It’s safe to say women have made their mark in the business world over the years. Mary Katherine Goddard was the first woman to open a bookstore back in 1789. Not long after, Rebecca Pennock Lukens became the first female CEO of an industrial company. Both women made waves in a business world that wasn’t quite ready for them.
In the modern day, women have been breaking into the work force at a much faster rate. As of 2010, about 60 percent of women age 16 and older were in the workforce, compared to just 25 percent in 1952. Women like Mary Kay Ash (founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics) and Sara Blakely (creator of Spanx and the youngest female self-made billionaire) have broken molds and inspired other women to capitalize on the power of independence, determination and hard work.
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