As cannabis evolves, its industry must address gender disparities. To do so successfully, approaches that only aim at avoiding harmful gender stereotypes in its health promotion campaigns must also be explored.

Women working in cannabis science offer much, yet face several obstacles that must be surmounted: 1. Access to capital.

1. Representation

Women entered the cannabis westcoastbud.io industry from its infancy and have played an instrumental role in its rapid development. Yet they continue to face significant hurdles throughout its business cycle, from limited access to capital and unequal ownership opportunities, to difficulty ascending leadership roles within this burgeoning industry.

In order to overcome its current wage gap, which varies by gender and race, cannabis industry stakeholders must implement transparent compensation structures and policies that promote equality in compensation practices and policies. To address this challenge, industry participants must create transparent compensation structures that promote fair compensation structures that support true representation.

Making it easier for businesses owned by people of color to secure operating licenses will also contribute to narrowing the pay gap in industry, but this requires state-level initiatives that prioritize minority applicants.

2. Access to Capital

Cannabis has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry, yet women still face difficulty accessing capital. According to an article by MJ Biz Daily, female-led cannabis companies only receive fractions of valuations as male-led companies do.

Women leaders in the cannabis industry have proven themselves worthy of consideration as industry leaders; however, gender disparity still exists within its ranks. Women typically earn 90 cents of what their male colleagues earn; this represents a lower wage gap than most industries but still leaves room for growth and improvement.

Advocates for social justice and criminal justice reform, these women advocate that cannabis tax revenue be used to support reentry programs for those with prior convictions as the industry continues to develop. This issue must be taken seriously to address as this industry matures further.

3. Leadership

Not only are female leaders making an impactful contribution through their businesses, they are also championing equity in the cannabis industry by sharing best practices and offering mentorship opportunities – creating a more diverse industry environment in turn.

Women and minorities still face substantial barriers at every stage of the business cycle, from unequal pay to disparate access to capital and equity ownership networks; despite progress made in offering equal opportunity.

FlowerHire interviewed business leaders working to address these issues through programs designed to empower people of color as self-sufficient industry shareholders and policies that foster collaborative markets. Furthermore, these business leaders advocated for initiatives to reinvest tax revenue back into youth mental health programs as well as community reinvestment initiatives such as tax-funded programs for youth mental health and education initiatives.

4. Mentorship

Women are underrepresented in leadership positions and without sufficient mentorship they may never reach their full potential in the industry. By creating mentoring opportunities women will receive all of the tools necessary for success in cannabis.

Training employees on unconscious bias, encouraging diversity in hiring practices and offering access to mentorship programs for female entrepreneurs are all part of providing a positive culture that facilitates their growth and development irrespective of gender or race.

Women can easily connect with mentors within their communities by attending events hosted by networking organizations like Women Grow or joining cannabis-business-specific Facebook groups. Zoom or Clubhouse platforms that offer virtual meetings and video calls may also be an effective way to build mentorship relationships.

5. Work-Life Balance

While working in the cannabis industry has its advantages, such as pay equality and lack of gender stereotypes, it also presents numerous obstacles – and our research showed that female employees in particular face hurdles along their career journey, such as unequal pay and mentorship opportunities being scarce.

Our interviews revealed the significance of work-life balance for female cannabis industry participants. While their roles were predominantly male dominated, most prioritized work over recreational use despite working more hours than their male colleagues and struggling to balance family life with work commitments. Students experienced lack of agency, creating conflicts between work commitments and academic studies which had an adverse effect on academic performance.