Girl Bosses

Recognizing the women who lead the school

The number of women in U.S. leadership positions has reached historic highs. The opening of the 117th Congress (2021), marked an historic high with 26 women serving in the U.S. Senate. Their research also showed 118 women serving as voting members of the House of Representatives, as well as six Democratic and three Republican women serving as governors. During the 2020 election Kamala Harris became the first female vice president in U.S. history. These numbers fluctuate, but provide insight to the amount of women taking higher leadership positions in our country.

In spite of the increases, female presence in top leadership positions, including equity law partners, medical school deans and corporate executive officers, remains stuck at five percent to 20 percent compared to men according to the The Center for American Progress. 

At Northwest, we have a strong female presence in leadership roles. Our school has provided equal opportunities for all students to strive for leadership, but the number of females going for these opportunities over the years has become recognized. 

“With a female student body president coming into office and more female leadership in other Northwest organizations, I think it helps inspire other Northwest women to get involved and know that they are just as capable of having everything they want as any guy is,” said Junior Natalie Peterson. Peterson is this year’s Spirit Club president, more from her can be found by visiting smnw.com (see QR code). 

Compared to the world, Northwest shows tremendous growth and value in female leadership. Northwest is seen as a place where equal leadership is a defining factor of the culture. Good leaders have always been provided the same chances regardless of gender, giving Northwest students a chance to break the statistics.