When it comes to women’s equality in the workplace, Tory Burch has long been ahead of the game. “When I started my company, flexibility was top of mind,” Burch says just a few days after hosting her third-ever Tory Burch Foundation Summit, a full-day event jam-packed with motivational speeches and thoughtful discussions. “I was a working mother and wanted to create an environment where everyone could flourish personally and professionally.” While Burch herself has worked tirelessly, the pandemic revealed just how little the workforce actually cares for its women—working moms in particular.
So Burch, along with her foundation, has doubled down on efforts to support women in the workplace. That voice of “all are welcome here” resonated throughout the Embrace Ambition Summit, which was held in New York City this past June. Featured speakers and guests included a who’s who of boundary-breaking women, including Billie Jean King, Julianne Moore, Dolores Huerta, Jacqueline Woodson, and more. These special guests touched on topics like unconscious bias, mental health, gun safety, and several other issues impacting workplaces.
Those conversations are just one part of the foundation’s work, though. The greater initiative is lifting female-owned businesses—not just figuratively, through emotional support, but literally, too, with resources and capital. The foundation offers bank loan partnerships, webinars for small-business owners, and even a fellowship program. Laurie Fabiano, the president of the Tory Burch Foundation, tells Oprah Daily that their program is demonstrating noticeable growth for female-owned businesses. “Only 4 percent of women ever make it past $1 million in revenue, but for our Fellows, that number is 30 percent, and it grows every day.”
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Even with this positive upward trend in women business owners, “the fact that we are still talking about women’s ambition is a clear indicator that we have a long way to go,” Burch says. She notes the steep decrease in working women—“today, there are two million fewer women in the workforce than in January 2020”—and attributes that to the fact that during the pandemic, many women took on the brunt of childcare and thus had to leave their 9-to-5 jobs.
That is exactly what Burch and Fabiano are looking to change. “Until women do not have to choose between having a career and having a family, there will not be real equality,” Burch says. “The system is broken; there is no infrastructure for childcare, and current policies do not adequately consider the needs of women and families.” During the summit, C. Nicole Mason, the president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, noted there is still too much pressure on women. “[She] spoke about the unrealistic expectations placed on working mothers,” Burch says. “As she explained, women try to do it all—and when we can’t, we blame ourselves.”
Here's where the definition of ambition is taking a turn: It’s no longer about doing it all or solely advancing your career. “It’s about believing in yourself, making the choices that are right for you, and never apologizing for those choices,” Burch says. “I want to encourage women to be ambitious in everything they do, whether they’re CEOs or stay-at-home mothers.” The key message is clear: Ambition is for everyone.
That means the conversation should extend to men, too. “One thing I always say is that we need to bring more men into the conversation, otherwise we’re just talking to ourselves,” Burch says. “We need men to be true allies in the work around women’s issues because when women are empowered, everyone benefits.” While true change is happening slowly, Burch is inspired by the next generation. “My sons certainly don’t think women should be less ambitious than men,” she says.
Burch and Fabiano don’t deny that the workplace can still be a difficult place for women. (“Are women founders overall doing better? The jury’s still out on that,” Fabiano asks.) But there’s a silver lining through it all. “The good news is that people are finally talking about these problems, so we have an opportunity to fix them,” Burch says. She calls out another C. Nicole Mason moment: “Nicole said: ‘We need to think bigger and believe in the possibility of a better tomorrow—one we can’t yet see. Let’s start with big ideas, not small ones.’” Like Burch says, it’s time to believe in yourself. You never know where it might take you.
Cassie Hurwitz (she/her) is an assistant editor at Oprah Daily, where she covers everything from culture to entertainment to lifestyle. She can typically be found in the middle of multiple books and TV shows all at once. Previously, Cassie worked at Parents, Rachael Ray In Season, and Reveal. Her love language is pizza (New York slices, Chicago deep dish, and otherwise).
