Excerpted from an interview of philanthropist Melinda Gates, by Jeremy Hobson on the American Public Media program, Marketplace Morning Report for Tuesday July 10, 2012.
Hobson: Why do you think that in 2012, there is still such a lack of women in high-ranking positions, especially in the world of business?
Gates: I think that's a complicated issue, and I think it's different depending on where you go — whether it's in Europe or if it's in the United States. But what I would encourage women to do is to use their voice — and when they see an issue, stand up and speak about it. When they see another woman they can mentor or sponsor into a role, I think that's really important for women to do. I think you see women doing that more, and I think the more we see that, I think you'll start to get this positive momentum of more women actually climbing into some of those positions. And we are seeing some progress, but certainly not enough.
Hobson: Did you personally ever struggle with a work-life balance, or feel that you couldn't advance in the way that a man could?
Gates: I think all women struggle in the United States if they have children and they're working; I'm sure all women struggle with that work-life balance. And certainly, I do. The foundation has unique challenges because I travel around the globe and obviously, if you go to a place like Africa or Bangladesh, you don't just drop in for a couple of days.
But the nice thing is that this work allows me to do both, and I enjoy it so much. What's really made me passionate are the women I meet on the ground and realizing that I can give voice to them, to the issues that they really struggle with. I mean, you want to talk about a real life struggle?
Can you feed your children? Can you educate your children? And I'm so passionate about giving voice to them that it's worth working on.