Women in Corporate America: Gender Barriers and Inequality

Introduction

The American workforce is increasingly reflecting the changing American demographic. Groups once considered minorities — including women and people of color — are occupying more management and leadership positions in the business world and in corporate America. Their presence has begun to trigger changes in how companies are managed and in the broader areas of corporate culture.

However, in many ways, women in business continue to face unique problems because of their gender. This paper discusses how these difficulties continue to form barriers for women in the business world. The effects of gender stereotypes and expectations can be seen in virtually all aspects of employment — from hiring practices to wages, from chances for advancement to retirement benefits. This paper examines how factors like unequal pay and a male-dominated corporate culture help to ensure that the American corporate world remains largely an enclave of men.

Unfair Hiring and Advancement Practices

In a study designed to examine double standards in the hiring process due to gender, researchers found that women faced a double set of expectations. First, they had to be able to perform competently and exhibit typically masculine qualities such as assertiveness. However, particularly when vying for high-status jobs, women are also expected to demonstrate "feminine" traits like empathy and tact. Women who did not possess these so-called feminine traits were considered less suitable for employment, while male applicants were not judged based on the presence or absence of those same traits (SooHoo).

Women who are hired face additional obstacles to advancement. Despite the greater number of women in the workforce, a clear sex segregation in employment persists. In most modern nations, including the United States, the majority of domestic work is still assigned to women. Even within the paid labor force, many women are still assigned to supportive functions (Cejka and Eagly).

This socialization into gender roles has significant implications for women seeking positions in management. Despite the publicized success of CEOs like Hewlett Packard's Carly Fiorina and TLC Beatrice's Loida Nicholas Lewis, there remains a dearth of women in top managerial positions. All but a few Fortune 500 companies continue to be run by men (Book 28).

The Gender Wage Gap

Such inequity is also evidenced in the gender wage gap. Despite pay equity laws and a growing awareness of gender discrimination and women's rights, salary disparities continue to exist between men and women across a broad range of occupations.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that women earn an estimated 76 cents for every dollar that men are paid for the same jobs. Although women now comprise roughly half of the American workforce, the majority remain in lower-level positions. Women are underrepresented in managerial and other decision-making roles, occupying only 20 percent of middle management positions and a mere 5 percent of all executive positions (Bureau of Labor Statistics). This combination — a growing number of women in the workforce alongside their limited access to positions of power — contributes to the increasing incidence of sexual harassment.

The gender wage gap persists across a wide diversity of occupations even after controlling for factors like age and education level, making clear that gender itself plays a key role in determining salary.

Statistics further show that the gender wage gap is exacerbated by race. The median weekly salary of African American women working full-time was $429, compared to $669 for white men. Over the course of a year, this means that a Black woman generally earns approximately $12,000 less than a white man for the same job (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Part of the reason is the poor enforcement of wage discrimination laws. Funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal body charged with bringing civil suits against discriminatory employers, continues to be inadequate. As a result, many women are dissuaded from pursuing legal action due to long wait times and a cumbersome bureaucracy (Gibelman). Many women also face lower pay from the moment they are hired. Some employers argue that women simply do not negotiate for higher wages; however, analysts believe the greater fault lies with employers who continue to ignore the Equal Pay Act.

Conclusion

There is no quick fix for the various challenges faced by female executives in the corporate world. As discussed in this paper, the challenges posed by their gender are present in all aspects of corporate work. Many companies, for example, have hiring and advancement policies with subtle forms of discrimination built in.