Linda Aparo, director of national sales at reQuire Real Estate Solutions, LLC, was one of three women in title technology to recently sit down with The Title Report, sharing stories of personal triumph and helping the industry break through long-standing glass ceilings. “Women are now more able to think and act freely than they could 20, 30 or more years ago,” she said. “They support themselves independently and aren’t pushed into getting married, starting a family and staying at home. They’re making their own choices. They’re finding info about starting their own business. “That can be such a scary thought, starting your own business. Nowadays, there are so many more resources out there for women to find accurate, credible information on building their own lives. When I did that, I was a single mom of two children working as a title insurance representative. Women need support from other women in situations like that. That is always so huge.” Despite advancements made in certain areas, women also still face more barriers to promotions and career growth, a 2022 study from McKinsey & Co. said. Those findings point to 86 women being promoted to management roles for every 100 men across every industry. When isolated to technology positions, that result dropped to 52 women for every 100 men. “Even with a lot of work left to do, there are a lot of female executives in our industry right now,” Aparo said. “Those female executives should be open to mentoring other women and encouraging them to make their own leap, follow their dreams. I’m also seeing many, many more women-owned businesses than when I started 36 years ago. That’s very encouraging and inspirational.” To get the rest of Linda’s insight on industry progress as well as comments from her peers, please visit thetitlereport.com.