Does gender equality really exist in the workplace?

   By Marriette Kwakye

Over recent decades, a substantial amount of progress has been made towards achieving gender equality in the working environment, however despite women making up 49% of the UK workforce, male graduates can expect to earn an average of 35% more than their female counterparts (The Guardian, 2014). This staggering statistic highlights the inequality that women continue to face in the workplace. In order to raise awareness this article intends to shed light on these injustices, as well discuss whether true gender equality is feasible.

Approximately three-quarters of women in the UK state that in the pursuit of top-level promotions, they have contended with a strong barrier, this barrier being the glass ceiling, which can be described as ‘a barrier, so subtle that it is transparent, yet so strong that it prevents women from moving up the corporate hierarchy’ (Ann Morrison, 1994). The glass ceiling is an obstacle that women as a collective face, and can be manifested in the workplace in various ways. Three areas where women experience injustices as a result of the glass ceiling include the designation of job roles, movement into managerial positions and job responsibilities.

Female executives are frequently assigned job roles that offer minimal opportunities for career progression. In the rare occasion where their role offers the chance to climb the corporate ladder, women are often not considered for managerial positions, with male managers seeking to promote those similar to themselves. A recent study also revealed that male and female executives, who have the same ranking in a company, experience different levels of power. Male executives managed a higher number of employees, had more freedom to hire and fire and a greater control over company assets than their female colleagues (Harlan and Weiss, nd).

Sexual harassment is another widespread problem that women face in the corporate world. A new study by Slater & Gordon (2013) revealed that a staggering 6 out of 10 women have been victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, and despite feelings of intimidation, demoralization and embarrassment, only 27% of these incidents are reported to senior members of staff. Victims of sexual harassment are reluctant to report harassment, as many fear it could negatively impact their career, with a fifth of women expressing that they believed if they had been receptive to a colleagues sexual advances, they might have had a more successful career. A study by John P. Fernandez (2009) also revealed that male corporate managers fail to recognize sex discrimination as a prevalent issue in the workplace, therefore effective remedies are rarely implemented.

So what is the future for women in workplace? Is true gender quality feasible? Or is sexual discrimination something that just comes with the corporate world? The Supreme Court recently passed several rulings on equal employment opportunity laws, however these new laws have made it more difficult to prove discrimination, therefore without pressures from the government and strong legal deterrents, the prospect of achieving true gender equality in the corporate world is uncertain.