Women Leave Their Homes with the Tools of Their Trade in Hand As They Start Their Workday

Women leave their homes with the tools of their trade in hand as they start their workday. Some carry briefcases while others carry diaper bags as they hurry to start the day in their careers. Whether they head to a high rise office building, a sales floor, or factory they have the same expectation in mind. They hope to achieve our goals and be compensated accordingly. But all too often the reality of discrimination in the workplace towards women shows its ugly head in regards to salary increases, promotions, and equality. Women in the workplace excel as effective leaders, despite the hardships their ancestors have faced in the past. Unfortunately, all too often, present day women are still often under-estimated, belittled, and undercompensated compared to their male counterparts.

Discrimination towards women in the workplace is not uncommon in spite of laws passed to prohibit the practice. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in the work place. Employers are bound by laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits wage differentials based on sex. President John F. Kennedy declared an end of the unconscionable practice of lower wages for woman for the same job performed by a man as he placed his signature on the signature line to enact this mandate. Yet today, a half century later, women are still faced with unfair compensation in comparison to their male coworkers. (EEOC, 2016)

Prior to the signing of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 woman earned approximately 59 cents to a man’s dollar. Fifty one years after the signing of this bill, based on census reports collected in 2014, women still earn only 78 cents to a man’s dollar. Employers continue to violate law and jeopardize a women’s right to fair wages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over a 45 year career the average woman will have been paid $500,000 less that a male working in the same position. In the United States, women hold 47 percent of all jobs. Inferior wage and labor practices force many of these women to hold two jobs to supplement their incomes. (American Community Survey Reports, 2016)

Prior to the industrial revolution, most women remained in the home and cared for the homestead and their children. As factory work increased in the mid 1800’s woman were awarded positions, as factory owners could pay lower wages to woman and children. Women were hired to operate sewing machines and other domestic style job duties. By 1840 nearly 10 percent of women held jobs outside the home. WWII also contributed to women entering the workforce. Factories were left with little workforce as the young men of the country had been called to war. Women were called into action to keep the county operating. Our government had campaigns designed to draw the housewife out of the house and into the workforce. The American housewife began to realize that she could be proficient in the job assignment and felt challenged and rewarded. Women in the workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent between 1940 and 1945. There was even a popular song released entitled “Rosie the Riveter” to encourage women to make a contribution supporting the war. Rosie the Riveter posters resurfaced again with the feminist movement of the 60’s and 70’s.

The feminist movement of the 60’s and 70’s was a final cry to tear down the inequality in the workforce. The National Organization of Women (NOW) lobbied Congress for pro-equality laws. The goal was to end the inequality and to create a world where their daughters would have the same employment opportunities as their sons. The movement divided a nation between young and old, male and female. Many women were also inspired by the equal right movement occurring at the same time. More women began attending colleges yet society still expected them to return to homemaking once married. The ideas of the nation remained that a woman should be the keeper of her husband, children, and home. The 38 percent of women in the workforce were primarily teachers, nurses, and secretaries. Women were generally unwelcome in professional programs and were only awarded positions in order to fulfill quotas set by federal law. Women consisted of only six percent of American doctors, three percent of the attorneys and less than one percent held positions as engineers. Lower wages were common practice and women were denied promotions as it was expected that they would resign as soon as they became married or pregnant. But the movement changed a nation. It changed the thoughts and ideas of the younger generation growing during this time. The young daughters of these women were being reared in a time when it was common to question and expect fair treatment in the workplace. They witnessed their mothers expressing their distain over unfair labor practices. This young generation was being reared to not accept it. (Friedan, 1963)

As time has progressed, the children of the 60’s and their children have flooded the workplace. These strong, independent women were raised side by side their male siblings as equals and educated in the same manner. With this increased education women are no longer inferior workers but equal in skills, knowledge, and capabilities. They have become major game players in the marketplace and now hold executive positions, manage staff, and obtain position requiring extensive decision making. These new generations of women possess multiple skills and hold the confidence to excel in the workplace.

They succeed in these positions in spite of stereotyping and biases which continue in many situations. There are still occasional thoughts in the workplace that women are inferior workers to their male counterparts. There are still thoughts that a woman may be too nurturing in nature to hold high ranking positions and that men are more authoritative and commanding. During an interview, the female candidate may still need to prove that she will be strong enough to manage staff where it may be automatically expected that the male applicant will have these requested qualities.

As a young woman in the workplace, I was surprised by the content of my research. I was aware of the accomplishments women had achieved throughout history but I was unaware of the struggles my recent ancestors faced and how different the workplace was just a few decades ago. As a young working woman in the insurance industry I have never faced such obstacles. I began my career in the production department and quickly advanced to a junior underwriter and now hold the position as underwriter. I have been awarded respect and have never felt the twinge of discrimination. Our company practices encourage advancement for all employees. They have many different opportunities and programs that are tailored to help women. We have ARG’s (Associate Resource Groups) that we can join, for example we have an All Women’s ARG. This group, that I am a member of, is designed specifically for women in the workplace. It focuses on how women can succeed and move into the career path they want. Women guest speakers are often invited and many discuss the struggles associated with discrimination they faced while excelling in management. They discuss the obstacles that they have faced and still face to this day.

