Katie Gross

April 9, 2014
Working Women
Its Not About Sex
Women currently earn 77 cents to every workingmans dollar.
1
This statistic has echoed through
society for some time now, and the immediate and expected reaction is that this is a matter of womens
rights, equality, and discrimination. These conditions make up a significant layer of the problem,
however it is also important to recognize the many other factors that stem from or contribute to this
issue. America as a whole must come to the realization that this affects not only women, but every
person in our country regardless of wealth, citizenship, employment, and especially regardless of
gender.

The World Really Does Revolve Around Her.
What would it mean for the U.S. economy if the wage gap were to close completely? Its
estimated that the economy would gross $447.6 billion in additional income if pay equity were attained.
2

Many workingwomen and mothers work incredibly hard to support their families yet continue to look up
at the poverty line. Imagine the transformation this change would make given that people are living
every day, paycheck to paycheck, saving every penny and clinging to the hope that they can lead a better
life. More importantly, theyre hoping that their children wont be stuck with the same fate. If equity in
pay were achieved, the poverty rate for workingwomen would reduce by more than half, falling from
8.1% to 3.9%; and for the 14.3 million single women in America, the poverty rate would fall from 11%
to 4.6%.
3
But in actuality, these results would be significant for every socioeconomic class. These kinds
of economic renovations will boost our global competitiveness and overall better our country in the
world.

Im Not Supposed to Say. Its a Secret.
How can society invoke change when the evidence of the problem is suppressed? Nearly half of
all workers 51% women and 47% mennationally are contractually forbidden or strongly
discouraged from discussing earnings.
4
This secrecy is even more common among single mothers, as
63% say employers prohibit or discourage such discussions.
5
What reasons do human beings have for
choosing to keep secrets? Shame, wrongdoing, regret, and guilt come to mind. What would be the
detriment to the company in discussing wages in the workplace? Its not a great idea on a personal
security level, but what is the harm in talking to supervisors or coworkers about it? It seems like a way
to sweep inequalities in pay under the rug and disguise the purpose with a justification that deems this
talk unprofessional and inappropriate for the workplace. This cover-up tendency seems more common in
medium to high paying jobs and less among lower income jobs. Wage secrecy is 54% for women in full
time jobs and 47% for part-time workingwomen.
6
On top of that, wage secrecy is higher for white
women (52%) than for African American (41%) or Hispanic (50%) women.
7
Only 18% of women in the
public sector report wage secrecy due to the fact that most government agencies have systems that
publicize general wage and salary information.
8
Pay secrecy isnt only affecting women, as 47% of men
report the issue as well.
9
Companies may reason that they dont want to disrupt the peace of the office
with comparisons of wages that lead to complaints or which force supervisors to explain to employees
why they are receiving more or less than their coworker. But, as long as it is conducted in a professional
manner, could it prove beneficial? Workers may feel motivated to work harder if they are aware of
exactly how much compensation they could earn. A movement to end the suppression of discussing
wage in the workforce is necessary. Men and women need to stop agreeing to keep quiet, and companies
need to adjust their policies to afford a more open and just business environment. Everyone needs to
stop and question, why the secrecy?


No One Understands Me!
Workingwomen enter the workforce with a load on their backs from the very beginning. A study
found that a whopping 61% of female executives reported being mistaken for a secretary at a business
meeting.
10
The concept of the old boy network underscores the tendency for men to readily provide
guidance or advice in an informal web of connections with other men of a similar background. Women
have little to no opportunity to take part in this network because it often involves connection outside the
workplace or the hours of the workday. A notion known as the big briefcase syndrome describes the
pattern of women needing to leave work on time because they need to pick up their kids, go to the
grocery store, make dinner, and other types of caregiving duties.
11
The men involved in the old boy
network often arent as significantly committed to familial duties and can afford to engage in after-
hours social activities that provide the setting of this unofficial network of advantages. Deborah Swiss
and Judith Walker describe the concept of a maternal wall that women in upper echelons or
corporations hit once they become mothers.
12
After encountering the wall, the work environment
changes and women feel more vulnerable to negative performance appraisals, to being overlooked for
promotions or for important assignments and in general be viewed as less committed to the company.
13

