The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council salutes the amazing women in our companies, communities and families as we commemorate Women’s History Month. While Georgia is well known for its business-friendly climate, economic influence and historic role in the evolution of civil rights and social justice, no analysis of our Great State would be complete without acknowledging the important roles played by countless women executives, leaders, elected officials, business owners, educators and other professions. While women represent just over half of the population, their outsized influence on all things Georgia cannot be adequately summarized by statistics. As we celebrate Women’s History Month throughout April, it is imperative that we all take the time to truly appreciate the impact that women have had on our society.
The influence of women – on every aspect of our nation’s history – is monumental, although some elements are not as well documented as others. Women’s History Month did not begin until 1981, when Congress designated the second week of March as Women’s History Week. For years, Congress continued to pass a resolution annually setting aside one week in March for a commemoration, until the National Women’s History Project finally prevailed upon the legislators to designate March 1987 as National Women’s History Month. It has been observed annually ever since, with events and activities across the nation throughout the month of March. In Georgia, women have long played a vital role in the success and prosperity of our state, especially in the world of business.
At its core, the GMSDC is a catalyst for growth and development of Georgia’s thriving business community. While the primary focus of the organization is advocating for minority business inclusion in corporate and government supply chains, the GMSDC is an organization whose leadership, staff team, and constituent community are primarily comprised of women. Across the 400 corporate members of the GMSDC, the vast majority of the leaders heading up Supplier Diversity and DE&I initiatives are women, as are nearly 40 percent of the 1,200 minority business owners the Council supports. That represents a substantial portion of the $11 billion in revenues and the $20 billion in economic impact attributable to GMSDC-driven partnerships. When it comes to advocacy for equity, inclusion and opportunity in business – for everyone – we must acknowledge that the true trailblazers on this front are women.
Georgia has long been ranked the number one state for business in America, and that holds true for women in the state, as well. The State of Georgia ranks Number 1 in the US for the fastest growth rate in the number of women-owned businesses, and boasts the 8th most female business owners in the nation. Georgia is home to more than half a million women-owned firms that employ more than 300,000 people and generate nearly $100 billion in economic impact statewide. Women of color own approximately two-thirds of all women owned businesses in Georgia. Globally, if women-owned businesses were a country, it would have the 5th largest GDP in the world. Women-owned businesses face many of the same obstacles as minority businesses when it comes to access to capital, gender disparities and revenue disparities with their male counterparts, but the steady growth and remarkable achievements of women in business are astounding despite the challenges.
Women’s history includes so much more than can properly be acknowledged here. Simply put, any story of the history of this nation encompasses a story of bold and undeterred women who played vital roles, whether they were fully recognized or adequately chronicled or not. We salute our peer organizations in the state, like the Greater Women’s Business Council, who fight for the inclusion of women businesses in Georgia’s economic ecosystems. We are grateful to all of the women who lead, coach, mentor, work hard and provide role models for all of us. Kudos to you on the occasion of Women’s History Month 2024.
