Colorado Women’s Chamber CEO, Simone Ross, pens op/ed in Colorado Politics: ”Women are not DEI — they’re GDP | OPINION”

The Numbers Don’t Lie: What Recent Job Data Reveals About Women and the Economy

Behind the headlines of a stable job market lies a troubling reality: while the nation added 175,000 jobs last month, Black women lost 106,000 positions — the steepest decline of any demographic group. Their unemployment rate jumped a full percentage point, from 5.1% to 6.1%.

This isn’t just a workforce issue. It’s an economic warning sign.

And it’s not isolated to employment data. Right here in Colorado, women’s representation on corporate boards has actually declined in 2025, signaling a broader retreat from progress that should alarm business leaders and policymakers alike.

As leaders we have to cut through the political rhetoric around workplace diversity to reveal what these statistics really mean for our economic future. Treating women’s workforce participation as a “diversity initiative” fundamentally misses the point.

Women aren’t DEI — they’re GDP.

Read the full article to discover why women’s economic participation isn’t a choice we can make — it’s an economic imperative we can’t afford to ignore.