Syndicate for Human Equity, Inc.
SHE
™
SHE - 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 3 business certification marks:
We will only reach parity if we all work together.
is on a mission to make gender equality an everyone issue.
SHE Marks
Our SHE Marks aim to serve both businesses and consumers in an effort to further the movement towards true gender parity in the workplace across the globe through business certification.
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SHE is committed to creating a future where gender equality in business is common practice so that we can reach our full economic and societal potential, globally. To accomplish this, we want companies to feature the appropriate SHE Mark(s) on packaging, store-fronts, websites, advertisements, and more to indicate their values to consumers at point of purchase.
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SHE recognizes the collaborative effort needed at all levels to realize gender equity in the economy and around the world — that's why our standards apply to companies with at least 50% representation in their ranks. SHE knows that we can only grow the pie when all of us are united, making space for all women and gender diverse individuals in the economy to work alongside our male champions.
TM
SHE is on a mission to make gender equality an everyone issue, one SHE Certified company at a time.
Through our business certifications, SHE 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. Through use of the SHE MarksTM, SHE envisions the world moving closer to a more ethical economy that benefits all people.
Women make a difference at all levels of a company’s workforce - that’s why
the SHE Marks are inclusive.
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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.
When people of all backgrounds work together, we create a better present and future.
If women were to be employed identically to men by the year 2025, our global GDP would increase by $28 trillion .
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McKinsey Global Institute, The Power of Parity (2016).
Our Story
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 SHE 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 SHE could change the world?
While we don’t know the answers yet, the SHE Team of 3 (welcome, Meg!) is dedicated to fulfilling this unmet need and helping to reach economic parity.
Why "SHE"
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.
SHE's core values are a commitment to
integrity
SHE is dedicated to building and maintaining trust and validity in our standards for the SHE Marks.
inclusivity
SHE is determined to support, include, and appreciate all women and gender diverse individuals at different levels of the workforce, because every effort matters.
humanity
SHE is devoted to seeing and honoring the individual human being in everyone, through connection, recognition, and representation.
sustainability
SHE is driven to have a positive and lasting impact on both the planet and the economy, because our collective future depends on it.
Are you interested in becoming SHE Certified?
