Why Female CEOs Are More Qualified Than Male CEOs. Plus: How To Keep Better Track Of Your Best Ideas

Forbes

23-05-2025

This is this week's ForbesWomen newsletter, which every Thursday brings news about the world's top female entrepreneurs, leaders and investors straight to your inbox. Click here to get on the newsletter list!
Graduation season is in full swing, and if you have a loved one walking a stage in a cap and gown (even if that stage is at the local pre-school), congratulations! A lot of work goes into reaching these moments, so it's important to take a little bit of time and celebrate.
We have a bevy of recent grad coverage across Forbes.com, including the latest list of America's Best Employers For New Grads (I won't give the full ranking away, but I will say No. 11 surprised me). Leadership contributor Margie Warrell wrote a handy guide to 'Adulting 101,' and fintech contributor Nandan Sheth wrote about the college debt that many Gen-Z workers are shouldering, and what employers can and should do about it.
I always recommend sending these stories to the 18- and 22-year-olds in your life and also taking some time to read the advice yourself. Even if you're a decade (or four) removed from your most recent graduation, it never hurts to be reminded to brave awkward moments, find the treasure when you trip, and above all, bet on yourself.
Cheers!
Maggie
P.S.: Nominations for the 2025 U.S. 50 Over 50 will close in ONE WEEK, so your time is running out to tell us about someone who should be on our radar! Head to this link here to tell us about a woman you think should be on this year's list. Full nominations criteria are on that page but the most important bit to remember: We're looking for people who were born in 1974 or earlier.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 21: Mel Robbins reads her smash hit book "The Let Them Theory," a #1 ... More New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestseller in the studios of her production company, 143 Studios on April 21, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo byfor Mel Robbins)
At 56, Mel Robbins describes herself as being in a 'peak moment.' She first gained wide recognition with her 2017 book The 5 Second Rule, based on a behavioral technique she developed during what she has called her 'rock bottom' in her 40s, a period marked by both personal and financial crisis. That book went on to sell millions of copies and established her as a voice of action. With her newest book, 'The Let Them Theory,' Robbins examines the weight we carry out of habit and asks what it means to release what was never ours to manage. 'This isn't about letting go,' Robbins told Moira Forbes in a recent interview. 'I've never been able to let anything go. But when you say, 'let them,' you're not giving in. You're opting out of the noise. You're stepping back into your own life.'
Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser (Photo by)
Are female CEOs in their position due to 'preferential treatment' and not merit, as those who attack DEI like to say? A new analysis from Women's Power Gab shows the very opposite is true: Women who become CEO are not only qualified but may also be more experienced than their male peers. In fact, women were 32% more likely to have served as company president before becoming CEO, while men were more likely to advance from division head or COO.
This month, Tory Burch has unveiled an ambitious new pledge: To generate more than $1 billion in economic impact through female entrepreneurs by 2030. The commitment that signals a new chapter for a Burch's foundation, which has already helped hundreds of women-led businesses across the country. 'Women are great investments,' Burch told Forbes. 'Diversity is what I find beautiful and also good for business.'
New research from the American Association for Cancer Research shows good and bad news in the fight against breast cancer: Mortality in U.S. women aged 20 to 49 dropped significantly between 2010 and 2020. Yet at the same time, incidence rates are on the rise, which the AACR authors say is due to no single reason.
A bill seeking to close a loophole in Texas' sexual assault laws has been struggling to become law—in spite of broad bipartisan support. That bill has finally been scheduled for a hearing on Thursday. Earlier this week, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton and advocate and survivor Summer Willis joined ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath to explain why this bill matters for women not just in Texas, but across the country.
In other policy news: President Trump signed the Take It Down Act to force platforms to take down deepfake nudes, revenge porn and other types of non-consensual intimate imagery. Building on that momentum, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reintroduced the DEFIANCE Act to allow victims to sue those who created or shared these explicit images.
1. Go with your gut, even when it's ahead of technological advancements. Alice Chang got the idea for AI-powered 'try on' technology for makeup (think of virtual shade matches for foundation that you use before you add something to your cart) almost a full decade before we all started talking about AI all the time. As she told ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath, she persisted in building a company based around this tool—and today, that company, Perfect Corp, is used by hundreds of beauty retailers around the world.
2. Keep track of your best ideas. In most companies, great ideas have a vanishing half-life: A project team wraps a phase and notices a pattern, or a sales call reveals language that perfectly captures a client's problem, but then… the idea fades. It doesn't get logged or tested. This is why you need an idea dashboard—and how to implement one.
3. Understand why your homeowner's insurance is so expensive, and what you can do about it. Throughout the country, homeowners are assessing how they can afford the rising cost of insurance. This exclusive Forbes deep dive explains why prices are rising and what, if anything, we can all do about it.