I admit that the crickets have been chirping since the introduction of “Her Happy News” last semester. Introducing it as a series was a larger undertaking than I expected, yet if I call it a series, I might as well write a second instalment. Last time, I wrote during Hispanic Heritage Month. This time, it’s oh-so convenient that it is Women’s History Month – another dedicated month to advocate for women’s rights and celebrate how far we have come as women. Given the unprecedented worldwide elections last year, women’s rights, bodily autonomy, and societal roles have been brought to the fore of political discussion. As a woman, it is hard not to feel helpless and overwhelmed when politicians speak about or (like a hero to a damsel in distress) on behalf of all women, rather than on equally respected terms. Thus, I believe “Her Happy News” can at least provide a bit of comfort and empowerment in times like these. This series (if it can even be called that) can’t fix an ever-complicating world, but it can remind us of our worth and positive contributions to society. As the Careers Section Editor, I may be a little biased choosing the second topic on Her Happy News, but I investigate how employees in women-owned businesses have been found to live happier lives.
Mom is not the only woman who knows best
Stephen Eve Financial Planning’s 2024 study is only one of many stating that women-led businesses foster healthier workplaces and better satisfy their employees. Nevertheless, its finding that employees are 13% happier in female-founded businesses still makes for happy news worth celebrating this Women’s History Month. The study pulled employee ratings of 40 fast-growing companies from the UK (both female and male-led), finding that those that were female-led, including TruRating, OLIO, Elvie, and Lendable, offer 14% faster career progression, foster a more positive workplace culture, and are more open to inclusivity and diversity. A study conducted the previous year by economists Machokoto and Nyantaki found that. However, countries with salient patriarchal traditions in the Global South were presumed to make female-led businesses harder to see and be successful; they had “a consistently positive effect” on training programs, healthcare, and pension coverage. They encouraged further inclusion of female and youthful employees. Machokoto and Nyantaki theorize that these positive results are part of a gendered ethics of care and empathy attributable to women’s social roles. This outlook might also explain why the 2018 Harris Poll showed half of Americans wanted to work with a female leader, citing their increased likelihood to offer better access to childcare (78%), equal pay (75%), and a purpose-driven work environment (56%) as primary reasons for believing so.
Turning pumpkins into carriages
Yet, pollsters don’t have to presume; Machokoto, Nyantaki, and Stephen Eve Financial Planning add to their recent confirmations by linking women’s “conductive working environments” to their overall success and innovative progress. A previous study between 2002 and 2014 compared the returns of women-led Fortune 1000 companies with the S&P 500 predominantly run by men and found the latter saw 226% higher return rates. The following year, the Journal of Organizational Behavior connected such success to women’s leadership being more open to collaboration and learning. Yet, even if you don’t want to take academia’s word for it, you can at least take Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary’s who attests his investments in companies led by women have been the most lucrative, with 95% meeting their financial targets as opposed to 65% of his male-led business investments. Watching his women-led business ventures succeed, O’Leary notes three common factors: women tend to be better time-managers (because, “If you want something done, give it to a busy mother. That’s an old adage and it’s true in business,” he says), realistic goal-setters, and more open to critique. In these ways, O’Leary argues you needn’t look for an “academic” stamp of approval that women provide unique potential to entrepreneurial endeavours. Instead, “this is real data. This is real money coming back to me… They [the business women he works with] impress me every day with their innovation, strength, and tenacity!”
“We can’t succeed if half of us are held back”
In my opinion, especially now in 2025, we don’t even need to look to the “confirmation” of big-name businessmen to prove women are successful and provide unique perspectives to business. It is simple economic logic – one that Malala Yousafzai and her push for women’s education makes clear: “We can’t succeed if half of us are held back.” It is at the heart of entrepreneurship to necessitate a fresh set of perspectives and skills from all in society. But why do we continue to see women’s leadership in business and their overall success as anomalous, pumping out two decades of research over an obvious topic? My answer is a simple one: instead of acting surprised, we should celebrate and respect what we know to be true. I am sure there are other structural ways to answer this question, but since it is beyond the scope of my article to do so, I leave you to ruminate on this question throughout Women’s History Month. For now, let’s at least watch out for the businesswomen who are making the world a much happier place.