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Let\u2019s hear it for the girls!<\/p>\n
International Women\u2019s Day<\/a>\u00a0(IWD) is a global celebration of women\u2019s cultural, social, political and economic achievements. And as it happens to fall in March, which is also Women\u2019s History Month, the love is compounded. The theme for IWD 2023 is \u201cDigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,\u201d which, according to the United Nations, \u201crecognizes and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.\u201d Additionally, the theme of IWD 2023 offers an opportunity to examine how growing economic and social disparities are impacted by the digital gender gap and spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in the digital realm.<\/p>\n Since the dawn of the digital age in the mid-20th century, women have made untold unsung contributions to the development of our increasingly digital world. Grace Hopper was an esteemed computer scientist and one of the first computer programmers to work on the general-purpose electromechanical computer, Harvard Mark I; Radia Perlman, nicknamed the \u201cMother of the Internet\u201d designed the algorithm behind the\u00a0Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)<\/a>\u00a0and was instrumental in making today\u2019s internet possible; Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician whose trajectory analysis was crucial to the success of the first-ever US space flight.<\/p>\n While women make up only 22% of artificial intelligence workers globally, digital technology is creating new opportunities for the global emancipation of women, girls and other marginalized groups,\u00a0according to the United Nations<\/a>. The digital age offers an unparalleled chance to eradicate all types of inequity and inequality, from gender-responsive digital learning to tech-facilitated sexual and reproductive healthcare.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the cannabis industry, women hold significant roles as entrepreneurs, breeders, producers, marketers, researchers and more. Women have also developed innovative technological solutions and programs to help move the sector forward. However, despite the progress being made, there\u2019s still work to be done to achieve gender parity in the industry. According to the report \u201cDiversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Cannabis Industry<\/a>\u201d by MJBizDaily<\/em>, both cannabis company ownership and the percentage of women in executive-level roles have both shown stagnant growth from 2020-21, with both categories sitting around 1-2%.<\/p>\n The importance of showcasing and supporting women in historically male-dominated industries cannot be understated. According to psychologist Penelope Lockwood, women need to see female role models more than men need to see male role models.<\/p>\n \u201cOutstanding women can function as inspirational examples of success, illustrating the kinds of achievements that are possible for women around them, says Lockwood. \u201cThey demonstrate that it\u2019s possible to overcome traditional gender barriers, indicating to other women that high levels of success are indeed attainable.\u201d<\/p>\n To celebrate our sinsemilla sisters, three women who are challenging gender bias and inequality share their thoughts on the intersect of women, cannabis and technology.<\/p>\n Founder, PayRio, Inc.<\/p>\n PayRio<\/a> is a female-founded payments company that offers specialized payment solutions in the CBD, high-risk and health and wellness sectors. Founder and self-described \u201chighly driven, long-term payments geek\u201d Aubrey Amatelli<\/a> has a background in payment processing, honing her craft at corporate giants including JP Morgan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c80% of our business directly supports dispensary growth through card payments,\u201d Amatelli says. \u201cIt\u2019s our mission to normalize payments in the cannabis industry and we\u2019re off to a great start.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Amatelli says she has a lot of respect for cannabis and regularly uses the plant therapeutically. She says that her \u201clove for the plant\u201d led her to found PayRio with the goal to \u201cbring feminine energy to the technology payments space, in an industry bursting at the seams with potential feminine power\u201d and her goal is to \u201chelp that feminine power breakthrough and thrive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe cannabis flower we all love and support comes from the female plant, which is restorative and receptive by nature; this same energy has a significant impact on technology,\u201d says Amatelli. \u201cWomen in tech are also tied directly to increased revenue and innovation. Women contribute superior problem-solving and help close the skills gap. As the relationship between women, cannabis and tech grows, so will the cannabis industry\u2014a common mission for us all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Amatelli believes that to positively impact gender equality in cannabis, it\u2019s important to \u201cspread the love and support for women-owned cannabis businesses.\u201d Following women-owned businesses and vendors on social media platforms and purchasing products from their companies is a great way to show your support. But, she says, one of the most beneficial ways to impact gender equality in cannabis is to hire women and promote them from within. \u201cCreate flexible job requisitions and part-time roles that are conducive to women with children,\u201d she says. \u201cWe can do this!