Boada, Castillo, Durán 1

Sofia Boada, Andrea Castillo and Juliana Durán

Tammy Dobrzynski

Research Report

November 11, 2020

Gender Disparity in the Workplace

Ideally, in a utopian society, gender discrimination and disparity would not exist, and

millions of people would not have to face the consequences of ignorance, prejudices, and

harassment daily. This world would definitely be perfect and in some ways idealistic, but

unfortunately, this is far from where we are right now, and we still have a long way to go on

the journey of tackling this issue. Gender disparity has been actively present throughout most

of our recent history and it still affects countless people around the globe. In the last couple of

decades, it has improved enormously, but there is still a socially biased belief that women are

less competent, less intelligent, and overall inferior to men. This is a belief that can be seen

everywhere but specifically in the workplace. According to societal beliefs, biases, and

views, women should earn less and should not obtain upper management positions. We

decided to analyze this issue through different lenses that we believe form a big part of this

issue, the lenses are economic, cultural/ethical, and social. We believe it is vital to educate

ourselves and others about this topic because people believe it does not exist anymore, so

nowadays it is widely normalized and overlooked. Even though we have improved over the

last few years, gender disparity is still an issue present all around us and it is vital to eradicate

the issue to advance as a society.

It is constantly proven through either subconscious or conscious actions, remarks, and

policies women still have to face many issues in the workplace where they are treated “less

than” their male counterparts. This statement is proven in many situations in the professional

context. One of these situations is unequal pay and it can be demonstrated with the fact that
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for decades, women have earned more bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctorate

degrees than men, yet women in the U.S. workforce still earn less than their male colleagues.

Men should not be paid more for performing a particular job just because they are men. In

some countries, it is a requirement that pay scales for identical work be the same regardless

of whether the employee doing the job is male or female. If a woman works the same hours

and performs the same tasks, she is entitled to the same pay, but still, in some countries and

places, this law is not followed. Another obstacle that many women face in the workplace is

sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is the unwelcome and unwanted sexual advances,

requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature without

consent from the other party (“Sexual Harassment”). While current movements such as the

“Me Too” movement and other campaigns have helped to shed light on the issue, little has

been known, until now, about how many women are subjected to this type of mistreatment,

and there is still a long way to go to eradicate this issue. Unfortunately, race also seems to

play a major role in how women are treated and compensated in the workplace. And

sometimes women may experience racism as well. According to the Oxford dictionary

“racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or

institution against a person or people based on their membership of a particular racial or

ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized” (“Definition of Racism”). The

pay a woman receives may vary depending on her race and ethnicity showcasing an

unprofessional and biased treatment based on qualities that do not define the capabilities of a

worker. Also, despite being more educated than men and constituting nearly half of the

workforce, women are promoted at work far less often than men. Women often struggle when

asking for higher pay in a job. While related to the issue of unequal pay, fear of discussing

money is a separate issue that affects women more significantly than men. All of these issues

just fuel unfair, uncomfortable, and unprofessional treatment of women in the workplace.
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These issues fueling gender inequality in the workplace for social reasons have a

considerable amount of evidence backing them up. In the instance of unequal pay, new data

published in November 2018 suggests the pay gap between men and women may even be

greater than originally thought. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research,

women earn 49 cents compared to every $1 men earn. More than half of women leave the

workforce for at least a year, which is twice the rate of men. Also, a survey conducted in

January 2018 by the nonprofit Stop Street Harassment found 38 percent of women have

experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, and 81 percent have experienced some form

of sexual harassment in their lifetime, including verbal or physical assault (Wilson).

Work-related factors to an increased risk of sexual harassment or assault in the workplace.

Women restaurant workers who rely on tips for their main source of income are twice as

likely to experience sexual harassment. Women that lack a legal immigration status or have a

temporary work visa have more risk of sexual harassment or assault. Data from the Institute

for Women’s Policy Research found that Asian/Pacific Islander women have the highest

median annual earnings and are compensated $46,000. White women follow at $40,000,

while Native American and Hispanic women have the lowest pay, earning $31,000 and

$28,000 per year and these earnings vary by race when compared to men’s pay (Wilson).

Less than five percent of CEOs of companies are women and one reason cited, which can

explain why women are not moving into higher-up positions in the workplace, is the lack of

female role models in such positions. At the base of all is women being oppressed and not

encouraged to speak up, and new research from Glassdoor found that women negotiated their

pay with less regularity than their male colleagues, almost 70 percent of women accept the

salary they are offered without negotiating, while only 52 percent of men accept the salary

they are offered without negotiating. It can be said that “At the root of it is unconscious bias”

as Lean In president Rachel Thomas told Mic. “Women and men tend to overestimate men
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and underestimate women. History tells us men are leaders, so people have that

expectation”(Guillett). To advocate for gender equality, these preconceptions embedded into

us by society must be eradicated. If women are not encouraged and supported in their fight

for equal rights professionally, the gender gap will be more difficult to close and the world

will not be able to progress beyond untrue stereotypes.