Their reaction to hitting this wall is that they feel less satisfied with their jobs and they opt to stay at
home or leave the company. This further amplifies the stigma that once women become mothers they
are less dedicated to their work. When women were asked what they felt was the most serious obstacle
in the work force, only 3% said family responsibilities, and 50% named gender related factors.
14
A
pattern of misunderstanding is evident in that women appear on the surface to be more likely to pursue
reduced-hours arrangements or leave due to their other job at home, but in reality women are simply
responding to this new reality that their jobs lack purpose and are no longer satisfying. Arlie
Hochschilds concept of the second shift describes the difficulty that women face in trying to be the
source of income and the childcare provider for their family.
15
In a sense, women work two full time
jobs that consume all of their time and effort of which they often have little choice.
Daddys Home!
Some men who are give the option of paternity leave in their companies often choose not to,
because of old-fashioned mindset that coworkers and supervisors will see them in a different light. Its
been referred to as the daddy track, in which the father may return to a career pathway and find that
they are far less likely to advance than they had been prior to their leave.
16
Male colleagues are more
likely to label in this way because of the consistently correlated relationship between housework and
childcare. Mothers stay home to care for the children, but with that comes cleaning, housework, laundry,
cooking and other tasks of this nature. It may not be the actual time spent with children that comes to
mind when coworkers hear the words paternity leave but rather a man in an apron, sweeping the floor.
This bias is no less acceptable, because often men do participate in housework and no negative
connotations should be derived, although this may be the case nevertheless. However, a separation
between housework and childcare has developed, as men are doing a lot more childcare but not as much
more housework than in previous eras. This has resulted in another stereotype that fathers are the fun
parent. They come home from work and watch the children while the mother cooks dinner or does the
laundry. Whether or not this labeling of the daddy track comes from the idea of childcare, housework
or both, it is an absurd and antiquated way of thinking that should be abolished because ultimately it is
detrimental to the whole structure of both the family and the workplace. If more fathers took advantage
of paternity leave, mothers would have the option to go back to work and the overall gender
demographic could balance out. If society possessed equal opportunity employment, paternity and
maternity leave would be equivalent considerations. Perhaps an answer to this issue lies in helping men
in the workforce too; if they no longer feel paternity leave will threaten their careers and reputations,
then women would have more opportunities to continue working and leave the fathers at home to care
for the children. Ironically, the true advocates in the work place for exercising paternity leave are
females.
17


Theres Glass Everywhere
Women have made tremendous strides in the workforce there is still the understanding that their
careers can only go so far. Theyre conscious of this limit, and as a result they tend to to quit, retire,
resign or fall victim to the leaky pipe tendency, and drop out of organizations management systems
before reaching senior management positions.
18
This cap to womens progression in their career is the
well-known concept of the glass ceiling. Gender discrimination is the antagonist of the ambitious female
and the glass ceiling is the climax of the plot. Women work just as hard or harder, some may argue,
because they must conquer curve balls of sexism along the way, yet they seem to have an endpoint set in
stone for them. More than 80% of women felt that there are detriments to being a woman in the business
world.
19
One of these detriments is the new notion of the glass cliff. It is shown that women have a
higher chance of getting promoted to leadership roles during dicey times. When the company begins
failing, the men (who may have contributed to the problem) scatter, leaving the women left to deal with
the downfall.
20
Women are confronted with two challenges: a roadblock in the advancement of their
careers and a promotion that may end in disaster that is now in their hands. In that situation women are
viewed as fools, or as a scapegoat, and therefore a mere tool in the master plan. Should the company
crash completely, women are unlikely to be hired again after having dirtied their hands in the downfall
of a company. In the General Motors mess of climbing out of bankruptcy after a recall of 1.6 million
cars made between 2003 and 2007 with defective ignition switches that were connected to 13 deaths.
21

Mary Barra was promoted CEO of General Motors in December of 2013 and just two weeks into her
tenure the storm began.
22
Conspiracy theories are now arising as to how Barra didnt know of the
defects, being that the company was aware of them since 2001, and that she had held various positions
within General Motors since she began working there in 1980.
23
She was deemed even worse than a
scapegoat and called a sacrificial lamb, given the possibility that she may actually lose her job.
24

