Workplace Gender Equality: How Are We Doing?

We often hear the term ‘gender equality’. What is it really about? To what extents does it affect our world, especially in jobs?

Understanding Gender Equality

Gender equality has always been around since a long time ago. But in recent years, it has attracted more attentions. According to Cambridge Dictionary, gender equality does not imply that women and men are the same, but that they have equal value and should be accorded equal treatment. Another definition of gender equality is that it refers to the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men. Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female (according to United Nations).

From both definitions, a conclusion can be made that gender equality is a term that is used to describe how individuals should be treated equally and have the same responsibilities, rights and opportunities regardless of gender. The term of having equal opportunities includes job opportunities as well. In spite of its definition, can gender equality in job opportunities actually be implied in human society?

Gender Inequality in the Workplace

International Labour Organization (ILO) found that in 2010, women represented only 43.2 percent of the professional, scientific and technical services sector and 8.9 percent of the construction sector (DOL 2011). This fact pictures the unequal number of job opportunities that women have in said fields. This is one of the reasons why movements that demand gender equality bring themselves to the surface.

Among the factors that fuel the existence of gender inequality are:

Uneven pay

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women earn 49 cents compared to every $1 men earn for the same position. This is a clear manifestation of disproportionate waging. It is hard (and consequently unethical) to justify discrimination in any forms, including one with such clarity and scale like this one.

The fear of asking to be paid fairly

Women often view negotiating about the amount of salary they get as being greedy or desperate, which leads them into hesitation. New research from Glassdoor found women negotiate their pay less often than their male counterparts. The poll found nearly 70 percent of women accepted the salary they were offered without negotiating, while only 52 percent of men did the same.

Women are less promoted than men

Women make up less than 5 percent of CEOs and less than 10 percent of women are top earners in the S&P 500. Women of color are even worse off, as they are nearly invisible on both S&P 500 boards and Fortune 500 boards. This happens despite the non-existence of visible performance gap between genders.

Why Should We Enhance Gender Equality in Job Opportunities?

Gender equality is good for the economy. The Victoria state government unveiled that businesses with at least 30% women in leadership positions are 15% more profitable. This goes along with sustainable development which could very well benefit from the end of discrimination and the presence of equal opportunities for education and employment. Gender equality has been conclusively shown to stimulate economic growth.

Gender equality in business would also mean easier understanding of the market and targeting of the consumers. In developed countries, between 70 and 85 percent of purchases are made by women. Nevertheless, 91 percent of women agree that the way products are designed have not adapted to their needs. Therefore, by reducing the overly masculine business structure that can be found easily all this time, companies will be able to produce products that will fulfill the demands of targeted consumers.

But Does Equal Ring the Same Bell as Justice?

Let’s take a look at an example. It would be good news for behind-the-desk workers, managers, and business owners if every company applies an equal employment distribution policy for both men and women. On the contrary, this would be a huge mess for jobs that require physical activities and heavy tools such as on-site construction workers, plumbers, etc. Finding women to do hard labour would be trickier.

This situation is caused by the fact that jobs with tools are more suited for men, not women. This is what we can call justice. Men and women will never be exactly the same or equal because one is very different to another. Men and women have different amounts of strength. Would an on-site construction team consisting of 50 percent women and 50 percent men constitute what we call as justice?

The Verdict

All things considered, gender equality in job opportunities is a great movement that is able to bring a brighter future prospect for human society. But it is to be remembered that every gender has its own features, and one is distinctive from the other. It is therefore wisest to have a clear line which defines the limits of gender equality. It is only best to first truly understand that gender equality is not just a matter of simple numerical distribution. Extreme interpretations of such sensitive matter will do no good.

References

[1] “GENDER EQUALITY | Meaning In The Cambridge English Dictionary”. Cambridge Dictionary, 2020, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gender-equality. Accessed 27 July 2020.

[2] “OSAGI Gender Mainstreaming — Concepts And Definitions”. United Nations, 2020, https://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htm. Accessed 27 July 2020.

[3] “Gender Inequality And Women In The US Labor Force”. International Labour Organization, https://www.ilo.org/washington/areas/gender-equality-in-the-workplace/WCMS_159496/lang--en/index.htm.

[4] “5 Top Issues Fueling Gender Inequality In The Workplace — As You Sow”. As You Sow, https://www.asyousow.org/blog/gender-equality-workplace-issues.

[5] “Pay Equity & Discrimination | Institute For Women’s Policy Research”. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, https://iwpr.org/issue/employment-education-economic-change/pay-equity-discrimination/.

[6] “The Benefits Of Gender Equality”. Vic.Gov.Au, https://www.vic.gov.au/benefits-gender-equality.

[7] “Differences Between Male And Female Skeletons, Heads And Muscles”. Fair Play For Women, https://fairplayforwomen.com/biological-sex-differences.