It’s no secret that some companies are better than others at creating equitable work environments for their employees.
Ursula Mead founded InHerSight to make sure women are aware of the atmosphere that they thrive most in.
What is InHerSight, and why should readers know about it?
InHerSight is a website that collects anonymous company ratings from women, then uses those ratings to match women to companies they’ll love.
We started InHerSight to give women the information they need to make better, more informed decisions about where they work, and we already have ratings for more than 10,000 companies.
But it doesn’t stop with helping women do their homework or matching women to companies where they’re likely to succeed. Our ratings data also help companies learn how to create workplaces that are more friendly to their female employees.
There are lots of great companies out there—companies that provide exactly the things you want, whether that’s salary satisfaction, schedule flexibility, great maternity leave, or other things! InHerSight helps women find those companies.
It’s clear in your work history that you’re heavily involved in women support and empowerment. What sparked your commitment to this, and what keeps that fire going in your life?
In my career I’ve often used data to answer questions or make big decisions. Whether it’s deciding how to build a product or laying out budget projections, data has been an integral part of what I do.
A few years ago I started paying more attention to the growing conversation about women in the workplace. I kept seeing high-level, nationwide studies about women being paid less than men or the lack of women in leadership. I also heard personal stories of women taking on their sexist employers in the courts. But none of that information seemed very actionable to me. I wanted to know how individual companies were doing when it came to their treatment of female employees, but that data didn’t exist. So, I set out to gather it.
The lack of data and transparency around what it’s really like for women in the workplace is still what motivates me. With women becoming a majority of the workforce, it’s increasingly important for women and companies to have access to information that helps them make good decisions.
Why is it important to have a platform for career-minded women to exchange notes? What about the professional environment makes this a necessity?
Some of us have been lucky enough to work for companies where our gender wasn’t a consideration, and for those of us in that situation, it can be easy to think that these issues have already been solved—that we’ve moved on from needing to fight for equality in the workplace. The truth is a little more sobering. And the truth can often be difficult to talk about if you’re not in a supportive environment.
Our website shows both sides. We have ratings and stories from women who love where they work, and also from women who are still struggling to find supportive, female-friendly workplaces. Our platform helps aggregate and amplify those experiences to make them more powerful.
What are your hopes for your future and the future of InHerSight?
For me personally, I am looking forward to watching my daughter grow up. She’s four now, and there’s so much happening in her life, from learning to swim and read to making friends at school.
My hopes for her future are wrapped up in my hopes for InHerSight. I don’t want my daughter to have to worry about whether she’ll be held back in the workplace because of her gender, and yet EY’s latest estimate for when we’ll reach gender parity in the workplace is 117 years from now.
My hope is that InHerSight can play a part in bringing that number down, so that when my daughter is ready for her first job, her gender won’t be part of the equation.
Can you describe one of your proudest moments since starting InHerSight?
We’ve had a lot of highs since launching InHerSight. But one moment that really stands out—and still does every time it happens—was the first time we received an email from a woman telling us she was so excited about what we’re doing that she wanted to work for us. I was so proud that I sent it to my parents!
Do you have any advice for young girls who want to actively shape their careers?
I’d encourage women of all ages to take the time to think about what a successful career means to you, and ask yourself whether you think you can achieve that at the place you’re working. Then rinse and repeat on a regular basis. We’re all different. Success looks and feels different for each of us, and how we define it may change over time. So it’s important to check in with yourself regularly, and also check in on the culture of the company you work for (or the company you’re considering working for) to make sure your values align.
You can learn more about InHerSight on its website or via Twitter.
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