Celebrating Women’s History Month 2022

March marks the beginning of two different, and distinctly different observances, both in honor of women. As the leader of our women’s ERG, Women’s Leadership Development, this gets me particularly excited. 

The month of March is “Women’s History Month” in the United States, a designation established by US Congress, but claimed by Presidential Proclamation each year, this month we honor the contributions of women throughout history from those whose contributions we realize to those whose contributions continue to affect our lives each day, but might not be on the forefront of our minds. 

We also celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th, originally celebrated in Europe, but adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, a globally recognized day to celebrate the achievements of women and to acknowledge where we still have left to go, together. 

Both are extremely important to the way we see and elevate women in the world. 

Why it’s important to celebrate 

If these last few years have taught us anything, it is the power of resilience, of connection, and of doing things differently to create a better experience (if you didn’t already know, that’s what Qualtrics is here to do). 

Women have been disproportionately impacted by the global pandemic. In a study Qualtrics conducted, on the pandemic and careers, 67% of men say they have been more productive since working from home during the pandemic, while only 41% of women say the same. In another study from Qualtrics, women leaders were shown to have 3x more intent to leave than their male counterparts compared due to increased pressures as caregivers both at home and at work.

We live in a world where the residual expectations of women may include increased childcare responsibilities, decreased ability to give strategic feedback, and a difference in expectations. But we’re working to change that reality.

This is why we created our women’s ERG, Women’s Leadership Development (WLD for short). Our mission is ultimately “To reach gender parity so the systems and environment in which women can thrive live on in perpetuity without the existence of WLD.”

This is also why we spend the month looking back on the achievements of women everywhere, and we spend March 8th talking about how we can #BreakTheBias of women everywhere. 

Why it’s especially important to us at Qualtrics

We believe that every voice has value, and we believe in using data to build better experiences. We are striving to reach a world in which we achieve complete parity, and where ERGs like mine (Women’s Leadership Development) no longer need to exist. That starts with knowing  the data, sharing it, and acting on it. 

This month at Qualtrics … 

We’re celebrating, reflecting, and learning. We’re welcoming guests like the esteemed Angela Davis, as well as panels from executives that have careers that have #Br[o]k[en]TheBias. We’re hosting an all-women led all-hands (this one gives me chills every year) and having conversations that matter to learn from and promote our community. We’ll be bringing in panels of senior leaders in regions, in some places bringing women together (safely) for the first in-office celebration since the start of the pandemic. We will also be seeking to elevate the voices of women at Qualtrics who have Broken the Bias by seeking nontraditional career paths, see a few excerpts from their stories here: 

María Ramírez Laencina - Principal Solution Engineer in Spain: “I have no degree in IT or computer science and I have never coded but I have spent almost 15 years in IT and in technical roles. All of my technical knowledge and training has been from product training and being hands on with the products. I want to highlight this because many may shy away from or not consider exciting and amazing positions and careers in something like solution engineering because they are not technical. At the early stages of my career, I can't say I had a plan because I did not have visibility into what the options were, but with the right network, skill, and attitude the right offer always came up. You just have to be brave and move out of your comfort zone.” Read her full story here.

Brooke Leech - Sales Development Representative in Dallas: “When I began my college career, I was a Nutrition major. After about a year of classes, I realized that I was more interested in why people ate the food they did than telling people what to eat. I switched my major to Marketing and was fascinated with the journey of consumer experiences. I learned that understanding a consumer's "why" behind why they are buying your product or why they are a loyal customer is the key to success. When it came time to pick a career, I was stuck between going down a market research path or starting a career in sales. I found the Qualtrics sales program to be a perfect mix between the two! I am so grateful I chose Qualtrics to start my career.” Read her full story here.

Alex Nation - Senior Principal Solution Engineer, Remote: “I gravitated towards industries I study obsessively - first fashion, then tech, and matched them with my natural strengths - teaching, sales, and leadership. I identified people I respect at different stages in their careers and forged relationships, exchanged advice, and studied their habits and thought processes. I paid attention to what energized me vs what depleted me, and went all-in on what energized me.” Read her full story here.

Be on the lookout for us to share  the data and insights behind women’s experience at work, and tips on how to better support them in the workplace. 

Stay tuned, and happy celebration of women.

	Chelsea Hunersen is an alumna of University of Michigan and Northwestern University.  She started her career with Qualtrics in 2017 as a Social Media Marketer and leads Women's Leadership Development, a Q Group (employee resource group) with the charter of elevating and supporting all women at Qualtrics so they achieve personal & professional wellness and impact.