Women in an Ultra Bro Culture How to Protect Progress and Push Forward

As women observe and reflect on their history this month, the celebration feels more muted as many see their status and rights under renewed pressure amid what some describe as an “ultra bro culture.”

Just a few years ago, the story looked different. Women marked historic gains under the Biden administration, including the appointments of the nation’s first female vice president, treasury secretary and director of national intelligence. Women held roughly 48% of Cabinet and Cabinet-level positions, according to the Pew Research Center.

Under Trump, those numbers have declined, with older white men holding the majority of Cabinet posts. At the same time, leaders such as Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy as Chief of Naval Operations and the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were asked to step down early in the administration. Franchetti and others were affected as part of a broader rollback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies.

In this environment, what can women do to preserve hard-fought gains and continue to move forward? CommPRO spoke with several respected female communicators.

“Much of the major change we have experienced over the past few years has been politically driven and shows clear signs of both racial and gender preference,” says Delores J. Brooks, a longtime Chicago writer and marketing professional.

Brooks notes that DEI initiatives are being targeted for elimination, abortion access has been restricted in many states and efforts to remove Black history from curricula signal broader challenges facing both women and communities of color.

“To push back against a male-dominated landscape across federal, state and local government, it is incumbent upon women to make their influence and presence felt in greater numbers,” she says.

Brooks emphasizes that those serving on boards and committees, and in senior corporate and public roles, must use their positions to elevate more women into leadership.

Ellen Ferrera, contributing writer for the Moultrie County News-Progress and founder and past president of the Illinois Association of Non-Profits, agrees.

“Women need to get involved in every way they can in places where they can influence change,” she says. “Join community groups, serve on boards, run for office, support candidates and speak out on issues that matter.”

Both Ferrera and Brooks point to the importance of sustained engagement.

“We now have four women on the Supreme Court, more women in Congress than ever and more women serving as governors,” Ferrera says. “They must continue to step into positions of power and use them to drive change.”

Brooks highlights the progress women have made across industries.

“Women are astronauts, military officers, judges, doctors, lawyers, professors, scientists, law enforcement professionals, educators and leaders across every field,” she says. “But progress only continues if women remain persistent and visible.”

Ferrera also reflects on the long arc of progress. American women began organizing for the right to vote in the 1840s and, after decades of advocacy, secured that right in 1920. Yet the fight for equal pay, reproductive rights and workplace equity continues.

“Women have achieved their rights through persistence, and that same determination will be required moving forward,” Ferrera and Brooks agree.

For Ferrera, Hillary Clinton remains a powerful role model.

“Like her or not, Hillary Clinton opened doors and broke glass ceilings for women across this century,” she says, citing milestones including becoming the first woman to win a major party’s presidential nomination and serving as New York’s first female senator.

Ferrera often points to a quote attributed to John Wesley that she believes captures the path forward: “Do all you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can.”

Offering a Gen Z perspective, Jayla Griggs, an honors student at Columbia College Chicago, focuses on accountability.

“One of the most important things Gen Z women can do is hold the people in their lives, especially men, accountable for their actions and beliefs,” she says.

Griggs notes that many young men are increasingly influenced by conservative media and messaging.

“It is important to speak up when you hear harmful or misleading rhetoric,” she says. “We should not let those ideas go unchallenged.”

She also encourages civic participation.

“If you can protest safely, do it,” Griggs says. “It matters for visibility and solidarity. Women are stronger when united.”

Griggs joins Brooks and Ferrera in urging women not to lose momentum.

“Yes, it may feel harder right now,” she says. “But that is exactly why it is so important to keep pushing forward and not stay silent.”