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In this age of feminism and gender equality, women are now encouraged more than ever to avoid traditional gender roles and embark rather, upon expanding their professional 
careers — and many have risen to the occasion. They are making waves in male-dominated industries, and many have even been successful in launching and running their own companies. However, despite this fact, both men and women still face different employment conditions when seeking jobs.
Although the value of having women in the workplace is largely (if not completely) recognized today, they still don’t stand an equal chance of getting a job. According to research, implicit and explicit discrimination still persists against women in the workplace in the United States, and this also includes the recruitment process. Not to mention, women are still less likely to command the same earning power as men, or advance in their careers as far and as quickly as the average man is able to.
According to a study posted by the International Labour Organization, the pay scale has at least narrowed between men and women in the US since 1979, at which point, women only earned 62 percent as much as men. However, as recently as 2010, and after years of cost inflation, the average American woman still earned an approximate and noticeably lower, 81 percent of what their male counterparts earned. Furthermore, according to the same report, between the years 2000 and 2010, women’s overall participation in the work force declined 46.7 percent from its starting percentage of 60 percent, and is not expected to increase by the next benchmark in the year 2018. This is following the gradual, yet consistent, climb in female employment which occurred during the 1980’s, and 90’s.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2013 Report on Women’s Earnings. Report shows that the gender pay gap still consistently encompasses all sectors of society — by age, education level, occupation type, race, and hours worked.
What is the Solution?
While equality for women has come a long way over the years, it’s no secret that a great deal of progress has yet to be made to ensure that discrimination or inequality does not occur either before, or after, women are hired into the work force. For this purpose, organizations must aim to achieve a broad equality, for both men and women.
Establishing gender equality in the workplace is not only important because it “instills impartiality” and is “the right thing to do”. It is, in fact, also vital to the overall productivity and bottom-line of an organization. However, the reality is that achieving equality in the workplace is easier said than done and requires much more than just awareness:
- Organizations should provide equal pay for men and women, for work of equal or comparable value.
- Discrimination on the basis of gender, especially in relation to family, must be eliminated.
- Both men and women must be given access to all industries and occupations, including leadership roles.
- Barriers to the equal and full participation of women in the workforce need to be removed.
Benefits of Workplace Equality
So, should you care if your organization’s recruitment process has inherent gender biases? Other than obvious ethical reasons for supporting equality and justness, companies can actually gain considerable benefits from hiring women and promoting equality in the workplace. Some of the most prominent ones include:
Attracting Top Talent
Workplaces that are equally appealing for both men and women provide organizations with the perfect opportunity to access an entire pool of talent. With women being more highly educated than men, a workplace that discriminates women faces the risk of losing talented individuals to their competition.
Reduced Expenses
When an employee departs, finding an appropriate replacement can end up costing around 75% (or more) of their annual salary. Organizations that treat their employees fairly have a considerably low employee turnover rate, which means they can reduce the high cost of recruitment.
Better Business Performance
Eliminating discrimination and establishing gender equality can lead to smoother and more efficient organizational performance. This is because it joins varied opinions and perspectives, while encouraging greater effort, resulting in better decision making.
In Conclusion
Through our research and general observation of gender equality in the workplace, it is quite evident that strides have been made; however, the gap which exists on both the statistical and personal level for many career women has yet to be closed. With the right approach of fairness, and keeping in mind the benefits that hiring an equal number of male and female employees has on an organization, we can be optimistic that progress will continue to ensue in this area.
Stewart, Cooper & Coon, has helped thousands of decision makers and senior executives move up in their careers and achieve significantly improved financial packages within short time frames. Contact Fred Coon – 866-883-4200, Ext. 200