Feminism in the Workplace

Did you know that the rate of employment of men has gone down, while the rate of employment of women has increased since 2008? While this is an excellent achievement, the workplace is still lackluster environment compared to what it could be for women. Women have gained many rights in the workplace over the years, but this kind of gender-based imbalance still plagues female laborers. In addition to the lack of equality concerning pay, women are much less likely to be promoted to positions of power and are more likely to be harassed at work. It is these kinds of things that we need to keep in mind when discussing feminism’s role in the workforce. Although women’s workplace rights have improved drastically, factors such as equal wages, equal opportunities for advancement, and the freedom from workplace harassment still require a vast amount of change in order to achieve true gender equality.

Women make, on average, $163 less per week compared to their male counterparts [x]. This imbalance in pay makes it hard for women to become as independently wealthy and successful as men. When a person is made unable to become independently successful, they must rely on others to help them to thrive. This, for women, usually comes in the form of a husband. But why are we holding our women back from being wealthy and successful without needing anyone’s help? These are the questions we must ask ourselves in order to fully understand the oppression caused by unequal pay.

Another problem facing women in the workforce today is the lack of advancement. Only 18 out of 500 top businesses are run by women [x]. This means that only 3.6% of businesses have placed women in a position of authority. Why, in the 21^st century, are we still so dead set on living up to the saying “it’s a man’s world”? By advancing equally deserving women to positions of power, we could easily solve a large problem with gender inequality in the workplace.

The last problem working women must deal with is fear of harassment in the workplace. While it is true that both genders face workplace harassment and the men suffering from this injustice should not be overlooked, women are far more likely to be harassed. Laws have been put in place over the years to protect workers from harassment, but often times laws go ignored by those in high positions of authority, particularly men. 64% of Americans see sexual harassment of women in the workplace as a prevalent issue in the US [x] Because of this, women feel unsafe and unvalued at work and their personal health as well as their job performance suffers. Ideally, all people should be able to go to work feeling safe and able to do their job without fear of harassment. Sadly, this is not always the case.

Feminism in the workplace is very important because it ensures that everyone, no matter their gender, is treated fairly and equally and is able to become the best that they can be. The fight for equal pay is there to try to ensure that women can be independent and equal to men. The promotion of women into positions of power makes sure that men are not over represented in the workplace and that female employee’s interests are properly considered. The freedom from harassment simply exercises the basic human right to feel safe and comfortable in one’s place of work. Thanks to feminism in the workplace, the fight for equality grows stronger every day.