International Women's day 2018 - 5 aspirational goals for Immigrant Women.

What can we Immigrant Women do to close the gap?

On this International Women's day - I would like to say two things to women living, studying and working in a new home country.

1. Congratulations! You are doing a great job. I know it's not always easy.
2. Think big, act and close the gap: I strongly believe that we can live and thrive in our new home countries. As we strive to thrive and be successful in our new home countries, we need to have aspirational goals and work towards them.
   

In this post I outline five aspirational goals, what we will do to achieve them as well as the statistics of where we are today. Come along with me on the journey of changing the statistics.
 
We will be in Managerial Positions
What will we do?

• We will take on stretch roles and trust ourselves more.
• We will grow our leadership and managerial skills.
• We will get training and learn required skills.

What are the statistics? Immigrant women overall are less likely than U.S.-born women to work in managerial or professional occupations (32.7 percent compared with 41.1 percent). (Source: Status of women in the states). Native-born workers were more likely than foreign-born workers to be employed in management, professional, and related occupations (40.7 percent versus 32.2 percent) and in sales and office occupations (23.4 percent versus 15.9 percent). (Source: Foreign-Born Workers: Labor Force Characteristics—2017)
 
We will increase our earnings
What will we do? 

• We will know out worth and ask for it.
• We will put ourselves out there and believe we deserve to earn more for our work.
• We will learn negotiation skills and put them to practice.

What are the statistics? In 2016, the median usual weekly earnings of foreign-born full-time wage and salary workers ($715) were 83.1 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($860). Among men, median weekly earnings for the foreign born ($751) were 79.0 percent of the earnings of the native born ($951). Median earnings for foreign-born women ($655) were 86.0 percent of the earnings of their native-born counterparts ($762). (Source: Foreign-Born Workers: Labor Force Characteristics—2017)
 
We will start new businesses
What will we do? 

• We will start those businesses we have wanted to start.
• We will grow our current businesses.

What are the statistics? Indeed, 13% of all female-owned companies are run by women who were born outside of the U.S. (Source: Why Immigrant Women Make Great Entrepreneurs)
 
We will make social connections
What will we do? 

• We will invest time in making and forming connections to family, friends and acquaintances
• We will support others in building new connections.

What are the statistics?  Immigrant women have fewer local social connections than their Canadian-born counterparts. (Source: Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report)

We will take advance of opportunities and resources available to us
What will we do?

• We will educate ourselves on free or low-cost resources available to boost your economic and social situations.
• We will get mentorship by others successful women in our fields.

What are the statistics? Female migrant workers are less likely than men to make the most of the economic and social opportunities of mobility (Source: Women on the move)
 
Final Thoughts

• We have a lot of great opportunities and gaps to fill!
• You can do it - you can be the first!
• What are your aspirational goals? Personally, I am working on starting my own business, coaching skilled immigrant women and employing women in different countries.

Great Resources

• TED Talks: Immigrants who founded amazing companies
  
• TED Talk Taiye Selasi: Don't ask where I'm from, ask where I'm a local