History has been slow to recognize the role of women in our society, and Myrtle Beach does its part to correct the oversight by recognizing the successful women of today.

The Fifth Annual Women’s Leadership Conference and Celebration of Inspiring Women will be held Thursday and Friday, Feb. 12-13, at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel. The two-day event will feature keynote speakers and seminars designed to help women overcome the obstacles to become leaders in business, politics and all aspects of life.

The Women’s Leadership Conference, hosted by Coastal Carolina University in nearby Conway, features a collection of women in various leadership roles to share their inspirational stories aimed to educate, motivate and prepare women to make changes in their personal and business lives, their communities and hopefully all over the world.

Among the many topics to be addressed are how working women can better balance their careers with parenting responsibilities, dealing with traditional gender roles in the work place, tips on starting your own business, how women can find and fill roles that will empower them, and what the future holds for gender-related issues in our society.

This year’s program features four highly successful events and will see five notable speakers take the stage to deliver powerful messages. The event concludes with the Celebration of Inspiring Women awards presentation, which honors the achievements of five successful women who are from South Carolina or have made the state their home.

This year’s lineup of speakers include ABC News correspondent Claire Shipman, who appears regularly on “Good Morning America” and other national broadcasts and co-author of the New York Times best-selling book “The Confidence Code: The Art and Science of Self-Assurance and What Women Need to Know” along with Katty Kay.

Also taking the stage to be honored is “The Queen of Disco,” renowned singer Gloria Gaynor. Her 1978 hit “I Will Survive” still serves as an anthem for women around the world who are dealing with social oppression. Gaynor has since switched from writing songs to books with a similar theme, designed to help women overcome obstacles.

Former media executive Laura Schroff, author of the best-selling book “An 11-year-old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny” will share her true story of how a chance encounter with a needy child sparked a friendship and a meaningful change in both lives. The story is being made into a movie in the near future.

Another successful author, popular TV host Leeza Gibbons of “Entertainment Tonight” fame. Her latest book, “Take 2: Your Guide to Creating Happy Endings and New Beginnings” is a self-help book that deals with the difficulties of making tough life changes and how to make them happen. Copies of her book and other works by the keynote speakers will be sold at the event. The convention center will feature rows of vendor booths displaying a wide selection of products related to women’s issues. The showroom is the perfect place to mix and mingle with others for some valuable networking opportunities.

Pre-conference sessions that address the issues of women’s entrepreneurship will be held Thursday, followed by a pair of networking receptions. The speakers, seminars and awards presentation will be held Friday, when five new recipients will be named. Since the inception of the Women’s Leadership Conference in 2011, 25 women have been recognized for their efforts to improve the standings of women and all people in their communities, nation and world.

For more information or to register for the event, visit the web site at: coastal.edu.