Gender Discrimination and Pay Gaps Women Face at Work

Introduction: Women in the Workplace

There are numerous gains that women have made in the workplace over the past decades. Currently, more women are entering the labor force compared to 20 years ago. Gender imbalance has always existed since women began working, and it has continued to the present day. Women who work in male-dominated workplaces report experiencing more discrimination compared to women who work in female-dominated environments. However, the same is not true for men. Men who work in female-dominated workplaces have not reported any discrimination, nor have they indicated that they face discrimination in workplaces dominated by fellow men (Choi 352).

While discrimination is in some instances never obvious, it still takes place. Women are passed over for job promotions and their male counterparts are offered positions even when they are less qualified. The reasoning behind this is rarely transparent, and fewer managers are willing to disclose their preference for men over women when making promotion decisions. It is well understood that this is done to discourage women and to preserve upper-level positions as male-dominated — a practice that has no bearing on company performance. In fact, companies that have more women in upper management positions have reported increased performance compared to those with male-dominated leadership.

Women have to work harder than men in order to prove their worth, and they are still discriminated against when it comes to promotions. The number of women joining the workforce has been rising, and women are forced to put in more effort than their male colleagues (Choi 347). This pressure to perform may not always be visible, but it exists. It becomes apparent when a manager is seen reprimanding a female worker harshly for a small mistake that would normally be overlooked if made by a male colleague. This subtle discrimination negatively affects the performance of women in the workplace, causing them to be extra careful and to check their work repeatedly before submitting it.

Discrimination is not carried out solely by men; women sometimes discriminate against fellow women. This occurs most often in male-dominated workplaces. Some women look down on their female colleagues and choose to side with the men in order to be perceived as part of the team (Faniko et al. 638). This dynamic pressures women to discriminate against one another, and over time such behavior can become instinctive. Having been conditioned to discourage and belittle women, these individuals may attack and demean other women, often in private.

Pay Discrepancy

Even as the number of women entering the workforce continues to grow, significant pay discrepancies between men and women persist in the workplace (Miller). Job roles may be similar and workloads equivalent; however, men are often given higher pay and increased allowances compared to women. Currently, women working full time earn 80.7 cents for every dollar earned by a man working full time (Mihăilă 263). The annual median earnings for women are $9,900 less than those for men. The Institute for Women's Policy Research has made progress toward reducing this pay disparity, but the organization has stated that equal pay parity may not be achievable until 2059. That estimate is based on the progress made so far and the organization's outlook for closing the gap. The pay disparity is not justified in any way. There is no valid reason to pay women less than their male counterparts when both possess equivalent education and skill levels. Pay discrimination has been used to demotivate women at work, making it harder for them to advance their careers. By limiting a woman's earnings, one effectively limits her ability to invest in further education or training that could help advance her career.

Research has shown that a majority of women are less willing to negotiate their salaries compared to men. While men view salary negotiation as an opportunity to advocate for themselves, women often see it as a battle that may prove unhelpful and could result in further discrimination. The odds are generally set against women in the workplace, which means that even when given the opportunity to negotiate a better salary, most women choose to maintain their current salary rather than endure the scrutiny that comes with the negotiation process (Mihăilă 264). Most managers prefer that their employees justify their worth to the company, and this presents particular challenges when the manager is a man. Notably, when job postings explicitly invite salary negotiation, women tend to negotiate as much as men.

The pay discrepancy has also been partially explained by differences in hours worked. Research indicates that women tend to work fewer hours than their male colleagues. A relevant example is the study by Bolotnyy and Emanuel (1), who analyzed data from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The MBTA is a union shop that offers equal hourly wages for both men and women. The union applies identical rules, and both men and women receive the same benefits. Promotions are based on seniority rather than performance, and workers with equal seniority are given the same choices regarding routes, scheduling, vacation, and overtime. This structure effectively eliminates the possibility of formally favoring men over women.

Despite this, when Bolotnyy and Emanuel (3) analyzed data from 2011 to 2017, they found that men earned more than women. The researchers determined that male train and bus drivers worked approximately 83 percent more overtime than their female colleagues. Men were also more likely to accept overtime shifts that offered higher pay. Additional factors unrelated to workplace policy contributed to the disparity: women with children were more likely to take time off compared to women without children, while men with children were more likely to seek extra income compared to their childless counterparts. It is evident that at the MBTA, the earnings difference largely reflected the choices made by individual workers rather than structural discrimination.

Conclusion

The odds are stacked against women in the workplace. Discrimination is rampant, although it is often not well pronounced. Women have to work twice as hard as men to earn promotions, and they are frequently forced to accept lower salaries for equivalent work. Companies may have anti-discrimination policies in place, but there are many ways an organization can discriminate based on gender without making it obvious. The justification for lower pay is often tied to women's need for flexible schedules — a rationale applied even to women who have not been granted any flexibility. Forcing women to accept the notion that they will not rise above certain organizational levels is both unfair and deeply demotivating.

References

Bolotnyy, Valentin, and Natalia Emanuel. Why Do Women Earn Less Than Men? Evidence from Bus and Train Operators: Working Paper, 2018. Print.

Choi, Sungjoo. "Pay Equity in Government: Analyzing Determinants of Gender Pay Disparity in the US Federal Government." Administration & Society 50.3 (2018): 346–71. Print.

Ezzedeen, Souha R., Marie-Hélène Budworth, and Susan D. Baker. "The Glass Ceiling and Executive Careers: Still an Issue for Pre-Career Women." Journal of Career Development 42.5 (2015): 355–69. Print.

Faniko, Klea, et al. "Nothing Changes, Really: Why Women Who Break through the Glass Ceiling End up Reinforcing It." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 43.5 (2017): 638–51. Print.

Mihăilă, Ramona. "Female Labor Force Participation and Gender Wage Discrimination." Journal of Research in Gender Studies 6.1 (2016): 262–68. Print.

Miller, Claire Cain. "As Women Take over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops." New York Times 18 (2016). Print.