{"id":22070,"date":"2025-11-03T07:18:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T07:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/budgetadirect.com\/?p=22070"},"modified":"2025-11-03T07:18:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T07:18:02","slug":"how-these-6-women-climbed-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/budgetadirect.com\/?p=22070","title":{"rendered":"How these 6 women climbed up |"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Many women today won\u2019t see pay equality in their lifetime. That\u2019s due to forces like the \u201cbroken rung\u201d \u2014 or the lack of clear paths from entry level or middle management positions into the highest-earning corporate roles.<\/p>\n

But plenty of women have bucked this trend and are eager to share how they did it. I talked to six female executives who told me their stories of rising the ranks in tech, marketing, public relations, entrepreneurship, financial services and renewable energy.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what they learned along the way.<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n Most working women won\u2019t see equal pay before they retire, Bankrate analysis finds
\n <\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Here\u2019s exactly why it\u2019s taking so long. Read more.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Jacquelyn Berney, president in marketing<\/h2>\n
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Jacquelyn Berney wants women to create their own career opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to write down what your goals are,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you don\u2019t know what you want, then how are you going to get it?\u201d<\/p>\n

During her temporary receptionist job at VI Marketing & Branding, Berney studied at the front desk to earn her marketing degree. She\u2019s now president of the company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As a temp, Berney saw a need for the company to recruit new clients. She presented the job position, and then put herself in it. Her advice for young working women is to bring solutions to problems, which can include creating your next role.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As she puts it: \u201cHey, you need this person, and I\u2019m right here.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first, building relationships with older men was tricky. Some clients wouldn\u2019t ride in the car or have business meals with her alone. She built trust over time by offering direct counsel, without the schmoozing. Berney ascended from brand manager to vice president of branding to where she sits today, along with a stint as founder of a consulting firm.<\/p>\n

In her words, women are put into two buckets \u2014\u00a0strong, so you\u2019re difficult to work with, or meek, so you can\u2019t accomplish anything. \u201cWhenever I was seen as strong or difficult, it definitely hindered my ability to move forward,\u201d she says. \u201cBut no one could argue with my results.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At VI, Berney has helped introduce a parental policy, a room for nursing moms and overall flexible schedules for working parents. The company\u2019s been named a top place to work by The Oklahoman the last four years in a row.<\/p>\n

Melissa Franks, fractional chief operating officer<\/h2>\n
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\"Melissa<\/figure>\n
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Melissa Franks, fractional chief operating officer and founder of On Call COO, has a bossy personality. \u201cI think now that\u2019s called leadership skills,\u201d she laughs. \u201cBut at the time, I was definitely told on a regular basis I was being too bossy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her first job after graduation was as an administrative assistant at Gap Inc., where she began asking questions about efficiency. Her curiosity amid the dot-com bubble led her from administration to technology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Franks encourages young women to also stay flexible with their career aspirations. \u201cIt\u2019s OK for the goals you set at 22 to not be the goals you want at 35,\u201d she says. \u201cThere is abundant opportunity everywhere for somebody that is creative and willing to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within 20 years, she\u2019d joined the C-suite of a tech company.<\/p>\n

Franks admits motherhood came with sacrifices. She traveled around the globe and often only saw her children on weekends, not without comments from other C-suite leaders. A peer told her she was doing a disservice to her kids.<\/p>\n

But, \u201cIf I had stayed home, I wouldn\u2019t have had the career that I had,\u201d she explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, Franks runs a startup offering part-time operational leadership to small businesses. She recently helped an overworked mom of young kids grow her business\u2019s revenue by 400 percent.<\/p>\n

That financial freedom was life-changing for her client. For Franks, it\u2019s all in a day\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n Gender pay gaps vary by state, industry, job and race and ethnicity
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<\/p>\n

\n Here\u2019s where pay disparities are the widest. Read more.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Vishakha Mathur, vice president in public relations<\/h2>\n
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\"Vishakha<\/figure>\n
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Vishakha Mathur moved from India to the U.S. for her master\u2019s degree in journalism \u2014 facing cultural and language differences.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, her American mentors helped her feel more confident with workplace dialect. They also taught her to upskill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important to have a good relationship with folks within your workplace, and to let them know what you\u2019re looking forward to and what would help you in your growth,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

That networking served her well. In eight years, Mathur climbed the ladder of public relations, from entry-level account executive to director to now serving as the vice president of SKDK, a political PR firm.<\/p>\n

