By, Grace, Hunter, Jack, Andrea, Mason, Gabriela, Grayson
Women Working in a Man’s World
Inequalities in the workplace are often gender-based. There is an imbalance when it comes to positions and the overall atmosphere as a whole. Gender inequality in the workplace can be seen from the perspectives of both men and women.
There are many reasons women might have more difficulty in the workplace. In an article from The Atlantic, research suggests the top five issues women experience the most are:
- Balance of work-life
- Equal pay
- Harassment
- Career opportunities
- Children and career
Certain industries are male-dominated and women might have a fear of asking for a raise (even a well-deserved raise). For women, asking for a raise can be seen as desperate, greedy or entitled. This might make some women hesitate before asking for promotions, pay increases and further influence in their respective company.
The issue of gender inequality in the workplace is one that is deep-rooted. It can be traced back to our use of language and has evolved even further due to social norms. Have you ever considered the many ‘gendered’ jobs that we’ve dreamt of doing since we were in preschool? Girls usually want to become teachers or nurses, while boys want to become policemen or firemen. That’s because girls can’t be firefighters and boys can’t be nurses, right?
Absolutely not.
We can become whoever we want to be and should be able to do so without experiencing any type of discrimination based on our gender.
A Relentless Crime
One of the largest and most unfortunate themes of gender inequality for women is sexual harassment. While the #metoo movement has made tremendous progress in exposing the lecherous behavior of offenders, women are still mistreated by men who think aggressive flirting isn’t a form of sexual misconduct.
Sexual harassment in the workplace has been an ongoing issue for decades. Despite numerous preventative training courses administered throughout workplaces, it continues to prevail and pose harmful consequences. One of the likely causes of this type of harassment is a significant power imbalance. Those in higher positions of authority and power are commonly guilty of committing this act and even more commonly guilty of getting away with it.
Various media platforms have been used to raise awareness of this issue. Movies have also been produced recently that portray the experiences women have had in the workplace. Continue viewing our blog post and you can find details on the movie Bombshell, along with resources available for those in need.
But don’t stop there! Look a bit further and you will find a public service announcement that reminds us time is UP for workplace sexual harassment and discrimination; Enough is enough, don’t you agree? Don’t be afraid to join the movement.
A Gender Gap in Pay, You Say?
It’s a known fact that women don’t get paid as much as men do. This inequality is prevalent in almost all occupations and industries. According to Payscale, in 2020, women make 85 cents for every dollar a man makes. This inequality is tremendous and it greatly impacts women of color, in particular.
Due to the gender pay gap, Hispanic women made 54% of what non-Hispanic white men earned in 2018. To put things in perspective, this means it takes Latina workers nearly an additional whole year of full-time work to earn the average annual salary of a white man.
Improvements surrounding this issue have been made over the years, yet it will continue as long as there is a disparity. Unfortunately, sources claim with the little changes that have been made, we won’t achieve pay equality until 2093.
You might ask yourself why women get paid less? There are a couple of reasons, but mainly it’s due to the expectation that women will eventually have kids and will need time off to take care of their children. Women who have children or are pregnant are often paid less compared to women without children. There is also a subconscious belief held by some employers that a man should earn more than a woman for the same job.
As mentioned earlier, many women are scared to ask for raises or speak up about being paid less than their male counterparts because they fear that they could lose their jobs. However, in order to close the gap, it’s important that women discuss their wages openly and have knowledge of their legal rights. It’s also critical they advocate for themselves and empower others to do the same.
Get Involved to Solve
Every individual deserves the right to work in an environment that’s safe and filled with equal opportunities. NOW is the time for us to work together to make that possible.
This isn’t something that you should turn a blind eye to, but rather something that should be taken seriously because it impacts us all. If harassment occurs, it should be reported if experienced, witnessed, or heard of. It may not feel like you can make a difference, but you can (in more ways than one).
Fight to spread not only awareness surrounding this issue, but also knowledge. Knowledge is power and the more powerful we become, the greater ability we have to make a change in the right direction.
There are many ways to get involved and show your support. To start, you can raise awareness by speaking out about your story. You never know who it might reach and impact. You can also believe in the stories shared by victims of sexual harassment. It can be hard enough to go through something like this, often, more challenging to voice it, and even more difficult to face doubts about it.
That’s not all you can do though.
Like we encouraged from the beginning, vote ‘NO’ on gender inequality in the workplace! This could mean supporting ballot initiatives that fight for equal pay or advocating for action. It doesn’t take much to make a difference. Sign up here to raise your voice NOW.