While gender equality has made progress in society, females still face specific challenges at the workplace that impede their career advancement. Workplace discrimination still exists.
A patriarchal society is characterized by men dominating in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and ownership of property. Over the centuries, this outdated system of social organization has shaped the lives of women and girls and continues to do so.
Women are often seen as weaker and in need of protection in many parts of the world; they are considered subordinate, less important than men, and are denied the same rights, opportunities, choices, and salaries that men get. Specifically, these challenges are exacerbated for girls from developing countries and low-income families, where income and gender inequalities weave together in a web that further denies women their right to equality.
According to statistics, there is still not a single country in the world that has achieved absolute gender equality. Therefore, in this blog post, we’re going to present some of the most common challenges modern women face in their workplace.
Participation right
Women find it challenging to get the same opportunities as men at work. According to McKinsey, 1 in every 5 C-suite executives is a woman, and only 1 in 25 C-suite executives are women of color.
It is common for men to be groomed into a role, whereas women are expected to have achieved success before being considered. Thus, leaders need to be more mindful of gender stereotypes that undermine women’s ability to eliminate glass ceilings effectively.
These circumstances are the reason why working women often need a therapist to cope with their stress. In such scenarios, seeing any good therapist in your vicinity who has an online masters in mental health counseling can significantly benefit you.
According to the same McKinsey study, 31% of women felt they had to provide more evidence of competency, and 42% of black women said the same, compared to just 16% of men. Minority groups, particularly women, are subject to discrimination. At senior management levels, this underrepresentation gets worse. For example, only 22% of CEOs are female. In addition, women are promoted to managerial positions at a lower rate than men (62% vs. 38%).
Almost the same number of men and women leave their companies each year. As a result, attrition is not to blame for this inequity and misogyny.
Wage disparity between men and women
We’re in 2021, and the gender wage gap still exists. Don’t believe us? Take a look at this payscale report for yourself. According to the report, women earn 82 cents for every dollar men make in terms of median salaries. There is an 18% gap between the salaries of men and women.
By adjusting other factors besides gender, such as education, experience, location, and industry, the gender wage gap shrinks to just 2%. Therefore, the controlled gender pay gap means that women make 98 cents for every dollar men make.
Although it may not seem much, this 2% difference is still significant for several reasons. Among the main reasons for this is that the wage gap hasn’t improved recently. According to the controlled wage gap published in 2015, females earned 97 cents for every dollar males made. Just one cent has been added in the last five years. Additionally, pay disparities compound over time. A 2% cut in income may not seem like a lot over the course of a few years. Nonetheless, for decades, this can make a significant difference in earnings.
Balance between work and life
According to 44% of women, this was the most challenging aspect of their jobs. In addition, 43% of women in the U.S. ranked work-life balance higher than flexible hours, childcare access, and insufficient maternity leave. However, this certainly isn’t limited to the U.S. According to OECD data, China had one of the highest female employment rates in the world in 2014, with 70%, compared with 27% in India, for example. However, many of these mothers sacrificed caring for their children to earn a living. It is especially true for China’s 269 million migrant workers, who move to large factory towns and leave their children with their grandparents.
Despite the emphasis on work-life balance and the concern about its attainment, nearly half (47%) of all the women surveyed said having a child will not interfere with their career plans.
Brazil offers mothers a generous four to six-month maternity leave along with the guarantee that they can return to work part-time until their children turn a year old. Coupled with the fact that families in Brazil tend to live close together and can share childcare, these women (74%) tend to be the most optimistic.
Yet, the situation is different in Britain, France, and Germany. Women in these wealthy nations rely on nannies and nurseries, which are costly and difficult to come by.
Furthermore, mothers on Mumsnet, a British networking website for parents, feel that there is a ‘motherhood penalty’ regarding pay and promotion. Women felt out of touch after returning from maternity leave, in addition to the cost of childcare, and believed their employers lacked understanding. A senior position also requires very long hours, which don’t fit into school schedules.
Women in the U.S. ranked in the middle when asked if they could have a family without damaging their careers. However, most respondents strongly agreed, and only 27% strongly disagreed that they could juggle the two without harming their careers.
Women-discriminating policies
Due to ineffective workplace policies, women face several challenges, from maternity and paternity packages to promotion processes. For instance, according to the Women in the Workplace 2020 global report, 42% of women did not feel that advancement processes provided them with adequate support for growth.
As an example, only 29% of women in Britain feel they can have children without affecting their careers.
Despite returning to work, women report missing out on promotions and opportunities. Some women cannot afford to return to work after having a child, while others find it challenging to balance work and childcare. The benefits of flexible working are numerous, especially for parents, but many companies are still reluctant to offer flexible hours. Understanding legal protections, such as maternity rights in the UAE, can also help highlight how workplace policies differ across regions and impact women’s career continuity.
Instead of focusing on the number of hours spent at their desks, companies should focus on productivity and results. An interesting study by Thrive Global revealed that people in an office are only productive for three hours out of an eight and a half hour day, but with flexible working, both managers and employees reported more productivity.
Last words!
As a result of the challenges women face, there are very few women in senior leadership positions. The path of a woman’s work life is obstructed by a host of complex factors that deny her opportunities and pose challenges that prevent her from having an equitable career. These factors are both personal and professional.
When women and men are given the same opportunities, inclusive economies are built on a solid foundation of equal opportunity. The path to greater opportunities for more women must include public and private efforts to raise awareness of persistent workplace inequity and to motivate women to work hard for change.
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