Societal gender and role constructs have created a binary that even the most developed countries cannot escape. The elevation of one sex over the other has transcended generations of societal change, rights movements, and technological advancements to create far-reaching consequences in the economy.
Speaking from a personal perspective, I can attest that young girls are born into a societal pressure that demands that they prove themselves to unyielding perceptions. The concept of a gender gap starts very early. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion concerning the lack of women and discrimination in high-earning STEM fields. For example, only 18.5% of high-schoolers that take AP Computer Science are females. The number drops even further in college. A recent report revealed a case study where elementary school teachers graded boys higher than girls in math when gendered names were known.[1] This early bias continues to psychologically influence the jobs and opportunities young women choose to pursue even though they may be equally or more qualified than their male counterparts. The subconscious discrimination is an obstacle that plagues women well into their professional life.
On a conscious level, women are still discouraged on all fronts ultimately being told that they can’t have it all. Pepsico CEO Indra Nooyi recently confessed her feelings that she felt having an illustrious career impacted her quality as a mother ultimately leaving her guilty.[2] Her comments concerning women’s roles in society sparked controversy as she did apply the same criticisms to men and their responsibilities as fathers. This problem stems from the fact that unpaid labor such as housework and childcare are unappreciated and associated with failing career-wise. In this case, it isn’t a gap, but a complete absence of pay. A 2011 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report revealed, “between one-third and half of all valuable economic activity in the countries under consideration is not accounted for in the traditional measures of well-being, such as GDP per capita.”[3] The economy cannot survive, let alone thrive without this vital labor. Thus, the scales used to measure success such as salary or job title cannot be applied equally.
A major complaint concerning this gender gap involves the lack of role models and counterparts in certain positions and fields that discourage other women from rising. While the core of this problem can be explained by the first two described problems, a third problem rises in the unwelcoming environment women face. A social advert by Pantene tackled this topic by addressing the contrasting labels men and women gain for the same characteristics (i.e. Boss vs. Bossy, Persuasive vs. Pushy, Smooth vs. Show-off). Also, entire organizations and HR workshops have been dedicated to dealing with the epidemic of sexual harassment women face in male-dominated fields. A survey revealed 1 in 3 American women admitting to being sexually harassed at work, 75% of it coming from male co-workers.[4] This abuse (mental and physical) deters and attacks women preventing the closure of existing gaps.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8gz-jxjCmg&w=560&h=315]
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/upshot/how-elementary-school-teachers-biases-can-discourage-girls-from-math-and-science.html?abt=0002&abg=0
[2] http://www.forbes.com/sites/moiraforbes/2014/07/03/power-woman-indra-nooyi-on-why-women-cant-have-it-all/
[3] http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/cooking-caring-and-volunteering-unpaid-work-around-the-world_5kghrjm8s142-en
[4] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/19/1-in-3-women-sexually-harassed-work-cosmopolitan_n_6713814.html
Hello Sharon. I like the points you bring up in your posts. I think that another reason there are still few women in certain male-dominated fields even today is because of the view that women will make work “fun.” Essentially, I think that many of the companies that are male dominated develop cultures where male interests are primarily favored, similar to how a conversation between a group of only males will be different from one between only females or a mix of genders because there are things that people feel more comfortable talking about with their own sex. In the same sense, there may be certain activities that a male dominated workforce enjoys that they wouldn’t feel comfortable participating in if female coworkers were present as well. I believe that as a result, male-dominated companies may see women as equally capable but still not hire them due to fear of no longer being able to freely participate in certain activities. Essentially, work may be just as productive, but not as “fun.” I think this is also a part of how women are sometimes pressured into becoming “one of the guys” even if that’s not their usual personality. I think it is important to quantify how often this happens because the solutions to this problem won’t be the same as the solutions to breaking free of traditional gender role bias. I have actually been told something like this when speaking with people about how to be successful in job interviews. I was told that employers aren’t just looking for someone who is capable, but also someone that they would enjoy working with. Tackling this problem would most likely involve drawing a line between not hiring someone because one thinks that person would not work well with other employees, and not hiring someone because one thinks that person would be a “buzzkill”. Such a task seems difficult, but achievable.