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Ali Mills

BBST 365-25

29 November 2021

Solutions and Support: The Evolution of Women in the Workplace

In the Word and in the World, the role of women has changed based on

societal standards, needs, and desires. Women have worked, stayed at home

raising children, done odd jobs where needed, and have adapted over time. This

has caused some issues in regards to deciding what women are “allowed” or “not

allowed” to do. Should they get jobs and join the workforce? Should they stay at

home raising their family? There are many opinions regarding this issue and

though it is ultimately up to each individual family, society must make itself open

and available to whichever choice they make. In addition, if they do choose to

enter the workforce, they are deserving of the exact pay a man would receive for

the same job. According to societal needs of today, recent technology, and

cultural standards, women should be welcomed in the workforce, paid the same

as men for the same position, and be given solutions so they may keep their

lifestyles consistent and healthy. In 2021, there are endless possibilities for

growth, and we must use the resources we have to improve the lives of our

workers.

Beginning with the Word, it is important to see how women used their

Biblical roles for the Kingdom, despite what society told them they should do and

who they should be. Women should be treated the same as men today, using
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their active role in the Bible as a model, specifically in the New Testament.

Throughout his gospel, Luke demonstrates the need for women in the Kingdom,

whether it is through serving, praying, or in direct conversation with Jesus

Himself. Though socially they held a lower standing than men, many women

were given prominent roles in the redemptive story of Jesus (Zondervan). For

example, Deborah was the first and only female judge in the Old Testament,

using her God-given wisdom to lead the people of Israel during times of trouble.

Though “rabbis acknowledged Deborah as a prophet but, due to their discomfort

with women leaders, blunted her impact by speculating about her

husband...minimizing her role as judge” (Frymer-Kensky), I believe that was not

God’s intention for her as a leader. I think if more women, like Deborah had been

given more responsibilities, leadership in the Church, and other roles in the Bible,

they would have shown to be equally competent, needed, and worthy to

approach the throne of Jesus, according to the other believers. This speculation

against Deborah was simply because she was the first and only, and because

she held a position previously only held by men. Women in this time typically did

only what was asked of them, and were blessed as a result. I believe this was a

solid foundation being laid, so women of God are now able to step into the new

calling He has given them today.

Looking forward to the history of the United States, in 1963, the Equal Pay

Act was put in place in the US, not allowing employers to discriminate “on the

basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less

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than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex in such

establishment for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal

skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working

conditions” (EEOC). This gives women the right, ability, and wages to work under

the same conditions as men, without the concern of losing money, as this was a

concern for many.

Though this law instantly opened many doors for women, a number of

factors remain to be holding women back, including the difficulty women

currently have in trying to combine their careers with other aspects of their lives

(Yellen). The first obstacle is caregiving, which can include pregnancy, childbirth,

raising children, and caring for a family. These combined are incredibly time-

consuming and intense, and require an immense amount of time and effort from

the parent. Working full-time while accomplishing these tasks can be difficult,

especially without support from the workplace. “Advances in technology have

facilitated greater work-sharing and flexibility in scheduling, and there are further

opportunities in this direction. Economic models also suggest that while it can be

difficult for any one employer to move to a model with shorter hours, if many

firms were to change their model, they and their workers could all be better off”

(Yellen). One such solution, mentioned above, could be to reduce long work hour

days, in order to allow more time for women and families to balance their lives

more effectively. Similarly, many workplaces offer childcare for free or at a

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reduced rate, which also gives families a better chance at living their lives in a

more healthy way. Though these solutions are not necessarily easy to put in

place, workplaces have the ability to do so.

As society continues to change and adapt, workforce needs grow as well.

Some of the “biggest losses come from the already strained leisure and

hospitality, retail, manufacturing and health services industries” (Liu). This is due

to the difficulty of working a job during a worsening pandemic, along with all the

restrictions, extra cleaning measures, and new health standards put in place.

Many people think it’s “just not worth it”, anymore. This has caused a severe

labor shortage this year, with many places unable to open as a result. More

Americans need to work, and women are included in that bunch. More availability

of childcare, flexible hours, and remote options must be considered, in order to

keep people coming back to work (Thompson). Society must continue to move

forward, especially after the last two years.

