GENDER EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE

I have been doing a lot of research and reading about gender inequalities in the workplace, and the reasons why that happens. I do not intend to write a dissertation about the subject in this blog, but I do have some opinions of my own that I would like to share. It is evident that gender inequality and discrimination still exist in the workplace. Women (and minorities in general) have faced discrimination in the workforce for many years, and although there has been legislation to prevent discrimination, it is still a reality. The phenomenon of the glass ceiling, meaning the transparent but apparent barrier women and minorities encounter in organizations that impedes their career advancement to upper levels of leadership, is present in every country, in almost every industry, in corporate America, and it is also present in the political, social, and family arenas.

Why gender inequalities still exist, in spite of all the efforts women have made to gain equality and all legislation against discrimination? I have found many reasons, among them and probably the most important, is stereotyping and prejudice. Women are still perceived as incapable of assuming leadership and positions of power. Motherhood is perceived as being a hindrance to women’s aspirations for career advancement, both from women themselves and organizations. Women are still looked at as followers rather than leaders, and I think there are two sides of that perspective that are worth discussing.

First, socialization influences the view of self and the roles that people assume in every aspect of life. Sex is a biological given, but gender is attributed by society. Males and females are socialized differently throughout their lives, starting at home, and by every social institution they are involved in. Socialization instills very definite roles in each gender, and limits sensitizing each gender towards the other one. I even see this in my household when my husband does not want pink in anything that has to do with our son Paul Vincent. Individuals of each gender are boxed in their notions of what they should be doing, and they go on in life doing what they learned and passing their behaviors on from generation to generation. Both women and men act according to the socialization process they were immersed on, and so they not only assume the roles that they have learned, they resist any changes in the learned gender roles concepts. Therefore, men still believe that they are the hunters, and women at some level still believe that they are the main and ultimate responsible ones for the household and family responsibilities.

Secondly, socialization permeates the individual level into the organizational-corporate-political levels, and influences the culture of organizations. Organizations are composed of individuals, and are mirrors of the stereotypical thoughts and behaviors learned through the socialization process. Men are still the hunters, and women are expected to serve, follow, and take care of men. Women want equality, and we should have it, but a lot of things have to be done in order to reach that equality.

Many experts give recommendations as to how to break the glass ceiling. Some say that women should get more educated, be more assertive, aggressive, acquire more skills, get training and education in areas that were generally for men in the past, and so forth. All these recommendations sound very good to me, but they are not enough. I think the issue of gender equality has deep roots, and those roots have to be re-routed. Women are generally more educated than men in many areas, work as hard or more than men, research has shown that are more effective than men in meeting deadlines and managing multiple tasks, have better relationships with peers, and develop better teamwork. But in spite of all this, they are still not getting the advancement opportunities they are seeking. The glass ceiling does not have to do anything with skills, education, and merit, but again, with discrimination based on stereotyping and prejudice. Changes have to be made at the individual level, and then at the family level in order for these changes to transpire to the corporate level. Women in the US are still 73% responsible for house work and taking care of children, and the figures are even higher in other places of the world. Women have to work harder at balancing work and family life than men. Men have to step up to the plate and realize that household and family are not exclusive responsibilities of mothers, and share even loads, and women have to also realize this as well and let men take on more responsibilities at home and with the children. Companies have to stop penalizing women for having children, and offer flexible schedules and time off for both parents to share the responsibility and joy of the family. I read that having children is a woman’s choice, and therefore they should not complain for not advancing in their careers because they decided to have children. Of course, the person who made this comment is a man, and he probably has children of his own, and maybe even asked his wife for an X amount of children (some men love to ask us to have children like we are able to pop them out effortlessly and instantly). Women decide to have children, but men do too. Raising a family should be a shared venture, so that both parties can benefit from the rewards it brings, but also reach their potential at work.

This topic is complex and interesting (just how I like them). Of course, there are a lot of points of views in the subject and no simple answers, and I am sure I did not even scratch the tip of the iceberg with what I wrote. But it is something for women and men to think about. Changes in gender roles, starting with shared household duties and responsibilities (in equality and fairness) and changes in organizational culture should give women equality after all, although the process might be slow, as many changes often happen. If changes start at heart, they will eventually find their place and a better place for women and men of any color.