CADIENTE, Elijah Marie P.

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Women in Workforce

Among the fastest growing careers are that of the STEM field, including but not limited to
engineering, architecture, science, and technology. Back in 2021, there were approximately 10 million
workers in STEM occupations and this total is projected to grow by almost 11% by 2031, over two times
faster than the total for all occupations (Krutsch & Roderick, 2022). However, despite this statistics,
women still hold about a quarter or fewer positions in the said area. Thus, this reflects the current status of
women’s employment rate in a male-dominated field.

The position that women hold in the field of STEM also persists in other areas such as their role
in leadership. While we have come a long way from how things were, challenges continue to linger in the
lives of female leaders. For instance, the issue of negative gender stereotypes continues to affect women
as well (Pew Research Center, 2020). Furthermore, this includes difficult expectations that come with the
position, but these expectations differ (and are much more difficult) compared to their male counterparts
(Botwin, 2022).

Apart from this, another issue at hand is the gender pay gap, where it refers to the difference in
earnings between men and women (Bleiweis, 2020). There are various underlying factors causing this,
and one of which is the differences in jobs or industries worked. For Bleiweis (2020), careers where the
majority of workers are female such as home health aides and child care workers, tend to offer lower pay
and fewer benefits than male-dominated jobs, which include jobs in trades such as building and
construction. Furthermore, this can also be caused by discrimination, age, and regional differences (The
Simple Truth about the Pay Gap, 2022). Hence to address this, there is a need for comprehensive equal
pay legislations and better work-family policies (Bleiweis, 2020).

After years of receiving indifference and abuse, women continue to strive for better recognition of
their rights in the society. Certainly, the years of struggle and fighting of those who came before us
resulted in the privileges that we now enjoy, but even then, there are still some pressing matters that need
to be addressed to fully achieve equality and women empowerment. The issues surrounding stereotypes,
false beliefs, mindsets, and misconceptions are only some of the difficulties. It also includes gender-based
violence, sexist policies (Population Matters, 2023). The continuous neglect of these concerns is also
among the leading barriers that hinder women from fully living up to their rights.
 In conclusion, women have gone through severe mistreatment and abuse in the hands of society.
Regardless of their race and status, they deserve to be treated equally as the rest. Hence, it is only fair to
address the current matters surrounding the just and unbiased treatment on the rights of women.

References:
Bleiweis, R. (2022, October 27). Quick Facts About the Gender Wage Gap. Center for American
Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/quick-facts-gender-wage-gap/

Pew Research Center. (2020, August 7). Women and Leadership. Pew Research Center’s Social
& Demographic Trends Project.
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/01/14/women-and-leadership/

Population Matters. (2023, January 3). Women’s Rights.

https://populationmatters.org/womens-rights/

STEM Day: Explore Growing Careers. (2022, November 4). DOL Blog.
https://blog.dol.gov/2022/11/04/stem-day-explore-growing-careers

The Simple Truth about the Pay Gap. (2022, December 8). AAUW : Empowering Women Since
1881. https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/simple-truth/