Historically, race and religion have been points of disagreement and most significant

types of discrimination. Without a doubt the work environment is highly influenced culturally

and ethically but imagine adding the gender factor to this equation. This situation is proven

by a couple of cases, one of these is the fact that currently there are laws that prevent women

from expressing their religions. For instance, wearing a hijab, which does not affect work

performance or other’s work performance, and they are forbidden to do so. This is the case of

Amira Osman Hamed from Sudan. Hamed was charged with violating a Sudanese law that

states: “Whoever does in a public place an indecent act or an act contrary to public morals or

wears an obscene outfit or contrary to public morals or causing an annoyance to public

feelings shall be punished with flogging which may not exceed forty lashes or with fine or

with both” (Brian Grim). A similar case to this one happened in Abercrombie & Fitch,

Samantha Elauf is a Muslim woman that wears a headscarf because of her beliefs. The store

rejected a Muslim woman’s job application just because she wore a headscarf claiming the

headscarf did not match the retailer’s style (“Religious Dress In the Workplace”). Religious

minorities are especially vulnerable when the right to freedom of religion or belief, as

recognized by the UN Declaration of Human Rights, is not protected (“Religious Freedom

Linked”). According to a recent study by researchers from Georgetown University and

Brigham Young University, any solutions will need to address issues such as religious

freedom, because religious freedom is not only tied to gender equality but also to more stable

economies. Religious intolerance affects women’s ability to engage in and contribute to the
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economy (“Religious Freedom Linked”). The study gives linkages between religious

freedom, economic stability, and women’s empowerment (Brian Grim). In addition to

government regulations and cases such as the ones above, in many countries, private

individuals and groups also try to enforce norms related to religious attire. The Pew study

finds that the number of countries in which women have been harassed by individuals or

groups for violating religious dress codes has increased in recent years. While there may not

be a direct causal connection between government regulations and social hostilities involving

religious attire, the data shows that harassment of women over religious dress occurs more

often in countries where the wearing of religious symbols and attire are regulated by any

level of government (Brian Grim). To close the gender gap, strengthen economies, and

empower women, religious freedom must become a factor that is taken seriously and acted

upon.

These aspects have sufficient evidence that shows how race and religion influence

women's experience in the workplace. For instance, Hamed is not the only case of this type

presented. Sudan is one of an increasing number of countries where the government regulates

the wearing of religious symbols or attire, such as head coverings for women or facial hair for

men. The Pew Research Center’s latest report on global restrictions on religion finds that, as

of 2011, 53 of the 198 countries included in the study (27%) have such restrictions, up from

21 countries (11%) in 2007 (Brian Grim). Regarding private individuals or groups, in the

latest year studied, such social hostilities over religious attire were found in 50 countries

(25%), including Sudan. Five years earlier, such incidents were reported in just 14 countries

(7%) (Brian Grim). Regarding a topic previously mentioned, a study made by the Center for

American Progress mentions that despite being 50.8 percent of the population, only 14.6

percent of executive officers in companies are women, and overall, women only earn 80 cents
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for every dollar men make but these discrepancies are even larger among women of color

(“Religious Dress In the Workplace”).

Religion and race should never be an issue concerning the work environment. Being

part of a certain ethnicity or religion does not define a worker’s capabilities or competence in

the workplace. It is hard enough being a woman in a working context because they have to

deal with being constantly ignored, underestimated, and even in some cases abused, but when

all of this is combined with racism and religious intolerance, it just makes an even more

hostile environment, which is why it is crucial to implement anti-discrimination laws in the

workplace, to make employees feel safer, appreciated and comfortable in the environment.

Gender disparity is seen along with the wage gap and it is quantitatively undeniable.

According to the world data graph, the gap between men and women is substantial in most

countries, although it has gotten better in the last decade women still earn less than men.

