A future where the Women Chemists Committee is no longer necessary

It has been 99 years since the founding of the American Chemical Society Women Chemists Committee (WCC). Nearly a century of steady progress has been achieved in areas of engagement, advancement, recognition, and advocacy, along with a vision of equal representation and influence in the chemistry enterprise.I do not believe the goal of WCC is permanence. In fact, I believe the true measure of our success will be the day we become unnecessary.What would it take to reach a point where focused efforts like ours are no longer needed? I often imagine that world. Not because it is imminent, but because the vision gives us direction. It will likely not arrive in my daughter’s lifetime, perhaps not even in my granddaughter’s. Yet, I hope a future generation will inherit a chemistry enterprise where equity is so embedded that a dedicated committee is not warranted. That future will not happen on its own.For years, we have told ourselves that as more women earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemistry, leadership parity will naturally follow. The ladder, we assumed, would fix itself. While representation at entry levels has improved, underrepresentation persists in senior leadership across academia, industry, and government. Progress at the base has not automatically translated to equity at the top.The barriers are often subtle but powerful. Male colleagues under consideration for new opportunities are often characterized as “He can learn or do anything, he is a Swiss Army knife.” How often are professional women described that way? More commonly, women