This blog post was written by Serena Fong of Catalyst Inc. for our 2018 PowHer The Vote campaign.

A panel made up of men deciding how women’s health should be governed. A cool new tech gadget designed to make lives easier – but it only works for light complexioned people. Voice activation devices that can’t hear higher tones. All of these are examples of why it’s critical for women, particularly women on color, to be in the room, at the table, and in leadership roles. It matters.

There has been progress since Katherine Graham became the first woman to appear on a Fortune list as CEO of the Washington Post Co, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to the House of Representatives in 1916, and Carol Moseley Braun was the first woman of color elected to the US Senate in 1992. Women are entering the workforce and reaching mid-management levels at rates equal to men, and right now there’s a record number of women running for office. Yet complex and ingrained systemic barriers such as unconscious bias and harmful gender stereotypes still exist, and they’re why men still lead about 95% of the most powerful companies in the US, and hold most of the seats in Congress.

The good news is that I have seen how these barriers can be broken down through my job as a representative of Catalyst, a global non-profit organization working with some of the world’s most powerful CEOs and leading companies to build workplaces that work for women. It’s gratifying to hear stories of leaders’ aha moments, such as the CEO who deliberately made a show of setting aside time in the middle of the day to go to the gym, or the executive who made sure a more junior woman’s voice was not only heard but she also received credit for her idea. It’s inspiring to learn about companies who are taking the hard yet necessary steps to build more inclusive environments, such as the company in a male-dominated industry that requires all of its employees to have diversity and inclusion goals tied to compensation, or the organization that mandates diverse slates not just for the candidate pool but also for the hiring team.

These stories give me hope because these actions, particularly the individual ones, are simple enough to incorporate into one’s own life. Seek out opportunities to make sure somebody is recognized and heard, particularly by senior leaders. Find ways to be a positive example to your colleagues. Check to make sure you and your friends are registered to vote and that plans have been made to do so. Ask yourself if there’s something, even if it’s small, that you can do that can make a difference and do it. Small acts add up. Positive, inclusive actions can make a difference. It matters.