As a student who will be entering the workforce within the next few years, I am horrified to hear the discrimination that plagues the workforce, particularly that which hinders the success of women. Growing up, the adults in my life always reminded me of my great talents. They told me I could do or be whatever I dreamed of. It wasn’t until I got older that I learned some of my dreams, while still achievable, would take extra effort to obtain because of my gender.
We live in a society where fifty percent of the population is considered second-class citizens. Equality for women is long overdue, but before we tackle the more complicated issues, we need to address the most elementary problem in the workforce to date: the gender pay gap. It could not get any simpler. Women deserve equal pay for their equal work. Today, women make seventy-seven cents for every dollar a man earns. The United States, in comparison to other nations, has one of the lowest wage gaps. While this is something to be celebrated, we cannot forget that the US wage gap has not shrunk since the mid-1990s. Additionally, the wage gap affects women in every state, every occupation, every race, and every age. Across the board, all women are being underpaid for work that is equal to that of their male coworkers. It is hard to believe that something like this could continue to persist in a nation as advanced as the United States. Interestingly, President Obama, who spoke of the gender pay gap in his state of the union address, recently signed an executive order that requires contractors to report salaries based on gender. This is a great step to closing the pay gap.
Another interesting issue regarding gender and economic growth is the lack of women in the United States who hold office. The statistics speak for themselves: we currently have five female governors, twelve (out of 100) female mayors, and less than twenty-five percent female state legislators. Not only are women not fairly represented in government, but also, as a consequence, neither are their ideas and influences. Research has shown that representation of women in congress affects the types of policies that pass. Correlations have been shown between higher female presence in office and the passing of more progressive policies in areas such as environment, health, labor, and incarceration. Additionally, nations with women in higher government positions have shown to turn out better economic growth. At the rate we are progressing, it will take the United States a projected 500 years to obtain equal representation in office. However, I don’t think our economy or nation can afford to wait that long.
The glass ceiling is a phenomenon, astutely described by Ann Morison, as being “so subtle that it is transparent, yet so strong that it prevents women from moving up the corporate hierarchy.” Across the country, women are not crossing a certain threshold of upward mobility. This so called “glass ceiling” is thought to be responsible for the few women who hold top managerial positions. Women earn almost 60 percent of this countries undergraduate and masters degrees, yet they lag substantially behind men in their representation in leadership positions. 4.6 percent of CEOs at fortune 500 companies are women, 14.6 percent are executive officers, and 8.1 percent are top earners. These numbers are extremely low. Especially when taken into account that 52 percent of the workforce is comprised of women.
References:
http://www.summer.harvard.edu/blog-news-events/gender-inequality-women-workplace
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/government-workforce-is-closing-the-gender-pay-gap-but-reforms-still-needed-report-says/2014/04/13/59281484-c1b2-11e3-b574-f8748871856a_story.html
http://www.thenation.com/article/178736/why-does-us-still-have-so-few-women-office#
http://www.feminist.org/research/business/ewb_glass.html
