Press Release: Women at Work

Without a doubt, women are now a formidable force at work. Every year in the U.S., approximately 59% of graduating college seniors are women while the majority (88%) enter the ranks of employed professionals within four months. Many women are the first in their families to attend college and even more are the first to embark on long-term career paths, as the generation before them might have spent a few years in a job before starting their families and never returning.

Since Title VII was passed in 1964 and most institutions of higher education integrated by 1972, women have definitely found their way through the ranks of the best schools, companies, and organizations, but attrition continues as women enter their 30s, with approximately 43% dropping out of the more highly paid roles. Globally, women only make up 24% of all senior business roles. Despite women being more pervasive in all parts of most organizations—particularly among the rank and file in finance, HR, marketing, and other back-office positions—men still dominate the most senior positions that set the strategy and determine the fates of organizations and their employees.

Christina Van Houten has seen this dynamic first-hand throughout her career, which started with public interest work out of college before she evolved into a fashion apparel manufacturer and ultimately a 20-year veteran in the enterprise technology arena. As her career meandered in the early days and during the years of starting her family before ultimately progressing, Christina saw most of her peers from undergraduate and graduate school leave the workforce, feeling like they couldn’t accomplish success in both. Additionally, she saw the women who stayed accomplish great things at home and work while becoming stronger over time and better able to navigate the inevitable challenges that come with marriage, kids, and life more broadly—economically, socially, cognitively, and otherwise. Seeing these women make great advancements at a micro and macro level in their work-life worlds, Christina saw an untapped opportunity to help more women stay in the game and maximize their success and happiness with a framework of information, guidance, and engagement.

“The opportunity to support the full continuum of women—from young graduates just embarking on their career journeys to those trying to navigate the challenges of work and family to those who might be looking to get back in the game—was exactly why I started Women at Work,” according to Christina. “I’m so excited about providing a platform where women can engage in a myriad of resources and a strong network to help them become the best they can be—at work and more broadly.”

With a mission “dedicated to the economic advancement and self-reliance for women and girls around the world,” Women at Work offers a series of three books, or “Career Girl’s Guides” focused on helping women successfully navigate gender dynamics, personal brand, and work-family balance. Additionally, the platform features several initiatives designed to drive engagement between working women with the goal of providing support to them and fostering connections, including Mentor Marketplace, Women@Work(outs) fitness programs, and Women@Work(shops) leadership and business training. 

For more information, please contact Annie Sinsabaugh, Content Strategy Lead, at annie@womenatwork.com.