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Equality in the workplace is an ongoing issue in this day and age. You may perceive it to be an antiquated problem, but the harsh reality is that women continue to be treated unfairly in their workplace.
What is the state of gender inequality in the workplace today? What stereotypes in the workplace continue to exist, and what can we do about it? These are the questions the author of this essay reflects on.
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Gender Discrimination in the Workplace
All around the world, not just in America, women work long hours to support the needs of their families. While many of them are highly capable of taking on leadership roles or specialty positions, not many of them make it that high in the corporate world, especially in specific industries that are male-dominated.
One would expect in our modern society that we should have achieved gender equality by now, but sadly, gender stereotypes continue to pervade our work spheres. Many women are subject to employment discrimination and are deprived of the same opportunities as men, or experience a notable wage gap for the same title and scope of work compared to male counterparts.
Legally, there is an Equal Pay Act in our country, which mandates that men and women in the same organization be afforded equal pay for equal work. So it is clear that we have legal provisions for this. Yet to this day, female workers continue to complain of a big pay gap with men. This is not just true for white-collar workers, but even for female Hollywood celebrities. Some of them have come out in video interviews saying that women’s earnings are still relatively lower than men’s, assuming leading roles for both and the same background in acting.
Another incident of gender discrimination at work in the case of the working mother. There are still motherhood myths going around that serve as a way to undermine the skills and capacities of women with children. There is an assumption that since mothers have an added responsibility to care for their young kids, they will have no time or motivation to advance themselves at work. They are not able to apply or fight for the same position as single individuals and men. As a result, they are not even considered for the role, even if they are highly qualified. They are not given the professional opportunities that they deserve.
Workplace gender inequality can also be a breeding ground for sexual harassment. Common jobs that women take that put them at high risk for this would be secretaries and assistants, interns, trainees, and young subordinates. New employees are also at risk of experiencing this as they have a lot to prove. They become prey for male employees who think that they can dominate them in this way. When these women resist their advances, they become subject to unfair treatment at work, with the goal of threatening them into submission. This leads to many conflicts at work, and oftentimes, when push comes to shove, men will defend the man in question, turning it into a battle between the genders.
While we have made some great strides in addressing this issue, we are a long way away from actually living out the principle of equal rights and equal opportunities for both genders. In today’s society, we have the potential to make some actual changes that will stick. Human rights is becoming a much-discussed issue, so we have the chance to bring up the importance of workplace gender equality to the table.
Solutions for Gender Inequality and Wage Gap in the Workplace
How do we fight the false narratives about gender roles that are so pervasive in the workplace? Here are a few ideas and thoughts.
Launch an educational awareness campaign on gender equality
The first step, I believe, is always to generate increased awareness and give women working in unfair conditions a voice or a seat at the table. While gender wage gaps are a very real thing, they remain a taboo topic everywhere you go. Everyone knows it happens, but no one is willing to talk about it. They believe that it is a hopeless case to achieve gender equality in the office.
But this is where male and female advocates can come in. We need to sound the alarm for gender inequalities at work, exposing the big gender gap that manifests in the form of men making more money in the same job and even working fewer hours, and females not having the same job opportunities as men despite having the same education and background, even with more degrees.
We also want to give examples of women in higher positions who have contributed greatly to national productivity to boost our case. At the same time, we want to highlight that the same women in a higher position earn significantly less than their male counterparts.
Finally, we want to talk about the job market and how women just don’t get the same opportunities as men – and when they do, women earn substantially less. The gender pay gap is a huge part of why we are not seeing as many women rise to the highest ranks and represent organizations, even when they have the amazing capacity to do so.
Hold organizations accountable for their gender wage gap
Apart from talking to the general public, it is important to demand accountability and ownership from companies that promulgate this toxic culture of inequality in the workplace. Perhaps advocates can partner with non-profits and HR and legal consultants who can help launch table talks with key decision-makers and show them how their current structure promotes gender inequality. They can then offer to work alongside the HR team to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that females enjoy the same opportunities as everyone else, beginning from when they come in as a new employee.
Provide a safe space at every workplace for women to have a voice
More women would step up and call out human rights violations if only they knew there were trusted people championing them at work. If every organization could form a team that could provide sound counsel and assistance to women who feel that they have been victimized by discrimination at one point in their career, they would probably gain a lot of traction.
This team should be supported fully by the leadership team of the organization so that women are assured that they will be heard and that actionable measures will be taken based on their complaints.
Have all key supervisors and leaders undergo a quarterly review and evaluation done by their staff
To truly hold employers and supervisors accountable for the health of their teams, there should be quarterly reviews that will be answered by their staff on their performance and leadership, particularly in teams where men are supervising mostly women. This will give people the chance to provide honest feedback on their bosses and file a complaint if there is discrimination being experienced in the team. This would be a good preventive measure, particularly for multinational companies where it is hard to be heard with all the red tape and the bureaucracy.
Conclusion
It pains me to share in this essay that my mom was a victim of gender discrimination where she works. She was a sales manager who was qualified for a promotion to Sales Director. Her only competitor was a single ambitious man who was liked by all his colleagues. Discovering that my mom was a single mom, they exploited the narrative that she wouldn’t be able to commit to such a difficult job, which influenced the male CEO to hire the competitor instead.
Our society can do a better job of championing women and believing in their abilities to change the world, starting with their place of work. I believe that it is time to resound the call for equality between men and women and challenge companies to concretize their plans to achieve gender equality and integrate it into their work culture.
FAQs
What is the problem with gender inequality?
Gender inequality deprives women of equal opportunity and equal pay in jobs they are highly qualified to enjoy and attain. This is particularly true in men-dominated industries, where women have to fight for a spot in the top seats. Gender discrimination is a violation of human rights, in the sense that we all have the fundamental right to enjoy every opportunity, same as others. This inequality is not only intangible. There is a notable wage gap between males and females of the same title and scope of work. This is apparent in all career levels, making inequality in the workplace one of the most pressing issues we need to address in the United States.
What are the main causes of gender inequality?
One of the main reasons behind inequality in the workplace is the existence of false narratives, such as the challenges of motherhood and parenting. The toughest thing to experience is to be a single mom representing a minority group in an organization bathed in macho culture. Both men and women have the preconceived notion that female workers don’t have the same intelligence, tenacity, and skills as men to perform at the same level when it comes to any given job.
This is why most of those who occupy higher positions in an organization are predominantly men. This has continued on throughout generations, making it a tradition and a ritual that is notoriously difficult to unlearn. It is but a reflection of the same inequality women are subjected to in modern society. What makes it worse is that it is an open secret. Everyone in the workplace knows it is happening behind closed doors, yet no one is willing to bring it up or expose it. Much of the open secrecy is due to the fact that many have resigned to accept it as a reality at work; that it would take years before any notable change was to take place.