HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Team Hill gathered for a Women’s Equality Day luncheon Aug. 26, featuring guest speaker Dr. Susan R. Madsen, founding director of the Utah Women & Leadership Project.
Women’s Equality Day commemorates the Women’s Suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
During the presentation, Madsen emphasized the importance of women in leadership roles at all levels, highlighting that diverse teams benefit from the different perspectives men and women bring. She noted that in legislative roles, for example, women often prioritize education, health, and social programs, which can lead to more comprehensive policymaking.
Madsen also discussed the presence of visible and invisible masculine cultures in various industries, including tech and the military, and how these can create challenges for women. She stressed the importance of addressing unconscious biases and promoting inclusive language to foster a more equitable environment.
“We can’t keep going the same way. We can change things, but it will take men and women working together,” Madsen said. “We need to prepare boys and girls, young men and young women, and men and women to lead.”
She highlighted national and state-level studies showing that women and girls in Utah are not thriving in critical areas. Utah continues to have high levels of domestic violence, sexual assault, and gender-based discrimination, while also ranking as the worst state for women’s equality and having low levels of women’s leadership in nearly all domains, including politics and business.
The luncheon underscored the ongoing efforts to strengthen the impact of women in, aligning with Madsen’s broader initiative, A Bolder Way Forward, a seven-year statewide movement that aims to build collaborative teams and coalitions to enhance the contributions of women and girls.
Learn more at https://www.usu.edu/uwlp/a-bolder-way-forward/overview.