Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | February 8, 2021 | wbjournal.com BY MONICA BUSCH Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Representation intentional self-interrogation to even realize bias is happening. Even having a person like Harris, who represents multiple historically marginalized groups, on television, participating in and making waves at presidential debates, Ferreira said, ensures viewers, voters and would-be leaders are being presented with a different set of norms. "She was very commanding, which is not a trait that we necessarily teach women," Ferreira said of Harris' performance in the vice presidential debate in October, adding women typically need to come off as though they're being collaborative. Representation matters While Harris's position is an elected public office compared to, for example, a c-suite position at a private corporation, the image of a woman in such a visible, high-level job sends the message men are not the only people capable of wielding power, whether in the Senate or in the boardroom. "Absolutely representation matters, and so having Kamala Harris as a woman, a Black woman, an Indian American woman, was so resonant for so many people in terms of what that meant, or the possibilities for themselves, their children, or people they care about," said Charlotte Haller, professor and department chair of history and political T he day before Vice President Kamala Harris assumed office on Jan. 20, the internet was aflutter with posts reiterating variations of the same momentous sentence: "is is the last day that we can say there has never been a woman vice president." Indeed, the moment Harris was sworn into office, she became the first woman, as well as Black and South Asian person, to assume the role, shattering a glass ceiling seconded only by the presidency itself, making her not only a groundbreaker, but for women and girls alike, an example of what is possible. "e quote that has always been in my mind is 'I can't be what I don't see,'" said Rachel Ferreira, director of the Institute for Women's Leadership at Nichols College in Dudley. e adage holds not just for politics, but for business, where Ferreria said her team works to make students aware of both implicit and explicit gender bias – examples of which can be unsettlingly easy to come by. Even an activity as simple as watching a movie where boardrooms are shown can spark conversations about how leadership is depicted in modern culture, she said. "I don't think a lot of people realize they associate business with men and why," Ferreira said. So accustomed are audiences to seeing men hold leadership positions in the business world and beyond, it can take F O C U S W O M E N I N L E A D E R S H I P The impact of Kamala Harris ascending to national elected office is expected to last generations Source: Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University Women who have run for U.S. president 23 Women who have run for U.S. vice president 11 Women who have received a major party's nomination for president 1 Women who have received a major party's nomination for vice president 3 Women in U.S. national elections Kamala Harris is sworn in as the vice president of the United States in the inaugeration at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20. PHOTO/COURTESY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE The Boardroom Gap FIRST IN A 3-PART SERIES

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