Female Equality In The Workplace
My daughter-in-law (pictured in this article) recently posted her frustration as a woman working in a male dominated world (see below post). Her comments really made me think how men make woman feel in the workplace. Being a male, I have always tried to treat women with respect and as an equal but if I am being honest with myself, I have probably missed the mark a few times during my career. In summary “Guys we can do better!” In my view, both men and women each bring a unique perceptive and equal value to the workplace.
In a recent Time article (https://time.com/5766787/women-workforce/), the high number of women in the workforce conceals the facts that the labor force participation rate for many groups of women is still lower than that of men. (The civilian workforce participation rate for prime age workers (ages 25 to 54) was 76.8% for women in Dec. 2019 compared to 89.2% for men.) Meanwhile, women are much more likely to work part time.
My daughter-in-law states that “comments/assumptions based solely on gender and appearance discount hard work and credit accomplishments.” I think this point is spot on! It should never be men vs women or one sex is better than the other. Instead, we should recognize the value in each other and look for ways to perhaps change some of the biased culture against women our society has portrayed for so many years. It has to start with the men in making these changes. I thought the following was a great article in starting that conversation!
https://inside.6q.io/female-equality-in-the-workplace/
“I’ve been working full time for the last 4 years, my experience has mainly consisted of management, sales, and recruiting. And in that short amount of time working, here are some of the things that have been said to me: “You’re only good at sales because you’re pretty.”, “If I had boobs I would do just as good as you.” (the cringe), “It’s easier to get promoted when you’re a girl.”
In recruiting when hiring receptionists, I’ve been told to “Make sure she is pretty.”
ALL of these comments are based on gender and appearance that discount hard work and credit accomplishments to being a girl. I’ve worked in both male and female dominated industries and have heard these comments in both.
Over the last year my husband and I have achieved some big financial goals and have been able to make larger purchases. And throughout this process we have met lots of new people. I’ve heard men ask my husband “What do you do for work” multiple times and most of the time never ask what I do for a living. Someone without even asking said to my husband “You’re in sales right?” Because that was the only way we could possibly be able to afford these things. (Let’s ignore the wife and assume only a man can earn Real Money) You can imagine how this is all slightly offensive when I am an equal supporter. And now that we appear to be financially stable and have been married two years how the “When are you going to have babies?” have started rolling in.
My point to all of this is, these comments and questions that I mentioned were mostly all said by men, whether it was intentionally rude comments or just innocent questions. As women and men, we have all been taught to think this way and to follow gender roles. So whether you’re in school, a stay at home mom, working mom, or are into you’re career. Don’t let people downplay your achievements and make excuses for your accomplishments because you’re a woman. When we live in a world where work and money is a boys club, it’s important that women support women, because this mindset isn’t going to change otherwise.“
#womensupportingwomen #womenempowerment