Moira Forbes Talks With Nation’s Most-Powerful Women On The Lasting Legacy Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Seventeen of the nation’s most-powerful women spoke with Moira Forbes, Executive Vice President and Publisher of ForbesWomen, about the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the United States Supreme Court Justice who passed away at the age of 87. ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath, along with Rachel Sandler, staff writer, also examine the justice’s influential rulings and positions that left an indelible mark on business during her extensive legal career.

“I asked power women, who in their own way have broken barriers, to reflect on how Bader Ginsburg influenced their careers and inspired them to create opportunities for others, as she had done for them,” Forbes writes in a roundup piece published this morning. “All our successes are built on the foundation that RBG gave us through her victories (and) we each have a responsibility to carry forward her fight of the last eight decades and take it further for future generations.”

Among the power women with whom Moira Forbes spoke:

·      Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, who praised Ginsburg for “taking apart systemic gender discrimination piece by piece;”

·      Indra Nooyi, the former Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, who encouraged women everywhere to carry on the justice’s legacy and “make sure that our gloves are ready, so that we can put them back on and fight to keep her legacy alive;”

·      Tory Burch, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Tory Burch LLC, who admired Ginsburg’s “fierce courage and unwavering commitment to justice;”

·      Roz Brewer, Group President and COO, Starbucks Coffee Company, who said, “When faced with tough social or ethical decisions, I would often ask myself, ‘What would a leader like Ruth do?’”

·      Julie Sweet, the CEO of Accenture, who described meeting Ginsburg in law school and how her presence “inspired me to work even harder, so I could meet her standards;”

·      Mary Barra, the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Company, who pledged to “continue her work for equality and justice for all.”

As women leaders across industries delivered praise for Ginsburg, Forbes journalists McGrath and Sandler examine how her time on the high court shaped the business landscape in such landmark cases as:

·      Ledbetter v. Goodyear, which spawned the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (2007);

·      Reed v. Reed (1971), which ultimately struck down a law on the basis of gender discrimination; and

·      United States v. Virginia (1996), which struck down all-male military academies, a ruling that is considered by scholars to be among the most-important of Ginsburg’s career.

McGrath writes, “These experiences would lay the groundwork for a career spent slowly dismantling gender discrimination in American life and work, and it is for this work, Ginsburg is most often celebrated. But her sense of justice and quest for fairness extends to many corners of work and business.”

About Forbes

The defining voice of entrepreneurial capitalism, Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 160 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 40 licensed local editions in 70 countries. Forbes Media’s brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. For more information, visit the Forbes News Hub or Forbes Connect.