While the position of women in the public sphere, workplace and the economy have proven to be unequal for the longest time, a number of solutions exist that help improve gender equality in society. While a total transformation of societal gender perception seems unlikely to occur for quite some time, these solution can begin to bridge the gap between men and women’s opportunities in a myriad of ways. These solutions include initiating educational programs that help women compete in male dominated workplaces, requiring companies to hire a mainly equal amount of workers of both genders and helping women build networks that will be useful for their professional careers.
According to the World Economic Forum, in many large Western European cities like Zurich, women make anywhere from 24-32% less a year than their male colleagues. To solve this inequality, the forum proposes that both schools and special programs should start initiatives to “make gender equality part of training and education. Young people should be supported in choosing jobs that are future-oriented and promising, regardless of their gender” (WEF.org). By thus instructing women from a young age to pursue their passions without any stereotypical gender discrimination, and providing these women with the tools to pursue any career that men would pursue, nations can empower women to eliminate gender inequity and pursue upper level jobs, progressing both the economy and society.
Another strategy for solving gender inequality would be for workplaces and/or businesses to promote equal hiring and of women at work as well as a respectful attitude to men and women equally at work. For example, the Huffington Post suggests that employers can “build an inclusive culture in your workplace, join a global platform for collaboration with women around the world, or rally your colleagues to raise money to support a female entrepreneur in a developing country” (HuffPost). In creating such an inclusive and nondiscriminatory work setting, women can thus feel safe and inspired to work and contribute to society. By ensuring that their businesses hire men and women at even proportions, business owners can benefit from more diverse perspectives, while contributing to the improvement of our society.
An additional way for women to begin to improve the gender gap is through networking. The Business Insider says that the general public is often against women who network, saying “Researchers asked students what they thought of venture capitalist and legendary networker Heidi Roizen. The researchers found that students deemed her “more selfish and less desirable” than the fictional subject Howard Roizen, who had the exact same credentials and contacts as Heidi. Basically, Heidi was given a lower likeability rating than Howard for no other reason than being a woman” (Business Insider.com). This article therefore illustrates that evolving the societal perception of women making networks is vital to female empowerment at work. This is because by teaching women that networking is a useful tool to successful professions, not something that only a men are allowed to take advantage of, women can use networking to be more equipped to prosper in male dominated work settings.
References
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-women-can-network-more-effectively-2013-11
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/katie-zeppieri/gender-equality-workplace_b_6297626.html
https://agenda.weforum.org/2014/10/six-ways-fix-gender-inequality-workplace/
Claudia,
I strongly agree with the point presented by the World Economic Forum. We have to start tackling gender inequality from a young age. Gender stereotypes and biases develop well before men and women are introduced into the workplace. As Professor Binz-Scharf noted, her children have already exhibited gender stereotypes and they are still in the earliest years of their childhood. I think a great way to try to eliminate these biases is by introducing a gender-neutral pronoun, as we have discussed in class, in order to portray the message to our youth that men and women are indeed equal in nature. Boys are allowed to play with dolls and dollhouses and girls are allowed to play with cars and superheroes. By introducing a gender-neutral pronoun, I think kids will unknowingly stop forming these societal standards in their own heads that currently continue on into their later years. It’s extremely tough to change fully-grown adults. This is why I think it is imperative to target the youngest generations so that one day our children and our children’s children will experience gender equality. A gender-neutral pronoun won’t be able to alter the current situation on its own, but it is definitely a starting point.