Also, women are underrepresented in high-paying jobs and overrepresented in low-paying

jobs. (Ortiz-Ospina and Roser). According to the pay scale report, women earn $900,000 less

than men across the entirety of their career, and that for every dollar a man earns a woman

earns from 81 to 98 cents. This shows how gender affects pay, but motherhood also affects a

woman's earnings. A recent study from Denmark in the pay scale source found that after the

first child, women’s earnings dropped off almost 30% while men experienced no changes in

their wages (Ortiz-Ospina and Roser). After this drop, a woman's earnings never fully

recover. This is the motherhood penalty. The gap is present all over the world, but it is more

severe in different countries, industries, and ethnicities. Countries like South Korea, Russia,

and the Czech republic have a wage gap of over 20%, and countries like Luxembourg,

Nicaragua and Colombia, have one under 5% (Ortiz-Ospina and Roser). Furthermore, based

on World in Data, the higher the income of the country the higher the gender wage gap. This

leads us to ask questions like if higher-income countries have better education, then why is
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the gender gap bigger? Why does Pakistan have a lower gender gap than Germany? This is

because the higher the GDP, the more a person earns, so the higher the gap. This is why

middle-income countries have the lowest gap.There is a balance between the amount of

money and education. There is also a change in the wage gap for every industry and

according to the payscale source. For every dollar a man earns, a women earns: $0.76 for

finance & insurance, $0.81 for agencies & consultancies, $0.83 for healthcare, $0.83 for retail

& customer service, $0.84 for transportation & warehousing, $0.93 for arts, entertainment &

recreation, and $0.92 for real estate & rental/leasing. (“Gender Pay Gap Statistics for 2020.”).

It also changes by ethnicity: white women have the highest wages while African American

women only earn $0.63 for every dollar a man makes. Asian and Hispanic women are

between these two. Being a woman has its economic difficulties and adding motherhood and

being of non-white ethnicity, only intensifies these hardships. (“Gender Pay Gap Statistics for

2020.”).

It is a fact that women earn less than men in almost every career, regardless of their

experience and talent. This gap happens primarily because of the motherhood penalty that

limits and defines women to their choice of having children and the preexisting bias that is

systemically embedded in the ideals and guidelines of society. Even though this gender gap is

different for every race, industry, and country, it is still actively present in the workplace and

it affects millions of women worldwide, even though eradicating it would bring countless

benefits economically and by consequence socially.

If we can think critically, and with a futuristic and egalitarian mindset, we can

generate organizational, cultural, and political changes just by educating people about all

current laws and examples regarding this issue. By denormalizing sexist behaviors, remarks,

and guidelines in the workplace, we will be one step closer to gender equality. If companies

understood that bridging the gender gap would bring countless benefits, we could create a
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real change on a large scale that actually would facilitate the lives of women globally. From

an economic perspective, it has been shown that if the pay gap were smaller and women were

to receive the same pay, there would be tremendous advantages in that area, and consequently

benefit not only women but also their male colleagues. Socially, women would be seen as

equals and as competitors in the race towards success and there would be a cultural

revolution in which women being educated and being in charge of their future would be

normalized in various settings of different social and cultural contexts. As future leaders of

the world, we must start educating ourselves and others about this issue that affects so many

people. By talking about it, we are taking the first step towards a safe, equal, and inclusive

environment. With education, determination, research, and unity, we can make a real change

and improve the lives of women everywhere. The future starts with us.
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Works Cited

Brian Grim, Jo-Ann Lyon. “Religion Holds Women Back. Or Does It?” World Economic

Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/religion-holds-women-back-or-does-it/.

“Gender Pay Gap Statistics for 2020.” PayScale, www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap.

Gillett, Rachel. “Hardly Any Women Made It to the 'Highest-Paid CEOs' List - but That's Just

a Symptom of an Even Greater Problem.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 26 May

2017,

www.businessinsider.com/few-highly-paid-women-ceos-is-a-symptom-of-an-even-grea

ter-problem-2017-5.

Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban, and Max Roser. “Economic Inequality by Gender.” Our World in

Data, 21 Mar. 2018, ourworldindata.org/economic-inequality-by-gender.

“Racism: Definition of Racism by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com Also Meaning of

Racism.” Lexico Dictionaries | English, Lexico Dictionaries,

www.lexico.com/definition/racism.

“Religious Freedom Linked to Economic Growth, Finds Global Study.” RFBF,

religiousfreedomandbusiness.org/2/post/2014/05/religious-freedom-linked-to-economi

c-growth-finds-global-study.html.

“Religious Dress in the Workplace: Five Key Employment Cases from the UK.” Personnel

Today, 12 June 2015,

www.personneltoday.com/hr/religious-dress-workplace-five-key-employment-cases-uk

“Sexual Harassment.” RAINN, www.rainn.org/articles/sexual-harassment.

Wilson, Julie. “5 Top Issues Fueling Gender Inequality in the Workplace.” As You Sow, As

You Sow, 25 Feb. 2019, www.asyousow.org/blog/gender-equality-workplace-issues.