Women in the Spotlight

by Susan Burns

Photography by Lori Sax

Our annual Women’s Issue is filled with stories of successful female professionals and entrepreneurs in Sarasota and Manatee. But if anyone thinks that women have come so far that an issue like this seems outdated, we only have to point to April 8, 2014, Equal Pay Day. This date marks how far into the year it takes the average American woman—who is the primary or co-primary breadwinner in 6 out of 10 American families—to catch up to what an average American man made the previous year.

If gender equality still seems like a distant goal, how about other measures of advancement for women at work? We brought together six women—three boomers and three millennials—to discuss their experiences; you can listen in to their lively conversation in “She Said, She Said,” page 18.

You’ll also meet some women who left “safe” professions to pursue a personal passion. Their stories (“Dream Jobs,” page 54) should inspire anyone who’s been mulling over the idea of making a living out of what she—or he—loves to do.