WORKPLACE EQUALITY
a woman is treated unfairly due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to their pregnancy. But it also involves bias towards an expectant woman, and behaviours such as social isolation, stereotyping, intrusive comments, change of duties, lack of development opportunities, and reduced pay. While there are laws in place that
prohibit the unlawful termination of employment for pregnant workers, the latest Women, business, and the law 2021 report found that 38 of 190 economies do not, in fact, prohibit dismissal of pregnant workers in their laws.
Sexual harassment Workplace sexism and harassment have become even more evident in recent years, with women plucking up the courage to share their traumatic experiences, propelled somewhat by the #MeToo movement, exposing just how widespread sexual violence, abuse, and harassment are in professional environments and beyond. Sexual harassment can manifest in
multiple forms, from sexual remarks about a person’s body, appearance or clothing, to unwelcome physical advancements and any other nonverbal actions that can create a hostile, offensive, or intimidating environment.
It is not surprising, then, that 99.8 per
cent of harassment cases go unreported, despite findings suggesting that over five million workers are sexually harassed at work every year in the US alone.
Gender pay gap The gender pay gap is something that is widely discussed in today’s working world. The numbers do not lie: a woman will
most likely earn a lower salary than a man applying for the exact same position.
Racial discrimination Sadly, racial discrimination is still prevalent in the workplace. The women who experience
microaggressions are also more likely to have a negative feeling about their careers and be impacted by burnout.
Breaking the glass ceiling Career advancement is much trickier for young female professionals who need to work harder than their male peers in order to earn recognition or praise. If we take a look at the CEOs of
the largest corporations, we notice a recurring pattern: that the vast majority are men. The reason is unknown, but in most workplaces, there is a general feeling that men advance faster, and women are deemed ‘incompetent’, even when they have not been given the opportunity to prove themselves. In fact, according to McKinsey & Company, for every 100 men who are promoted to managerial positions, only 85 women are promoted (see Fig 2).
IFHE DIGEST 2023
Work-life imbalance Another noticeable challenge that working women face is the lack of a fair work-life balance. Of course, everyone struggles with balancing their work and personal life. This was made especially clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, with workers working from home reporting that they were unable to switch off and maintain boundaries with their work. This imbalance placed a significant amount of pressure on working women, which also placed a strain on their career and advancement within their roles, but also resulted in serious burnout.
Lack of childcare support (or caring for elderly parents and relatives) Following up from the previous point, it is important to address the detrimental effects that lack of childcare support
50 40 +2% +4% 30 +3% 20 10 Senior
Entry level
0 Manager
manager/ director
Vice president
Senior vice
president C-suite 0
2016 2021 2016 2021 2016 2021 2016 2021 2016 2021 2016 2021 Year
Figure 2. Representation of women by level, 2016-21.
The grooming gap Also known as the beauty expectation gap, this phenomenon encapsulates the social norms that are imposed on women regarding their grooming and appearance, and the financial and time constrictions it imposes. A study found that appearance, both
for men and women, plays a key role in career advancement and income potential.
can have on working mothers and their careers.
Indeed, research demonstrates how the high cost of childcare and limited help offered by employers is reducing women’s participation in the workforce; from reduced hours to pay cuts to loss of employment. Indeed, the same research found that just as fee-based childcare costs began to increase, the number of women in the labour force entered a 20-year-long decline.
Ego clashes This phenomenon is not talked about as much as it should. Women who find themselves
progressing in their careers and achieving their professional objectives may face backlash from male partners. This behaviour often manifests as sarcasm, passive-aggression, discouragement, and guilt-tripping. However, this does go to show that
even when women do manage to break the glass ceiling, this may have negative implications for their personal life.
Being talked over This is a scenario that women are all too familiar with: you start making a point during a meeting only to be interrupted halfway through, talked over and have your idea handed back to you and presented as the culprit’s suggestion. This, however, should not detract from
the fact that women get interrupted 50 per cent of the time in meetings; and 38 per cent have experienced others taking credit for their ideas, according to McKinsey and Lean In’s Women in the workplace report. Another study also suggests that women are 33 per cent more likely to be interrupted when speaking.
Daniela Pedrini.
Exclusion in male-dominated fields An industry is considered to be male dominated when it consists of 25 per cent of women or less. Examples include
31 30 +1% +3% +5% 20 10
Parity
Data as of end-of-year 2015 and end-of-year 2020
40
50
Percentage of employees
Source: Women in the workplace 2021;
LeanIn.Org and McKinsey 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97
