Despite many advances, gender bias continues to play a role in the workplace, undermining the efforts of women everywhere. Male CEOs still outnumber females in top executive positions and this trend is seen in entry-level jobs as well. Below we will look at a few of the key challenges women at work face.
Pregnancy
Many pregnant women are negatively affected by pregnancy discrimination. However, studies have shown that the unborn child is also affected and may experience negative effects such as a low Apgar score at birth, low birth weight and premature labor.
Pregnancy discrimination discourages a lot of women from trying to start a family. Those who have taken the leap have been on the receiving end of biased behavior, stereotyped views of women in the workplace, isolation and loneliness, denied benefits or reduced income, and fewer opportunities for promotion. This form of discrimination targets pregnant women, those who give birth, and those who seek to become pregnant.
Over the period of ten years, more than half a million women filed claims of pregnancy discrimination. The cases keep on increasing and have not been lessened by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Employers are guilty, in many instances, of discriminating against women in contravention of the Act.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is rife and this is emphasized by the #MeToo movement where multiple women report that they have been victims of this terrifying experience in the workplace.
The behavior that falls under sexual harassment can range from inappropriate comments to physical attempts to coerce compliance and threats of job loss. Although the law is there to protect women, in reality, reporting a case of sexual harassment can see a victim being ostracized by their colleagues and denied advancement. The game of victim-blaming turns the victim into the guilty party. They are further criticized for dressing inappropriately, not nipping the advance in the bud, or for encouraging the perpetrator.
Only one fifth of one percentage of cases are actually reported. Women are too afraid of the consequences of going public to file a claim of sexual harassment. Annually, according to statistics, there a more than five million incidents that occur in America.
Gender Pay Discrepancies
Gender pay discrepancies are commonly known as the gender pay gap. As a woman, you have probably been exposed to gender bias in the workplace, or heard of other cases involving those you know. You would also have read about it on social media and in other news sources. Being at the top of your career is no exception. Women CEOs often earn a tenth of what their male counterparts do. In fact, for each dollar a man receives as income, the women in the same position and company may make as little as 82 cents. At the rate that this has been ‘improving’, it will take just short of a hundred years for parity to be achieved, according to the WEF (World Economic Forum).
This is just a short list of the ways women are discriminated against, purely for their gender.