Additional evidence of the glass cliff includes Lynn Laverty Elsehans became the first female CEO
Sunoco after shares fell 52% and Anne M. Mulcahy was promoted as the first female CEO of Xerox
after it went $17 billion in debt and was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
25
These powerful female figures proved heir value and commitment and won their battles,
as shares climbed for Sunoco after the hiring of Laverty and Mulcahy was accredited with a
turnaround.
26
After all, it has been said that women have leadership qualities better suited for sweeping
up the mess.
27


This is my Best Feature
Evidence proves overall differences exist in leadership and communication styles between males
and females. Men tend to communicate using report talk in which language is used to state
information, recite events, and often preserve status in social situations.
28
Women are more inclined to
engage in rapport talk in which intimacy and closeness, emotion, and an interactional quality are all at
play.
29
Women lead with qualities that encourage participation and contribution, and accept
transformations while men lead with more delegation and transactional qualities.
30
Transformational
leaders are more likely to inspire creativity, engagement and commitment that benefit the company in
terms of productivity and quality of work.
31
Women differ from men in attitude and ambition, or maybe
they dont at all, but this is what weve been programmed to expect as a universal gender norm. Women
are put in double jeopardy, because they can choose to adopt the approach of being more aggressive and
possibly being called things like a shark, thought of as cold, or even just labeled as trying to be
something they are not. Alternatively, they can adhere to the opposite approach exhibiting less
aggressive ambition and be considered weak or too feminine. The woman must fit somewhere along this
spectrum and it doesnt bode well for them either way. Women make out better in newer high-
technology industries because they are more welcoming of diversity. In addition, it is these companies
that hold the promise for the economic future of America. The triumph will germinate from the small
and medium sized businesses as well as the large high-tech ones. As women continue to find success in
these companies, more women will take on positions, growth will ensue, and the structure and
atmosphere of the workplace will change with our culture.

Fine. Ill Do It Myself.
Female leadership poses an interesting discrepancy being that gender demographics in education
arent consistent with those in the work force. Women have attained more degrees at every level yet still
linger at 18% of Congress, 15% of Fortune 500 companies, 29% of all tenure track positions in
academia, 15% equity partners in law firms, and 25% of top leadership positions in med school,
regulatory agencies, and hospital administration.
32
Studies have shown that the way men lead is no
better, and female executives have yielded successful outcomes as well. In fact, a 2007 study found that
Fortune 500 companies with more female board memberships were more profitable than those with
fewer or no women concerning financial aspects like return on equity, return on sales and return on
invested capital.
33
In July of 2009, only 15 companies in the Fortune 500 had female chief executives.
34

Why are women not holding more leadership roles? The answer may be that they actually are, just not
for the large, wealthy companies. Instead, women are opting to go into business for themselves. Data
from 2008 and 2009 proves that women are running more than 10 million businesses with combined
sales of $1.1 trillion.
35
In addition, the number of women owned businesses grew 69% in service
industries and 82.7% in professional services from 1997 to 2006.
36
This may be a pure stroke of genius
for women to decide to go into business for themselves, but its curious how exactly theyre obtaining
the resources, networks and skillset needed to be successful in starting tech companies, when only 18%
of computer science graduates are women.
37
Theyre doing what women do bestcoming together,
helping each other, connecting, boosting, learning, collaborating, but most of all, theyre succeeding. For
example, the Womens Coding Collective is a web development community with a mission to narrow
the gender gap in technology that aims to cultivate supportive, no-stupid-questions environments
where women can learn, build, and code together.
38
It is programs like these that show promise in
closing the gender gap. The issue is complex and layered, but women are smart; they know that
ambition and patience will help in the achievement of gender equality in the workforce.

