What Can We Learn from Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

A woman in Bosnia, Narcissa Kavazovic, opened a new factory at the war’s former front line in Sarajevo. A commendable dedication — she started her business squatting in abandoned garages sewing sheets and pillowcases; her effort supported 12-13 family members. Many other women with this same drive have started their own companies. In the US, women-owned businesses will create five and a half million new jobs. In South Korea and Indonesia, women actually own nearly half a million firms. In China, women run 20% of all the businesses. With more job openings, there could be increases in the literacy rate and global GDP, and a decrease in maternal mortality. So why are women still not getting the same treatment as men even though they can increase the global GDP by 26%?

Respect is crucial for a person, but men are more respected in this day and age due to their jobs and because they provide for their families.

A woman named Kamila, who started her own business in Afghanistan, said that business was critical to her country’s future and business is very important for women because earning income was like earning respect — money was the power for women; however, it was never easy getting that money. Women are often disregarded in businesses because they are harder to help due to things like “manterrupting,” “mansplaining,” and “bropropriating” that are common in the workplace. Women generally have fewer chances to voice opinions thus come across as helpless. Those in small businesses cannot get the capital they need to expand, and those in micro-businesses cannot grow out of them.

To promote many women entrepreneurs’ stories, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon uses the platform of TedX to voice their journeys, struggles, and importance.

As the New York Times bestseller author: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana (2011)—about a young entrepreneur who helped her community during the Taliban—she voices many female entrepreneurs’ stories. Similar to her, they were all passionate about business even with the limited knowledge they had upon starting the business. She saw all the untapped potential with these women from undeveloped countries, and she urged people to invest in women and see them as an opportunity. Without her, we would not be aware of all the tremendous work so many women do because the public does not recognize it.

Similar to Gayle, we all can help women’s entrepreneurship.

Now we do not have to write bestselling books or give amazing TedX speeches, but we can support women. We can use social media to post about new female-owned companies, advocate for equal rights in the workplace, and disregard all stereotypes about women. Women can and will thrive in the workplace just as men, but this is only possible if they are given unbiased opinions and equal treatment, and we can help them get there.