Battling Gender Discrimination in Workplace : A Modern Reality

Women now play significant roles in the workforce. They have excelled in a variety of fields and have outperformed men, but they are nevertheless occasionally constrained by the workplace culture that underrepresents women, impedes their growth, and prevents them from achieving leadership roles. Bias in the workplace is defined as the treating two equal people differentially due to their gender in numerous areas such as the job itself, training and development, compensation, recognition, equal opportunities, etc.

Employment Dynamics have definitely shifted over the years but It does not mean that women’s participation in family work has decreased; rather, it has migrated from domestic work to commercial employment, which enhances their interest and existence in the world. However, they continue to experience unfair treatment at work, which is referred to as occupational inequality.

Pay disparities are just one segment of the discrimination that women face at work. Women continue to face obstacles when trying to advance into leadership roles, especially black women, LGBTQ+ women, and women of colour. They are also more likely to experience micro aggressions, which are offensive remarks or insensitive inquiries based on a person’s race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

Leaders must eliminate prejudice in the workplace and close the gender gap in career advancement. Transparent wages, flexible work schedules, training opportunities for women, and an emphasis on wellbeing and mental health are all practical methods to realise this goal. Employees can help ensure gender parity on all levels by supporting one another, standing up to prejudice, and providing leaders with candid feedback.

Ways in which women are still battling gender inequalities at workplace, even in the modern era,

1. An unequal pay scale is a reality

Men and women still do not receive equal compensation in the workplace. In 2020, Black and Latina women made even less money than women overall, earning just 84% of what males did for the same work. Even though it has decreased by only 8 cents in 25 years, the gender wage gap has continued over the previous few years. There are many factors and conventions to consider that prevent women from choosing higher-paying jobs and industries with a male predominance, unequal access to education, and discrimination.

2. Promotion barriers

Only 86 women receive promotions to manager for every 100 men. At higher levels of leadership, this issue is exacerbated because there are fewer women managers available for promotion to department heads, directors, and C-suite roles.

3. Working mother are considered an obstacle

Even when their resumes are identical to those of male applicants or women who are childless, hiring managers are less likely to call back mothers and women of childbearing age. This illustrates the gender biases present in the “work/family narrative,” which sees women as mothers and caregivers.

4. Countless instances of sexual harassment

Inappropriate sexual attention and sexual coercion occurrences decreased after the #MeToo campaign began in October 2017. However, there has been a noticeable rise in hostility toward women; according to a survey, sexist statements and inappropriate stories from male co-workers increased from 76% in 2016 to 92% in 2018.

5. An extreme racism against Women

Women of colour and others with marginalised identities experience more rude and “bothering” micro aggressions, such as being questioned or interrupted, than do white women. Additionally, there aren’t many allies for women of colour at the office. Less than half of white employees who identify as allies to women of colour really do even the most basic things, like confront bigotry or advocate for more opportunities for women of colour. This frequently occurs because women of colour and their white “allies” have vastly different perspectives on what is beneficial.