Cheers to the Childcare
There are 68 million employed women in the United States with 25% of these women working
part time and 32% being single mothers who provide the sole support for their families.
39
These women
must take on two jobs, but what about those women that hold childcare positions as their job? Why is it
that childcare, housework, cooking and cleaning are jobs that are seen as inferior? If you compare the
income, working conditions, benefits and social status of this line of work in comparison with certain
lower level business positions, there isnt much solid difference.
40
The common conception of needing
to get a real job bounces around in our minds and we associate this realness to the presence of some
form of office and professional attire. These jobs may not require a suit or a tie, but they hold their value
in society and are crucial to the structure. Why does this stigma exist? Could it be due to the fact that
more often women, and increasingly, more often women of minorities hold these positions? Is it in some
way affiliated with illegal immigration and the demographic of these jobs? The people that hold these
jobs are underappreciated and in some instances maltreated and the wage gap for minority women is
even worse. For every male-earned dollar, African American women make 64 cents and Hispanic
women make just 54 cents comparably.
41
According to the National Womens Law Center, the gap is
actually widening. In 2011, black women made 69 cents and Latinas made 60 cents.
42
Has improvement
peaked? Are we on the brink of a delay in progress or worse yet, a step backwards in the attainment of
equal compensation?

A Glass Ceiling of Progress?
What can be done? Companies should invest more time in policy-making and in programs that
help create an atmosphere where women are valued and encouraged in the company, are given
opportunities to succeed, are utilized to their full potential, and are not stamped with any kind of gender
behavioral expectations. The human resources department could launch programs that negotiate with
workers to develop a plan that suits the cultural or situational context rather than continuing to practice
this one size fits all sort of mentality.
43
Our maternity policies in the U.S. were ranked in the low
range in terms of financial and time management support among 168 countries observed.
44
Special
treatment is not implied, certainly those that are able to contribute a significantly better job performance
should be holding higher positions, but for those caregivers that manage to contribute just as much or
more to the quality of their work, need not be immediately declared as less dedicated. Its estimated that
at the current rate of progress, it will take roughly another five decades for women to catch up to men,
reaching pay equity in 2058.
45
The gender wage gap is 77%, only 15.7% of corporate officer positions in
Fortune 500 companies are held by women, and both of these statistics are the same as they were in
2002.
46
This brings us to the question, why has the progress ceased? It could be associated with
economic turmoil and the subsequent financial pressures that companies face, or maybe society has also
hit the glass ceiling of progress in closing the gender wage gap. Although women seem to have come to
a standstill in the issue of equal pay, progress has still been made. Females make up 54% of accountants
with 30% of those women being women of color.
47
Maybe this field could prove promising to serve as a
gateway for women to advance to higher-level business positions. In other majors, especially certain
STEM majors, there is still much work to be done. Women make up only 20% of the engineering
degrees, around 30% of chemical and industrial engineering degrees and 18% of mechanical and
electrical engineering degrees.
48
Additionally, only 38% of women in the workforce are holding
managerial, professional, and related occupations and a great many still occupy traditionally female
jobs like secretaries, nurses and teachers.
49
How do we decide who is primarily in charge of fixing these
problems? When companies discuss policies and programs that they have put in place, no one should
assume that only men are responsible, simply because it is a womens issue. Women may be facing
discrimination and inequality in the work force that needs to be addressed, but this issue is something
that every member of society must work to achieve. Gender inequality in the workforce is an extensive
and intricately woven issue in our society and it is one of many cause and effect processes. It
conceivably traces all the way back to how we raise our children and the gender roles that lay the
foundation of these inequalities; furthermore it boils down to biology, and the anatomical differences
between the structure of males and females like the mere fact that women carry children. Is perfect
gender equality in the workforce idealistic? Some may argue yes, nonetheless, it should be significant to
all Americans: rich and poor; legal and illegal; employed and unemployed; men and women, because
the issue touches every citizen of our nation and most aspects of our lives.






























