06 November 2022
Women in Business. Women in Finance. Women in STEM. Women in Tech. As our title suggests, this is women taking over the world… I’m kidding.
Recently, we have seen a majority of women joining these sectors which were once male-dominated. Year after year, more and more women are taking on top and mid-level leadership roles. Diversity in these senior roles is essential for businesses to succeed and grow because it frequently adds a fresh perspective or direction to a situation. Early on, women were known only to take on professions that required care and support, such as those of teachers and nurses. However, because of the feminist movement, equal opportunity laws, and the ever-expanding service sectors, women are starting to participate in a far wider variety of employment options. Many women nowadays are taking steps to fill positions that were previously filled exclusively by men and it's simple to understand why more women feel secure and powerful enough to challenge these formerly male-dominated industries given the growth of online discussion forums, collectives, and organizations like Women In Tech or Mountain America Credit Union where 77% are executives or managers that are women.
THE UNSEEN BARRIERS
Of course, not everything is as easy as it seems. Behind closed doors, there are unseen barriers women face, from keeping investors satisfied or achieving steady growth are hurdles that all owners must overcome. According to Hive, women in today's offices work 10% harder than males. This result is the result of two more statistics. First, both men and women really finish roughly 66% of the work that is given to them. Today, however, women are given 10% more work than males; the fact that they do it at the same rate suggests that they are working harder merely due to their gender. This shows, women still have extra and particular challenges to overcome. Women who work and have families have had increased responsibilities for their energy, and resources, especially women who have more obligations for childcare, illness, or school. Additionally, despite the fact that more men are choosing to stay at home to raise their families, they don't appear to be subject to the same pressures as women to find new employment. Furthermore, another hurdle women face is gender pay gaps. Companies are required to provide annual statistics on the gender pay gap for all of their employees. Although there has been a steady decline in the gap for full-time employees since 1997, many well-known companies came under scrutiny a few years ago when it became clear that they weren't doing everything they could to close the gap between their male and female employees. An example of this is in the UK, where the overall gender pay gap is 15.5%. (Office for National Statistics 2020).
CONCLUSION
Even if there are still differences in representation and equality, there has been a significant advancement in recent years. What’s more, there are many examples of successful women in the workplace and female entrepreneurs making a difference, for example, women like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ginsburg's dedication to the idea of equal justice under the law throughout her career as an attorney, judge, and associate justice of the Supreme Court changed the legal climate in the United States, particularly for women. Another example is Mary Barra, Barra is General Motors’ first female CEO, and the first woman to lead any major automotive manufacturer. As more women enter and succeed in different sectors and more female creators create change, these social norms will shift. Women in all sectors today are helping to break down harmful stereotypes and challenging the status quo. This links back to the Choose to Challenge theme for International Women’s day. Today’s pioneers are shaping the future of business for years to come for the benefit of everyone.
