Leslie Cohen, CREW Boston

In August, the Arizona Cardinals brought on Jen Welter as the first female coach for an NFL team. Nancy Lieberman followed her shortly thereafter, as assistant coach of the NBA Sacramento Kings. These appointments have brought on a torrent of commentary, both supportive and disparaging, encouraging and derogatory. Both appointments have been accused of being visionary, or being PR stunts, or being both concurrently.

The bottom line is these women will receive comments, criticisms and attention for one fundamental reason: they are different. Women lead differently. They compete differently. And most of us in business, while not as noteworthy as Dr. Welter, have experienced something akin to the same issues of standing out, just for who we are, and being seen as different, not always in a good and accepting way. We have been seen as having to prove ourselves as capable, as more than just really great workers, but as leaders.

If football is the “final frontier” for women’s sports, is real estate the final frontier for women in business? While we have a wealth of senior women in real estate and related fields, the CEOs and board members are not represented in equal numbers by women, not by a long shot. Younger women report equally frustrating difficulties in breaking down barriers to the baby-boomer advance team. And according to the US Department of Labor, women still make $0.78 for every dollar earned by a man.

Jen Welter has commented that the positive and supportive remarks make her realize that she is “showing women and girls what’s possible in this world—and to show guys that there is a another dimension to a lot of women…my opportunity could create a lot of other opportunities.”

CREW Boston and other womens’ organizations like NAWIC (National Association for Women in Construction) are critical to continued advancement of women in the real estate community. We have the ability to create other opportunities through our own, both as role models and as real mentors, hiring, positioning, and helping women to compete and succeed. And, we can educate both men and women to continue to see that “different” is often a good thing. Much has been written recently about the need to balance both genders in the leadership roles. Change happens slowly, and we should celebrate the positives without forgetting we have a long way to go.

CREW Boston also supports through education, knowledge, peer perspective and real data around important issues like equal pay. I hope you’ll get involved and see for yourself---you just may have the chance to see another capable woman get an opportunity because of your opportunities. That’s a powerful moment.

Leslie Cohen, principal, executive vice president of development at Samuels & Associates, is the 2015-2016 president of CREW Boston.

To learn more about CREW Boston and upcoming events visit www.crewboston.org or follow us on Twitter @CREWBoston.