1
Covert, Bryce. "Unequal Pay Is Even More Unequal For Women Of Color." ThinkProgress RSS. N.p.,
15 "Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/11/15/2950501/racial-wage-
gap/>.
2
Hartmann, Heidi, Jeffrey Hayes, and Jennifer Clark. "How Equal Pay for Working Women Would
Reduce Poverty and Grow the American Economy IWPR." Iwpr.org. Institute for Womens Policy
Research, Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/how-equal-pay-for-
working-women-would-reduce-poverty-and-grow-the-american-economy>.
3
Ibid
4
Hegewisch, Ariane, Claudia Williams, and Robert Drago. "Pay Secrecy and Wage Discrimination."
Iwpr.org. Institute for Womens Policy Research, Jan. 2014. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/pay-secrecy-and-wage-discrimination>.
5
Ibid.
6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.
8
Ibid
9
Ibid
10
"The Glass Ceiling: How Women Are Blocked from Getting to the Top." Empowering Women in
Business. Feminist Majority Foundation, n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.feminist.org/research/business/ewb_glass.html>.
11
"Women Take On "Old Boy Network"" BBC News. BBC, 22 Apr. 2004. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3650719.stm>.
12
Harrington, Brad, and Jamie J. Ladge. "The Shriver Report Got Talent? It Isn't Hard to Find." The
Shriver Report Got Talent It Isnt Hard to Find Comments. The Shriver Report, 11 Sept. 2009. Web. 7
Apr. 2014. <http://shriverreport.org/got-talent-it-isnt-hard-to-find/>.
13
Ibid
14
The Glass Ceiling: How Women Are Block from Getting to the Top Feminist Majority Foundation
15
Harrington, Brad, and Jamie J. Ladge. "The Shriver Report Got Talent? It Isn't Hard to Find."
16
Covert, Unequal Pay Is Even More Unequal For Women of Color
17
Kimmel, Michael. "The Shriver Report Want to Help Women? Help Men." The Shriver Report
Want to Help Women Help Men Comments. The Shriver Report, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
<http://shriverreport.org/how-helping-women-helps-men-michael-kimmel/>.
18
Harrington, Brad, and Jamie J. Ladge. "The Shriver Report Got Talent? It Isn't Hard to Find." On
the Leaky Pipe Tendency
19
The Glass Ceiling: How Women Are Block from Getting to the Top Feminist Majority Foundation
20
Covert, Bryce. "Is General Motors' Mary Barra the Latest Victim of the Glass Cliff?" Slate Magazine.
N.p., 25 Mar. 2014. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2014/03/general_motors_recall_is_mary_barra_the_
latest_victim_of_the_glass_cliff.html>.
21
Ibid
22
Ibid
23
Ibid
24
Ibid
25
Ibid
26
Ibid
27
Ibid
28
Santrock, John W. Children. 12th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print.
29
Ibid
30
Harrington, Brad, and Jamie J. Ladge. "The Shriver Report Got Talent? It Isn't Hard to Find."
31
Ibid

32
Young, Valerie. "The Shriver Report Women: Americas Most Underutilized Resource." The
Shriver Report Women Americas Most Underutilized Resource Comments. N.p., 7 Apr. 2014. Web. 7
Apr. 2014. <http://shriverreport.org/women-americas-most-underutilized-resource/>.
33
Harrington, Brad, and Jamie J. Ladge. "The Shriver Report Got Talent? It Isn't Hard to Find." Study
Conducted by Catalyst.
34
Ibid
35
Ibid
36
Ibid
37
Klein, Emily. "The Shriver Report Is This the Key to Helping Women Get Ahead?" The Shriver
Report Is This the Key to Helping Women Get Ahead Comments. The Shriver Report, 3 Feb. 2014. Web.
7 Apr. 2014. <http://shriverreport.org/can-acquiring-technology-skills-help-women-advance/>.
38
"Women's Coding Collective - Online Web Development Courses for Women." Women's Coding
Collective. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2014. <https://thewc.co/>
39
Harrington, Brad, and Jamie J. Ladge. "The Shriver Report Got Talent? It Isn't Hard to Find."
40
Echaveste, Maria. "The Shriver Report Invisible Yet Essential." The Shriver Report Invisible Yet
Essential Comments. The Shriver Report, 10 Sept. 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
<http://shriverreport.org/invisible-yet-essential/>.
41
Covert, Unequal Pay Is Even More Unequal For Women of Color
42
Ibid
43
Harrington, Brad, and Jamie J. Ladge. "The Shriver Report Got Talent? It Isn't Hard to Find."
44
Ibid
45
Huffington, Christina. "Women And Equal Pay: Wage Gap Still Intact, Study Shows." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Apr. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/09/women-and-equal-pay-wage-gap_n_3038806.html>.
46
Hartmann, Heidi, Jeffrey Hayes, and Jennifer Clark, "How Equal Pay for Working Women Would
Reduce Poverty and Grow the American Economy IWPR."
47
Harrington, Brad, and Jamie J. Ladge. "The Shriver Report Got Talent? It Isn't Hard to Find."
48
Ibid
49
Ibid