At our current rate of progress, the United Nations warns it will take 300 years for women to achieve true gender equality.
But women aren’t backing down from the challenge.
2022 was a year of historic firsts, from the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. armed forces to the first Black female president of an NFL team.
Women are continuing to break down barriers in business, sports, politics, entertainment and beyond: They’re excelling in high-pressure jobs, becoming leaders in historically male-dominated industries, and using their power to make these industries more equitable and welcoming for the next generation.
In honor of International Women’s Day, CNBC Make It spoke with some of these trailblazers about their paths to success, their ambitions and the legacy they want to leave behind.
Janet Yang
The first Asian and fourth female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Illustration by Elham Ataeiazar
Growing up in New York during the 1960s, Janet Yang thought it was impossible for her to work in entertainment.
“I never saw people that looked like me in front of or behind the camera,” Yang, who is Chinese American, says. “I think the first Asian person I saw on TV was Bruce Lee, and that’s it.”
Now, Yang is one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. In August, she began her first term as president of the academy, becoming the first Asian person, and fourth woman, to hold the position.
The academy, founded in 1927, is one of the most elite clubs in Hollywood, billing itself as “the world’s preeminent movie-related organization.” While its most visible endeavor is deciding the winners of the Oscars each year, the 10,000-plus-member organization also has a museum, library and other initiatives dedicated to the preservation and promotion of film.
Yang, 66, is an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer whose film credits include “The Joy Luck Club,” “High Crimes” and the Oscar-nominated animated film “Over the Moon.”
But many of her proudest…
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