Your source for everything Monarch

MOHI Mix

Your source for everything Monarch

MOHI Mix

Your source for everything Monarch

MOHI Mix

Women are Equal Right?

Graph+depicting+womens+median+earnings+as+a+percentage+of+mens+earning+in+America.+The+black+line+continuing+upward+shows+projected+gains+in+pay.+Despite+perceived+gains+in+equality+for+women+in+the+workplace+their+is+still+bias+against+women+in+the+modern+American+workplace.
courtesy of Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Graph depicting women’s median earnings as a percentage of men’s earning in America. The black line continuing upward shows projected gains in pay. Despite perceived gains in equality for women in the workplace their is still bias against women in the modern American workplace.

Stereotypes and inequality in the workplace still prevalent

Would you like to be paid less than someone else doing the same exact job as you? Women are facing that problem in today’s workplace. You might think at this point in history, women in the United States would be equal to men, but this is a false assumption. Today, according to the Census Bureau, in 2012 women were paid only seventy-seven cents to every man’s dollar. It is  unequal in terms of both pay and job advancement opportunities in the workforce, especially in corporations.

 Monika Edgar, resident of Louisville, has worked in five different companies, owned her own art gallery, and currently works for a graphic design company said, “As you go higher in the organization, the inequality between women and men becomes more obvious.” She is talking about opportunities. It is more likely that you will find yourself working for a man than a woman because men are more likely to be given those opportunities to be in those positions. This is partly due to roles that society says genders are supposed to fill.

 “Women are being perceived as caring, nurturing, and mother-like,” said Edgar. This makes it harder for women to be considered boss material because they are expected to be nice and not confront employees when they do something wrong. For women bosses, there is a fine line between being too nice and being too mean, and that makes it harder for them to compete with men for a manager job.

 One of the many problems women face is being stereotyped. Amy Karlzen, a senior at Monarch, who is a DECA member and an FBLA state officer said, “Women are starting to break that boundary and are starting to really prove people wrong in their preconceived notions of what women can accomplish.”

 Janet Russell, a frame store owner in Louisville, believes that women tend to work harder than men. “The female [works harder] because they feel they have to prove something,” said Russell.

 She felt as though she was judged for being a woman owning her business, and that people thought it was strange that she was a woman owning her own business, especially a woman of color. “I think there is a culture that needs to be broken in the workplace,” said Russell.

 Unfortunately both Russell and Edgar felt like they had unequal pay in their corporate jobs. One of the many obstacles women have in the workplace is finding the necessary information about how much they are getting paid compared to male coworkers, but that information is hard to get. “It’s not easy to find out because that sort of information seems to be classified… but eventually the truth comes out, and the two previous jobs I had, men were definitely making more,” Edgar said.

 “We, the younger generation, can go out there and change the culture,” said Russell.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All MOHI Mix Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.