In my last Problems paper, I identified three factors that contribute to the pay gap between men and women in the workforce. These included mentorship, negotiation, and parental constraints. In this work, I intend to suggest possible solutions to these microscopic aspects of the larger problem.
According to the research I examined in Problems 3, I found that while more women are getting an education, they are making up a disproportionately low proportion of the upper ranks in the corporate ladder. One reason for this problem is the lack of women mentors of high management.
I suggest developing a non-profit organization that takes volunteers from among women of high management positions who would dedicate a portion of their time each week to meet with women aspiring to achieve the top level positions of the organization in which they desire to work. Such women would be able to share valuable advice, experiences, contacts, opportunities, and much more. Such networking and relationship development will greatly enhance promotions, salary negotiations, and overall success in the careers of women in the workforce seeking to crash through the glass ceiling. This will also fix the negotiation problem.
To clarify, I think that the problem with mentorship among women today is that few women occupy the high level posts in their respective organizations and so mentoring opportunities are not very great and women in lower management positions cannot see themselves in the high ranking positions. Having role models in any career is important and the lack of them contributes to lack of progression into the higher ranks. Further, research indicates that women tend to benefit the most from women mentors of high rank. The aim of the organization I intend to introduce will be to organize mentoring opportunities in one place so that everyone can derive the maximum benefit.
To add some style to this idea, I suggest the program be named along the lines of “Tea with Advisors.” The idea is to have the mentors sit down with protege at a location (maybe with the frequency of once per week or greater) of their choice, talk, and develop effective personal and business relationships. They may have tea or breakfast or something like that also. They might write down what they accomplished or discussed for that day on a sheet to be submitted to or collected by other volunteers. This will be a measure of the progress the group has made. Another possibility is that mentors hold extended “office hours” for a few hours each week as do professors of CCNY currently do.
What if their schedules do not fit? Ideally, they will find a time and place that is suitable for them and they can consistently devote time to at least once a week. If necessary, a Skype-based contact system can be developed but nothing can replace near-distance human interaction. If they need a place to meet, they can use one of the rooms within the organization’s building (headquarters). The organization itself will run various workshops to aid in the career development of aspiring women workers. As a volunteer-based organization, mentors will be attracted by opportunity to aid in women’s empowerment in the workplace and protege will be attracted by opportunity to meet role models.
As far as mothers and fathers taking off time from work to child-rear, I think the best idea is a policy system for paid leave.
References:
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2015/02/04/105983/men-fathers-and-work-family-balance/
http://chicagopolicyreview.org/2014/08/21/advancing-women-in-the-workplace-through-a-gender-targeted-approach-to-workforce-development/
http://www.wowonline.org/women-and-work-project/
