Rachel Partners with Lean In's Ban Bossy Campaign

Rachel is working with LeanIn.Org and Girl Scouts of the USA to launch Ban Bossy, a campaign to encourage leadership and achievement in girls. Rachel developed educational materials for the campaign, which also includes a new website, public service announcements, and endorsements by celebrities and others. Ban Bossy will draw attention to the ways girls and women are discouraged from leading, beginning when girls are called “bossy.” It will offer educational resources to help girls and women take the lead and give parents, teachers, troop leaders and managers hands-on strategies for supporting female leadership. The campaign is promoting the #banbossy hashtag to spread the word.Starting at a surprisingly young age, girls are discouraged from leading. When a little boy asserts himself, he is called a “leader.” Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded “bossy” -- a precursor to words like “aggressive,” “angry” and “too ambitious” that are often used to describe strong female leaders. It’s no wonder that by middle school, girls are less interested in leadership roles than boys, a trend that continues into adulthood and reduces the ranks of women at the top of organizations everywhere.