Five Gender Issues that Women Face at the Workplace That Screams Inequality

Women excel at multitasking. They can seamlessly handle everything from raising a child to having a full-time career, all while juggling with an entire household. If that was not enough, they also had to prepare healthy, home-cooked meals while including exercise, connecting with friends, and trying to sneak in some relaxation.

Apart from everything they have to do, they also have to struggle at work, as sometimes they may not receive fair treatment at their workplace. So, here are some issues that women may have to deal with at their workplace.

Unequal Pay

When it comes to education, American women beat men hands down. For decades, women have worked hard to secure degrees like bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and more. Yet, women still earn far less than their male counterparts.

Statistics show that women earn 80 percent of what men earn. However, as per the latest statistics, the pay gap between men and women can be higher. As per the Institute of Women’s Policy Research, women earn 49 cents to every man who earns $1.

The new data also considers part-time workers who also take time to focus on their family after giving birth to a child and other family obligations. Women have to leave work for almost a year compared to men, which is twice the rate of men. Is there a scope of change? Well, experts believe with the intervention of new policies, parental leaves, pro-family policies, child-care support, etc., can help make things better at workplaces.

Harassment Issues

Women face more harassment issues in the workforce than reported. The real numbers are much higher than what meets the eye.

A survey conducted in 2018 by the non-profit Stop Street Harassment found out that at least 38 percent of women have experienced harassment at the workplace.

 Fewer Promotions

Sometimes even if women are more educated than men, and make up half the workforce. However, women do not get a promotion at the workplace as often as their male counterparts do.

Statistical data suggests that women make up less than 5 percent of CEOs. And these numbers drop further down when we consider the Fortune 500 companies. Research suggests that the reason for more women not growing up the corporate ladder could be simpler than you think. They are not in executive-type roles because there aren’t many female role models at most workplaces. Sometimes, not having more people as role models makes women feel that moving up to a higher leadership run is impossible.

Struggle to Ask for a Higher Pay

Women often hesitate to ask for a pay raise at work. Most women have that as they feel that their proposal might not be well-received. When women rightfully ask for more money women, their plea is put down as greedy or desperate. And this puts them to question their worth at the workplace.

Fresh new research conducted by Glassdoor found women seldom negotiate their pay in comparison to their male colleagues. The poll found that 70 percent of women accepted the salary without negotiating. Most of them did not go into the nitty-gritty of their salary terms and conditions before taking up the offer. In comparison, only 52 percent of men did the same.

An Atlassian survey delved deep into diversity and inclusion. It revealed that 80 percent of people thought diversity and inclusion are the cruces of creating a successful workplace. A diverse and inclusive workforce may paint a more favorable gender-friendly workplace and ensure greater employee engagement, greater financial returns, innovation, and a lion’s market share.

In Conclusion

The various statistics prove that women indeed suffer at the hands of most management. They work at a lower pay grade than their male colleagues who have the same skills and experience. This scenario is prevalent everywhere, right from banks, hospitals to the tinsel town.

Many hardworking women have expressed their displeasure about how they should be paid more, and all they are asking is that they are given an equal pay packet, not more or less just equal. Most leaders should ensure that there are no gaps in their workplace by carrying out a wage audit.

Think about implementing a no-negotiations policy, or should we say a more homogenized policy that does not discriminate based on gender. Ensure pay transparency. Go over various policies of recruitment, promotion, and aspects of talent development systems for gender bias. When you work towards gender equality and an equal opportunity workplace, your organization is more productive than ever before!