What does a successful woman look like in 2025?
To be an independent woman in this day and age is to define the words successful and happy by yourself, without social media’s input or others. It is time for women to rewrite the script for themselves, boldly. Being successful means something different to every woman, for some it is children and being a supportive, loving mother, others it is starting their own business, or travelling the world. Each woman has different things that will fulfil her life. A woman’s success is individual to her and completely different for everyone.
Katie Keyes reflected on this idea in my interview with her, “I feel success is something very subjective. To me, being successful means you have found a role, path or feeling of belonging that equally benefits you psychologically and financially.” This further emphasises the fact that success is completely individual and unique.
After asking a selection of women the question of what a successful woman looks like to them, I received a variety of uplifting responses that supported freedom and individuality. Women aged 16-24 answered the questionnaire regarding what a successful woman would look like in 2025, and their answers revolved around travelling, independence, and achieving their dreams.
Success doesn’t revolve around money, everyone should have equal opportunities, no matter their wealth or background. We shouldn’t be prejudiced against sex, women can be just as successful as men, it might just look different to what a male deems successful. Charlotte Henrich speaks about how ”There used to be some stigma around a woman becoming a professional footballer. But now, that kind of career is seen as impressive—and definitely successful. I think it is constantly changing between generations and over a couple of years what society accepts as successful.” However, there has never been sexism for men playing professionally just women. Even when it is their full-time job and how they support their family it is seen as a ‘male game’.
This creates a variety of opinions surrounding young women when choosing their careers, and speculation on how they will balance work and family life if they choose to have children, however, it is rare that men will also receive this scrutiny. In our modern generation, women shouldn’t be discriminated against for their sexual orientation. There is the repetitive conversation of maternity leave and some women not being hired for a certain long-term job or career due to the possibility that they might take leave from work in the future to care for their children. These can sometimes be life-changing promotions that are often handed to the man, as he is viewed as more stable in a career environment. “One of the biggest challenges people face is unequal access to opportunities”, Charlotte Henrich. This is why we are trying to raise more awareness and erase the discrimination towards women to allow everyone to have equal opportunities.
Does prejudice affect success?
Sexism in a workplace is off-putting and discouraging and can sometimes be the difference between a woman pursuing a career and not. Pervasive microaggressions, stereotypes and discriminatory practices are far too common in our modern generation. Such as being passed over for promotions they have earned due to their gender leaving the women feeling unsupported and sometimes leaving their job.
“Of course, success looks different for everyone. For some people, it’s all about career goals. For others, it’s about personal fulfilment. I think as long as you’re achieving what matters to you and you’re genuinely happy, then that is success.” Charlotte Henrich speaks on these values consistently throughout her interview. All success is a success it isn’tdiscredited or discriminated against. Women should be allowed to achieve what they want and succeed in whatever they choose to pursue. We shouldn’t have to overprepare and prove ourselves repeatedly just to get the recognition we deserve.
In many industries, men are likely to be promoted because of potential, whereas women are promoted based on proven performance, emphasising the fact that women always have to wait longer for opportunities. A woman’s joy, happiness and success can come from different milestones compared to men, which are not always recognised by traditional values.
Eleni Godwin shares her thoughts with me on her perspective on success. “For me, having close female friendships is such a core part of what makes my life feel full and meaningful. I still love my job, and maybe I’d feel differently if I wasn’t so career-driven, but at this point, I’d say success means both: having a good job and having a solid, supportive circle of female friends.” In her experience she loves working and climbing the corporate ladder however she also recognises that she feels successful in a multitude of ways, in having a supportive group of female friends her emotional success is elevated.
“A woman who is happy, confident, independent and had accomplished their dreams no matter what.”
Evie Slater, age 19
Is a woman’s success easier to achieve than a male’s? So women feel more self-fulfilled in smaller achievements?
Women celebrate differently from men, they manage to find fulfilment in internal wins, not just external ones. When you are taught from a young age to navigate society’s systems that weren’t designed with your gender in mind, you learn to celebrate differently. Celebrating progression instead of absolute succession doesn’t make women less ambitious, just more grounded, humble and resilient. Men are also more conditioned and internalise success more heavily, whereas women are expected to balance looking after kids, a house and emotional labour. Although these pressures can present success differently to either gender, this doesn’t affect either gender’s innate ambition.
A key question in all of my interviews was looking upon how success would look like for that individual in ten years, this allowed them to dwell in thought deeply about how they would want their life to look and what it would consist of. “In ten years, I hope I’ll measure my success by whether I’ve achieved what I set out to do—on my terms. For me, making it to the Olympics would be a huge marker of success. No matter what, I want to live a life I’m proud of.” Charlotte recognizes that her goals may be different from others but that it is what shapes her as a person, women today are proving that their success is deeply personal and this reflects that. Charlotte discusses that her mum acts as a role model for a successful woman, “when I think of a successful woman, the first person who comes to mind is my mum. She represents what I admire not only in women but in people in general: someone who follows their path, doesn’t hold back, is incredibly independent, and has overcome a lot of challenges. She truly embodies what I see as success.”
Women are rejecting the standardised look of success for themselves and making their own goals, regarding travel, career, relationships, etc. Success isn’t harder for either gender; however, it can present itself differently. Women aren’t shrinking their dreams for men anymore, but enhancing their needs and expanding their definition of what a fulfilling, successful life looks like to them.
Instead, inner fulfilment for women comes from authenticity, balance, freedom, and personal values. This piece dives into how women are creating lives on their terms, proving that there’s no single formula for a meaningful life. Whether climbing the corporate ladder or embracing a slower pace, their stories remind us that success and happiness are deeply personal—and beautifully different.
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