\u201d<\/p>\n Founder & CEO, Willow Industries<\/p>\n Willow Industries<\/a> is the industry leader in cannabis kill step and post-harvest microbial decontamination technology using organic, ozone-based technology that reduces or eliminates contaminants from cannabis while protecting the plant\u2019s medicinal properties. The Denver-based company has been named one of Inc. 5000\u2019s<\/em> fastest-growing private companies in America two years in a row and was recognized in the top 50 on the 2022 Financial Times<\/em>\u2019 list of The Americas\u2019 fastest-growing companies. Fueled by her passion for innovation and dedication to health, founder Jill Ellsworth<\/a> has made a career of creating solutions for better living.<\/p>\n For years, cannabis has helped Ellsworth \u201clevel out the emotional swings of being a CEO, without feeding into it, unlike alcohol.\u201d When she needs to feel \u201cZen\u201d but still function, Ellsworth reaches for low-level THC products.<\/p>\n Ellsworth founded Willow in 2015 and says back then, there were \u201cvery few women in the industry representing technology\u2014especially hardware.\u201d But she believes that this gave her a \u201ccompetitive advantage\u201d at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs time moved on, it has been really encouraging to see more women step into this industry as leaders and founders of tech companies and I know we will see less of a gender disparity as the industry matures,\u201d Ellsworth says. \u201cHowever, it takes women stepping into their light and being confident they can permeate a male-dominated industry. No one is going to give you that confidence. Have the strength and fortitude to put yourself out there and if that confidence radiates, people will follow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Ellsworth says she believes to see more progress in overcoming gender bias, women \u201cneed to continue championing for themselves\u201d and that \u201cno one will see your great accomplishments if you don\u2019t promote yourself. Women-founded companies only exist if women seize the opportunity and continually persevere. Don\u2019t give up and don\u2019t give in. If you have a great idea and there is a product\/market fit, make it happen,\u201d Ellsworth says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ellsworth says we\u2019ll continue to see a \u201cdynamic shift\u201d as more companies bring women into leadership roles. \u201cGone are the days when only white men make up executive suites and board rooms,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel confident that companies will start prioritizing women candidates for executive roles, so put yourself out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Principal and CEO, Cryo Cure<\/p>\n Cryo Cure is changing traditional cannabis drying and curing techniques. Revolutionary freeze-dried technology<\/a> removes the water content from harvested flower to preserve fragile trichomes and terpene potency at an optimal moisture level. The system dries and cures cannabis in as little as 13 hours, drastically cutting processing time from weeks to days. Before founding Cryo Cure, founder Tracee McAfee<\/a> spent three decades building multi-million-dollar brands in the consumer products sector. McAfee\u2019s diverse business background across new market sectors offers her a unique perspective to build and thrive in the cannabis industry.<\/p>\n \u201cCannabis doesn\u2019t care about your gender and it shouldn\u2019t matter to others, either,\u201d McAfee says, who \u201cadores all aspects of the cannabis plant\u201d and microdoses flower to treat her PTSD and overall well-being.<\/p>\n McAfee says that she has been \u201cvery fortunate not to have experienced gender or age discrimination\u201d in the cannabis industry. It saddens her when she \u201chears about other women that have had bad experiences in our space.\u201d She acknowledges the hard-working women who are making big waves in this space and believes that if you share your\u00a0\u201cpassion, experience and research with others and they see know what you\u2019re talking about, respect comes no matter your gender.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n McAfee recommends using sensitivity and awareness because some women entering this space \u201cmay have been through a rough time in their past careers. Give everyone the fresh start and respect they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n Above all else, McAfee says she loves paving the way for other women to enter this exciting industry. \u201cTo be a tech leader\u2014and in cannabis\u2014is an honor I carry proudly,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The post International Women\u2019s Day: Celebrating Tech Cannabis Leaders<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s hear it for the girls! International Women\u2019s Day\u00a0(IWD) is a global celebration of women\u2019s cultural, social, political and economic achievements. And as it happens to fall in March, which is also Women\u2019s History Month, the love is compounded. The theme for IWD 2023 is \u201cDigitALL: Innovation and technology forContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":234,"featured_media":62427,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16953,50,6536,16954,16955,16956,5943,3864,758,16621,16957,510,4229,5429,1319,16958,6538,16959],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62426"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/234"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62426"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62428,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62426\/revisions\/62428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Women in Weed<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IWD-Aubrey-Amatelli.jpg\")
<\/a>Aubrey Amatelli\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IWD-Jill-Ellsworth.jpg\")
<\/a>Jill Ellsworth\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IWD-Tracee-McAfee.jpg\")
<\/a>Tracee McAfee<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nRead More: International Women\u2019s Day: Celebrating Tech Cannabis Leaders<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"