Our company promotes equality as a whole. In addition to women’s program they offer others such as; LGBT (Pride group), Gen Y, Latino Alliance, National Network of Black Associates, and the Asian Affinity group. They also offer a maternity program that is made to protect pregnant women in our company. During your last trimester you are allowed to take longer, more frequent breaks. In my department we are allowed to work from home during our last couple of weeks if we are uncomfortable, that way we can remain working and not sacrifice our own time. We are even encouraged to bring our children in for visits to meet coworkers and we support the national bring your child to work day.

I am pleased to see the advanced strides that have taken place compared to the research I discovered from the past. I feel I work for a very forward thinking corporation that recognizes the issues at hand and strive to eliminate them. I am hopeful that the daughters of my children’s generation continue to experience the disappearance of inequality. I believe that this will continue as generations of workers leave the workplace and new generations enter.

Following my research I decided to interview several women from different employment areas who began their career during the time of the feminist movement. I was interested to hear their prospective and learn of their experiences.

My first interview was with a woman who began working in 1976. She was interested in college but said she had been raised to think she needed a job but not necessarily a career. Her parents believed that she should marry a man who would take care of her. Therefore she passed on college and entered the job market. Her job experience eventually led her to management in the retail food industry. She stated that she excelled in management and received many promotions. She appeared to be very proud of her accomplishments. When I asked if she had ever experienced discrimination or unfair treatment in the workplace she told me of a management meeting she attended to discuss profits and losses and budgets for the upcoming quarter. She stated that all department managers were expressing the needs for their departments and when she spoke to state her needs, one of her fellow managers cut her off and said she was being a typical woman wanting to spend all the money all for herself. Then he asked if she were menstrual or sexually frustrated as she continued to express the needs for a larger budget for her department. She stated that she continued to market her department needs but the room had turned to laughter and crude remarks and her budget ended up smaller than she would have liked. She was the only female manager in a room full of nine other male managers. Later she spoke with her supervisor who was heading the meeting and he told her she was overreacting and that the comments were just guys having a little fun. This meeting had taken place in the nineties, in a large corporation, with executives in an average suburban town. (Williams, 2016)

I also interviewed a women who held the position of Director of Purchasing. She is a single mother who put herself through college while raising her child. She has excelled in the corporate world but said she faced many challenges along the way. She stated that there were many times that she felt she was passed up for promotions due to the small children she had at home although she never allowed them to interfere with her career. When I asked her about equal pay compared to men with similar degrees she simply laughed and said “it depends on company philosophies and who is making the decisions.” (Taylor, 2016)

There are those individuals who would discredit the information in this paper and state that in many situations women receive preferential treatment and that being a women in today’s workforce is an advantage for advancement. They argue that the cute girl in the office will receive perks such as preferred hours or days off or that the office flirt can sleep her way into a new position. They argue that women use their gender to manipulate their superiors and accomplish their goals. Isn’t this truly just another form of discrimination through sexism? Age and physical appearance should not help or hinder ones chances for success. Not only is the female employee being exploited but every other employee, both male and female, is being discriminated against by these actions. Men feel that women receive preferential treatment for instances such as maternity leave, child sick time, and lactation breaks. They feel that it is frowned upon to request leave with a newborn while women are afforded 12 weeks in most corporate jobs. Companies are beginning to recognize this inequality and many are changing their child rearing leave to include fathers. Our company has implemented a one week paid parental leave for either sex to bond with their child. These changes indicate advancements in the continue struggle for equality for everyone, allowing all to have equal or similar opportunities. (Benatar, 2012)

As I close this report, I am grateful to the women who have carved a path for me as I journey through my future in the workplace. I have more opportunities available to me thanks to their efforts and strong resolve. I realize that I may face obstacles during my career that may occur solely due to gender but feel that I possess the same strong qualities as the women who have preceded me. I will strive to excel in my career journey and be the best that I can be. I will also continue the journey for equality in the workplace for all women as anything a man can do we can do better, or at least equal to. This paper is dedicated to all of the women brave enough to step out of the household so many generations ago and pave the way for young women like myself.

Literature review

I had the opportunity to interview two women who were able to give me firsthand knowledge of the struggles they went through as women in management or during their path into leadership. These two sources are credible because they work in a large company and lived and are still living through the difficulties women have in the workplace. The interview information received from them is very insightful and directly relates to my paper supporting that women are not always treated equal and still struggle to be compensated the same as their male counterparts. Another source is the census bureau; this government website has statistical figures supporting that women make less than their male counterparts. Typically women make only 78 cents to the man’s dollar. This evidence directly affected my paper and supports that woman are still not compensated equally and continue to struggle with issues of inequality.

I believe these sources are credible because I have firsthand experiences from women leaders who work and have worked in large corporations and the statistical data from the government backs up their claims. I also think myself as a credible source as I am women in a large insurance company documenting that not all companies are continuing to treat women unfairly. I personally can confirm that there are some companies striving to end discrimination and give everyone equal opportunities.

References

American Community Survey Reports. (2016, 05 20). Men's and Women's Earnings by State: 2008 American Community Survey. Retrieved from United States Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/acsbr08-3.pdf

Benatar, D. (2012). Second Sexism : Discrimination Against Men and Boys. Wiley-Blackwell .

EEOC. (2016, 05 20). Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Retrieved from U.S. Equal Employement Opportunity Commission: https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm

Friedan, B. (1963). The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton.

Taylor, S. (2016, 05 12). Director of Purchasing. (G. Baker, Interviewer)

Williams, P. (2016, 04 27). Director of Operations. (G. Baker, Interviewer)