As a WBENC-certified women-owned Business, the team at 3 Birds is led and powered by an exceptional group of smart women and men. Actually, more than half of us are women – empowered women in both leadership and supporting roles, but we’re well aware that our dynamic is not the norm. While women have come a long way since the Mad Men days, gender inequality – especially in the workplace – is still a very present concern for many women.

Even though women make up half of the workforce in the U.S., many women still face gender-bias in the workplace and a discouragingly unequal professional environment. Last year, the Center for American Progress reported that while women hold 60 percent of all undergraduate degrees and master’s degrees and almost 52 percent of all professional-level jobs, they lag significantly behind men in leadership roles. Just 14.6 percent of executive officers, 8.1 percent of top earners, and 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are female. But it’s not just about the stats. Deep-seated biases and subtle sexism lead to a dip in likeability for particularly talkative and ambitious women, discouraging their advancement over time. And that’s just the beginning.

These issues are close to our hearts at 3 Birds, and we know it’s important to promote open and honest discussion and support to work toward change. A group of motivated ladies – our “Bird Babes” – meet monthly over coffee for an empowering hour of discussion surrounding gender issues in the workplace. The group originally began as a “Lean In Circle,” inspired by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s 2013 bestseller Lean In.

Now, beyond research and stories presented in the book, the Bird Babes discuss relevant news stories, trends, and personal experiences that relate to professional gender issues. The meetings create a dialogue about where these biases come from, how they’re perpetuated, and what we can do as women to band together and break the cycle. These insights also give us a valuable perspective when it comes to helping our clients serve female buyers, who represented 39% of car purchases in 2013  (J.D. Power). In addition, female millennial buyers are outpacing males by 53% (Ford, Female Frontier).

To join the conversation, or to learn more about 3 Birds' Bird Babes discussions, contact Kristen Judd at kristen@3birdsmarketing.com.