have started a business and we empower them by giving them access to the resources they need to grow and develop.

I wish it weren’t the case, but my young daughters already know that they will face unique challenges as women who will enter the workforce. We’re making progress towards inclusion and diversity here in Utah, but there is so much more we can do to advance women in the workplace and beyond.

It starts with Utah companies working together to highlight and showcase the work done in our state by exceptional women, to sponsor and mentor them, and take bold actions to help them advance further. There are many incredible female entrepreneurs in our state and we are prepared to invest in their continued advancement through programs like Entrepreneurial Winning Women. I look forward to the day when more companies and leaders can be bold for change and when my daughters and all women can realize their dreams and live their limitless potential.

Shawn Goff is the Salt Lake City Office Managing Partner at EY and the Program Director for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program in the Utah Region. Through Women. Fast forward, EY is playing a vital role as the #BeBoldForChange campaign sponsor of International Women’s Day (IWD). We are calling on all people to help build a more inclusive, gender equal world — a better working world. Visit Women. Fast forward and follow #BeBoldForChange for more information.