Flexibility in the workplace is the number one way to close the pay gap,

according to Thompson. After extensive research, he came up with a model that

would actively and tangibly show the difference in pay, and offer practical and

effective solutions to the issue. 77 cents per dollar for women versus men is not

sustainable, and is one of the main factors contributing to women not continuing

to work. If their time is not being respected or honored, why waste it doing a job,

when so many responsibilities are calling outside of the workplace? Flexibility,

Thompson says, “could not only close the pay gap at some companies that put
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too much stock in 9-to-5 face-time but also allow for more telecommuting, which

would help the environment and make entire regions more productive by

reducing traffic times” (cite). Demonstrating multiple benefits to flexibility may

help many companies see its benefit, and encourage them to make changes as a

result.

Fighting to make sure all women are paid equally as men is a necessary

argument to bring up. Though many women are now paid the same as men,

there are still many instances across the country, and even more in the world,

where this is not the case. Johansen shows us in her article that women with

children are more likely to be paid less than men, due to a phenomenon known

as the “motherhood penalty”. “Shifting the focus to outcomes rather than ‘seat’

time”, she says, will start to resolve this issue, cutting out the worry of a

commute, pressure for an eight-hour workday, and others. Similarly, the only way

to fix the gender pay gap, says Andrews, is to “scrap it altogether”. Putting new

systems in place, such as the side-by-side publishing of employee productivity

and progress, the systematic checking of quartile progress, and communication

between the heads of companies and employees, can begin to fix this time-old

issue. The availability of online calculators, she says, will also help spread

awareness for this issue, as many people are unaware of its existence. There are

so many possibilities for growth and change, and we must use every resource

available to fight for our workforce.

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On the other side, many people believe the gap exists because of the jobs

certain women choose for themselves. For example, many women would not like

to work in the STEM fields, become a CEO, doctor, lawyer, or any other highly-

paid vocation. This may be true for some, but for many women, these

opportunities were not available to them for so long. There are few companies

that would hire a female CEO, or allow any woman to advance to the top of their

field, say 30 years ago. Now that this is more widespread and widely encouraged

advancement, women are working their way back up to the top. Today, 30

women hold CEO positions out of the S&P 500 companies, compared to fewer

than ten before 2000. This number is growing by year, but these changes do not

happen overnight, or easily (Liu).

Similarly, many people who deny the existence of the gap to discrimination

believe it is due to many women having a family and children. They say the time

taken off to raise a family is their choice, and so it is their “fault” they are paid

less. This seems logical, however, women did not choose to be the ones to have

children. If they want to raise a family, which is an innate desire for many women,

they should not be penalized for that. If anything, more resources should be

given, in order for them to feel supported and cared for during an intense period

of their lives.

Overall, there are many reasons and pieces of evidence regarding women

and their overwhelming ability to impact our society for good, specifically through

work. They have the strength to work full-time while caring for a family, using the
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old-fashioned model of an eight-hour workday. With the opportunities for

education, availability of jobs, and opportunities for advancement, there is no

reason why women should not be paid the same as men, for the same job.

Similarly, as more women find the balance between work and home life,

the necessity for resources arises, such as childcare, flexible scheduling and

hours, and remote work environments. Many companies have still not worked

towards compromise in this area, and if they did, more productivity would come

as a result. All in all, there are many easy and effective ways to move forward in

today’s world, welcoming women in their workplaces with open arms, and giving

them more opportunities to grow.

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Works Cited

Andrews, Kate. "Changing the Gender Pay Gap Won’t Help- Let’s Scrap It
Instead." The Spectator, April 111, 2019. Accessed October 14, 2021.

Blog, ZA. “Women in the Bible: What We Learn from The Book of Luke.”
Zondervan Academic, 10 Jan. 2019.

Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. “Deborah: Bible.” Jewish Women's Archive, 23 June

2021.

Johanson, Karen. "10 Ways Inequity Still Very Much Exists in the Workplace."
Newsweek, August 5, 2021. Accessed October 14, 2021.

Liu, Jennifer. “A Record 4.4 Million People Quit in September as Great

Resignation

Shows No Signs of Stopping.” CNBC, CNBC, 12 Nov. 2021.

“The Equal Pay Act of 1963.” U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Thompson, Derek. "How to End the Gender Pay Gap Once and for All." The
Atlantic, March 14, 2014. Accessed October 14, 2021.

Yellen, Janet L. “The History of Women's Work and Wages and How It Has

Created Success for Us All.” Brookings, Brookings, 6 Jan. 2021.

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