In a a 2017 report that spanned 222 companies and over 70,000 employees completed a survey regarding gender and work-related opportunities. Even today, in the modern era, some of the findings are both disturbing but not at all surprising.
For instance, the expectations for gender equality are relatively low. Nearly, 50 percent of male respondents felt that women were already well-represented in the workplace. Also, 1/3 of female respondents agreed: (In 2017, one in ten women had a leadership role in the companies they worked for). It is interesting to see this disparity in what people believe v. reality. Men are more likely to see their workplaces as equitable and diverse whereas women are more likely to respond int he negative.
In addition, an important topic is the intersection of race and gender. This study found that opportunities are less for women of color compared to white women. Also, the rate of women’s promotions across the board for women of color are under 8%.
This study includes a lot of numbers and raw data but how this data translates into ideas and psychology is incredibly telling. One such psychological factor is that women are less optimistic about reaching leadership positions at the top. Changing how women view themselves in regards to leadership opportunities is just as important as providing equal opportunities for both men and women.
I found this study interesting and incredibly informative. Women have made great strides since the 19th amendment but its important that this momentum does not stall. Having greater gender equity in the workplace is crucial in promoting women’s leadership both today and in the future.
This is a very interesting study that is sadly not surprising. There are still many more men than women in leadership positions in the workplace today. I am shocked that people still do not realize that this gender inequality exists. I am not sure why there is such a disconnect between belief and reality. Maybe people focus more on the fact that there are more women in the workplace and in leadership positions today than there were years ago. But still, there is a huge inequality. Why are there so few women in leadership positions? In my Organizational Psychology class, we learned about a few things that contribute to gender inequality in the workplace including that women do not have many female role models to look up to for guidance and that women take fewer risks (less likely to apply for a job which they are qualified for). What can we do to change the inequality?
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