She suggests young women in the workforce do two things: First, invest early in the right skills to fit the future of your industry. Second, make mistakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour propensity to make a mistake and correct it is so much higher when you\u2019re young and when you\u2019re starting out,\u201d she says. \u201cMaybe it\u2019ll work. And if it does, then we\u2019ve just discovered something new that we can provide for our clients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jen Millard, entrepreneur and CEO<\/h2>\n
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\"Jen<\/figure>\n
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Jen Millard comes from an excavation and lobstering family in Maine. The first to attend college, she moved to Chicago after graduation to become Sears\u2019s first female store manager before shifting to consulting. Her industry experiences are almost too long to list on a r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Millard was the only woman in the room for most of her career. But in her words, that\u2019s where the important work happens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

She discourages women from \u201cbuilding their own table\u201d at the risk of getting left behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe seat is at the table \u2014 sit down,\u201d she advises. \u201cAnd act like a business person.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she climbed higher, work-life balance became slippery. \u201cI was on a plane, I was gone a lot, I missed a lot,\u201d she says about motherhood. \u201cWould I love to be at every concert? Of course. Was I able to be at every concert? I was not.\u201d Still, she raised adaptable kids.<\/p>\n

Today, she\u2019s the co-founder of a small business, Mainelove, that uses breweries\u2019 facilities to produce flavored and sparkling water when beer production is idle. She\u2019s also creating jobs for young people in her home state.<\/p>\n

Sheffali Welch, chief operating officer in financial services<\/h2>\n
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\"Sheffali<\/figure>\n
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Sheffali Welch\u2019s first job was in a shoe store, sparking her love for high heels. Standing just over five feet tall, the added height boosts her authority among taller peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been in many companies where there\u2019s this equation that if you\u2019re small, you must be young. And if you\u2019re young, you must be inexperienced,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But Welch held her head high and built a career with major players in banking. She\u2019s now the chief operating officer at The Clearing House, a payments company.<\/p>\n

Her advice is for women to take more risks \u2014 in the same way men do \u2014 to spur their career growth. And if you need to take a break for family obligations, do it unapologetically. Women often return to work at a lower pay rate. But after pausing her career to care for her mother, Welch vowed to rejoin the workforce with higher pay and more seniority.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour worth doesn\u2019t decline just because you\u2019re not sitting in front of a computer at a desk for 12 hours a day,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Bankrate found women in finance typically earn 62.7 cents for every dollar men earn. It\u2019s important to look for a company that levels the playing field.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why Welch wants young women to ask the hard questions in interviews. \u201cWhere are there other senior women around the table?\u201d she probes. \u201cWhat is the level of seniority I\u2019m going to have, and the voice that I think I\u2019m going to have at that table?\u201d<\/p>\n

Zo\u00eb Gamble, president in renewable energy<\/h2>\n
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\"Zoe<\/figure>\n
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Zo\u00eb Gamble dropped out of high school as a sophomore before finishing her degree in community college. After studying environmental law, she worked as a lawyer in tax credits and low-income housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was terribly boring,\u201d she says. \u201cI would close my door and cry at my desk pretty much every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

But it wasn\u2019t for naught. She suggests young people say yes to opportunities, because they can get you where you\u2019re trying to go. At her first job, she mastered taxes and served on five nonprofit boards.<\/p>\n

And it was at a nonprofit fundraiser when she met the director of a solar energy startup, who asked her for tax help.<\/p>\n

Gamble ended up spending 800 hours pro bono helping bring renewable energy to North Carolina. Today, she\u2019s the president of CleanChoice Energy, a home energy provider powered by wind and solar farms.<\/p>\n

When it comes to women negotiating pay or promotions, she points to the trust equation: credibility plus reliability plus authenticity, divided by perceptions of self-interest. Gamble says women have to work harder to downplay their self-interest than men do. Thus, she suggests framing negotiations around how your work will serve the greater organization.<\/p>\n

Because right now, women in legal occupations only earn 54.8 cents to every dollar men earn.<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n I talked to three women who asked for higher pay. This is what they got \u2014 and what they learned.
\n <\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\n For working women, asking for more money isn\u2019t as simple as \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno.\u201d Read more.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The bottom line<\/h2>\n

Amid stories of women downtrodden by corporate politics, there are also those of female managers, entrepreneurs and C-suite leaders who\u2019ve defied the odds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Working women who want to bypass the broken rung can aim to gain relevant skills, take their seat at the table and embrace risks, these women say. Not every job will be a win nor every negotiation a success. But while companies and policies play important roles, so do individuals.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a woman, too, with my own share of past mistakes and discomfort. I\u2019ve quit jobs, pivoted roles, lost jobs and earned promotions. I\u2019m in your corner \u2014 and hopeful we can still win the fight for equal pay.<\/p>\n

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\n We don\u2019t want this to be our last word on the gender wage gap. If you have a story to share, I\u2019d love to hear from you. Connect with me at kkelton@bankrate.com.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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