For decades now, there has been a “battle of the sexes” that has existed in more ways than one. From the double standards when it comes to dating, married life, and not to mention the workplace, women have been fighting for equality. The question is, are we as women any closer to equality in 2015?
Statistics show women are almost half the workforce. They are equal, if not the main breadwinner, in 4 out of 10 families. Women receive college and graduate degrees at a higher rate than men. Yet, somehow, women on average earn less than men in almost every occupation. The Institute for Womens Policy Research (IWPR) shows that pay equity may be affected by the segregation of jobs by gender. Jobs that are predominately done by women pay less than jobs that are predominately done by men.
In 2014, the ratio of women’s to men’s average weekly full-time earnings was 82.5 percent, an increase of just 0.4 percentage points since 2013, when the ratio was 82.1 percent. Women’s average weekly earnings for full-time work were $719 compared with $871 for men. Studies also show that career interruptions, such as parental roles, are one of the determining factors in men being more successful than women.
While stereotypes are often exaggerated, gender characteristics do exist, and play a very influential role in the workplace. By nature, men are supposed to be more aggressive, and women more emotional. However, why is that when a woman is assertive and speaks with authority, she is looked at as being a “b*tch” or mean? Yet, when a man has the same exact tone and temperament, he gets a pat on the back and is called a “boss.”
More and more women are becoming CEOs and vice presidents of companies than decades ago. Women such as Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin will be campaigning to be the next President of the United States. If the stereotypical way of thinking doesn’t change, will it continue to be a “man’s world”?!
