Gloria Steinem opened the door. Now women need a seat at the table

When David Grinberg's 22-year-old daughter, Ily, began her career in wealth management in Chicago, she was the only woman in the room. As an M&A attorney at Sidley Austin and father of three daughters, he noticed this disparity. Weeks later, Ily was asked to present a proposed wealth plan to a client, where she received positive feedback from her team.

This experience reaffirmed his belief in giving his daughters the opportunity to succeed without being held back because they are women. However, he understands that ability alone is not always enough. David, who serves on Girls With Impact's Los Angeles board, represents female-led businesses in the beauty and wellness industry.

He has observed that while successful female entrepreneurs build companies worth millions, they still face skepticism. David emphasizes the importance of confidence, which comes from successfully completing tasks and believing in one's abilities. As America mourns the loss of Gloria Steinem, former CEO of Catalyst Lorraine Hariton notes that we are at the end of an era of progress for women.

The challenge now is to prepare the next generation of women to navigate male-dominated fields with confidence and leadership. While women hold nearly half of entry-level jobs and earn nearly 60% of bachelor’s degrees, they still lag behind in senior leadership positions. Of the $265 billion in U.S. venture capital invested in 2025, only 1.2% went to all-female founding teams.

David sees both the challenges and opportunities from both ends of the pipeline, where women are beginning their careers and where female founders have already built successful businesses. However, even at the highest levels, women's ideas are often underestimated. To make progress, girls must be equipped with confidence, business skills, networks, financial knowledge, and technological fluency before entering the workforce.

They need opportunities to try, fail, succeed, and realize they can accomplish hard things. This urgency is heightened by the rapid changes brought about by AI, which is transforming entry-level jobs and career ladders.