It’s hard to believe it’s only been just over 100 years since women were allowed the right to vote in the United States. Since then, our country has come a long way to promote women’s rights, from health care access to rights in the workplace. However, we still have quite a way to go to improve the gender gap embedded in our society. One facet of our society where the gender gap is increasingly obvious is in the workplace. Female representation in the workplace has expanded in every industry, but there’s more work to be done to make organizations a more inclusive environment for women. Keep reading to learn why organizations need to promote gender equality in the workplace from the experts at HR Anew.

Male-Dominated Senior Leadership

It’s no secret that men are more likely to hold senior leadership positions instead of their female counterparts. A recent study found that for every 100 men who were promoted to manager-level roles, only 79 women moved up into similar roles. That number is even less for women of color, who make up only 4% of C-suite positions. Traditionally, men have been more likely to hold senior leadership roles and while that gap is closing over time, there’s still more work to be done to get more female leaders in management positions.

Discrimination

Between microaggressions and judgment, women are more likely to experience discrimination in the workplace than men. Women are often asked to provide more evidence of their competence in their roles than men, while also facing serious microaggressions from colleagues and customers. One example is a woman in a leadership role who is continually questioned or challenged in their area of expertise. 

Sexual Harassment

Women are more likely than men to experience sexual harassment in the workplace at an alarming rate. Especially women in senior-level roles, lesbian women, and women working in technical fields. Many women do not have confidence in their organizations to thoroughly investigate and address sexual harassment claims, so incidents often go unreported. Some women are afraid to risk their careers by reporting a sexual harassment incident and will often stay quiet about their experiences. 

Pay Gaps

Lastly, there is of course a major pay gap based on gender in the workplace. Organizations that value their female employees should be expected to regularly monitor and evaluate how they are paying their employees to help eliminate the gender pay gap.

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HR Anew delivers expert strategists and specialists in HR, EEO, Training, Recruiting, digital workspaces, and related areas so that organizations and people can thrive and achieve desired results. Connect with us when you want innovative ideas and solutions to optimize digital resources, strategy and training in the areas of diversity, equity, equality, inclusion, and belonging; manager and employee education and training, employee relations and workplace investigations, and human resource advisory services.