The SHE Mark Origin Story
The idea for The SHE Mark was sparked on International Women’s Day in 2017. Read about The SHE Mark's origin story.
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Syndicate for Human Equity, Inc.
The SHE Mark™
The SHE Mark - is a benefit corporation that verifies the work being done across industries to prioritize (at least) equal inclusion of all women in the course of business and makes it easier to communicate those efforts using our three business certification marks:
We will only reach parity if we all work together.
That is why the
or
is on a mission to make gender equality an everyone issue.
SHE Marks™
The SHE Mark is committed to creating a future where gender equality in business is common practice - where businesses feature their SHE Certifications in their marketing and branding, and consumers see the SHE Marks at point of purchase - allowing us all to work together towards a more ethical economy for all. Through our business certifications, The SHE Mark is creating a means for companies to verify and transparently communicate a piece of their business practices with consumers, and for consumers to make educated and empowered purchasing decisions based on their values, therefore expanding diversity in our economy. The SHE Certified Community™ is inclusive: SHE Certified™ companies may be male-owned, small and local, or publicly traded; while some may be majority owned by women, our array of marks recognizes the many ways in which women and gender diverse individuals can impact a company.
Beyond our core three marks - SHEruns, SHEmakes, and SHEowns - we have plans to create an entire SHE Universe. That means more marks and more ways to identify and celebrate gender equity around the world!
Our Mission
We are on a mission to make gender equality an everyone issue, one SHE Certified company at a time.
Our Vision
We envision a more inclusive gender equal future, where our SHE Marks increase the market-share of businesses run and owned by women and encourage other businesses to strive for gender equality across their workforce.
The need for SHE revealed itself to our co-founder, Sterling, when she wanted to exclusively buy from woman-owned brands for a happy hour celebration on International Women’s Day in 2017. After a failed online search for some sort of extensive database, she resorted to doing individual brand research while at the grocery store and picking an employee’s brain at her local wine shop. While on her quest, it became clear that in order to find enough companies that fit the qualifications, she would need to make some exceptions. If women were at the helm and/or creatively involved, they made the cut (thank you, LinkedIn)! If the company was co-owned with a man, they were included! Most eye-opening was the fact that unless the company outwardly promoted their inclusion of women on their website, packaging, or social media, there was little to no other easy way of discovering that information.
Her experience that day sparked the ultimate question:
If consumers already have easy access to verified information regarding nutrition, ingredients, and animal testing (to name a few), why wasn’t there an equivalent for woman-owned and run businesses?
And with that, SHE Marks were born - a collection of certification marks that showcases all the ways in which women contribute in the workforce (cue SHEruns, SHEmakes, and SHEowns.)
With the help of Ilana and their expertise in law and business, the seed of an idea grew, and a list of compelling questions drove The SHE Mark forward...
What if giving consumers easier access to this information resulted in more revenue and growth for these companies? What would the world look like if companies strived for gender equality? What could happen if we empower consumers to make better purchasing decisions rooted in the support of women at work? What if consumer demand prompted companies to actually care about this?
What if The SHE Mark could change the world?
While we don’t know the answers yet, The SHE Mark is dedicated to fulfilling this unmet need and helping to reach global economic gender parity.
The SHE Mark Team consists of our two co-founders, Sterling Champion and Ilana Broad.
Sterling comes to The SHE Mark with a background in office management and corporate culture, event production, and creative direction and branding.
Ilana comes to The SHE Mark with expertise in intellectual property law, lobbying, and digital organizing.
Both co-founders have experience in entrepreneurship and building community and are especially grateful to have such complementary skill sets.
If you would like to meet our co-founders, schedule a call here.
Many ask why we chose to use SHE in the name and the answer is two-fold. First, it was important that the name (and certification mark design) be straightforward, bold, and memorable. The ability to successfully get information across quickly and effectively was a major factor. Second, it was imperative that the name reflect our belief that getting to gender equality requires gender equity, raising up currently underrepresented peoples. In regards to economic gender equality, that means bringing up women and gender diverse people.
The fact of the matter is, in order to create a truly intersectional, feminist society, a world where everyone can reap the benefits of gender equality, we have to raise women up. We don’t have to start by raising women up, because others don’t have to wait. We don’t have to only raise women up but, in order to accomplish economic gender equality for all, we must raise women up. The need is REAL, but to be clear: our movement welcomes all - men, genderqueer people, and people who don’t exist within the gender binary (hey there, two-spirit folks – how are you doing?)!
We see this need across many sectors of modern society (and you can get a pretty good look at that in the Global Gender Gap Report, a yearly publication by the World Economic Forum), and it’s definitely clear in the economy. We chose the name SHE as the prefix for our collection of feminist certification marks because we know that creating the gender-equal economy we imagine requires moving more of our focus, energy, and money towards companies that hire and promote women, that are run by women. When you see a SHE Mark in public, know that you’re not only seeing a company that hires and promotes women – you’re working to create a gender-equal economy in support of all genders and the people that wear them.
Are you ready to get SHE Certified?
Do you have any questions?
Schedule a call with one of our founders!
The SHE Mark's core values are a commitment to
Integrity
We are dedicated to building and maintaining trust and validity in our standards for the SHE Marks.
Inclusivity
We are determined to support, include, and appreciate all women and gender diverse individuals at different levels of the workforce, because every effort matters.
Humanity
We are devoted to seeing and honoring the individual human being in everyone, through connection, recognition, and representation.
Sustainability
We are driven to have a positive and lasting impact on both the planet and the economy, because our collective future depends on it.
Follow our journey!
Learn more about The SHE Mark on our blog.
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