In today’s contemporary world, women face different types of discrimination in the workplace. They are underrepresented in leadership roles and face barriers due to unfriendly family policies. In this article, you will learn the causes that contribute to gender inequality in the workplace.
Despite the efforts women’s inequality in the workplace persists. There are several factors that contribute to gender inequality in the workplace. These factors range from social, cultural, and organizational structures in different societies.
Causes of Gender Inequality in the Workplace
1. Gender Roles and Stereotypes
Gender stereotypes are the perceptions associated with women and men that they have different roles and skills. And because of the associated roles and skills, they are concentrated in different fields and professions.
For instance, women are considered best fit for care, nurturing, and education related fields. Men, on the other hand, are considered suitable for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields and leadership roles.
Along with this, horizontal and vertical segregation causes gender inequality in the workplace. Discrimination in the job and workplace not only damages a woman’s self-esteem but is also a barrier to the path of success and development.
2. Biasness and Gender Inequality
Gender discrimination in the workplace can be caused by biases towards men and women. The potential of women is often undervalued. They are considered less competent and ambitious than their male counterparts.
There are two types of biases. Conscious and unconscious biases. Conscious bias is when someone intentionally prefers one gender over another (commonly male over female).
Sometimes people who support gender equality may also adopt biased behavior towards women and men. This is known as unconscious bias. Biases in the workplace can adversely affect women’s development and can lead to hostile work environments.
There are several examples that lead to biases and gender inequality. To name some;
- Women are considered fragile and unfit for leadership roles
- They face challenges in the hiring process in the male-dominated fields
- Their suggestions are often overlooked and the same suggestion from their male colleagues is heard
- They are often not considered for promotions and career development opportunities.
3. Pay Gap Practices in the Workplace
The pay gap is another very common cause of women’s inequality in the workplace. Women around the world earn comparatively less than their male co-workers.
There are many reasons why women face a pay gap in work.
- Firstly, a general practice observed around the globe is that women are paid less than men for jobs that require the same set of educaiotn, skills and expertise.
- Secondly, male-dominated jobs such as STEM jobs pay more than female-dominated jobs such as education, nursing and caring, etc
- Thirdly, men are considered best for high-position executive roles and women often face barriers in moving up the corporate ladder
- Women are the primary caregivers, hence their family responsibilities force them to do part-time jobs that are below their education and skill level. And generally, these jobs pay less. Hence, women face a pay gap in work.
Learn more about The Gender Pay Gap its Causes
4. Family Responsibilities and Discrimination at the Workplace
Women fulfilling family and care responsibilities may be subject to gender inequality in the workplace. Family responsibilities, including household chores and taking care of children, disabled, sick, and elderly people are often fulfilled by women.
At times women face discrimination from employers in the hiring process, providing promotions, benefits, and giving pay raises. Employers often prefer men over women because women are subject to take career breaks due to pregnancy, and might not be able to work overtime and work on weekends.
These reasons cause discrimination in the workplace and the process of women’s career development is stalled.
5. Sexual Harassment at the Workplace
Sexual harassment is another reason that causes gender inequality in work. Women may face offensive remarks, intimidating behavior and inappropriate touching, etc from male colleagues or from a person in a senior managerial post.
This is especially true when women work in a male-dominated field such as STEM. women are objectified, treated as leftovers and important information is not shared with them.
Such sexual behaviors can negatively impact the performance of women and it’s a strong reason for a hostile work environment. Moreover, companies and organizations often lack policies to discourage such behavior.
6. Societal and Cultural Patterns
Women may face discrimination in the workplace because of the social and cultural patterns of society. These norms hinder women’s progress and discourage them from performing their duties.
For instance, women may face difficulty to get a certain piece of information because of their gender. They might encounter discriminatory attitudes from their male colleagues referring to them as inferior despite their education and skills.
Moreover, women in leadership roles can face challenges when giving orders to male subordinates. Because in some societies men don’t like taking orders from female supervisors.
7. Representation of Women in Leadership Roles
Women consistently face barriers and discrimination in getting leadership roles in jobs. Even in female-dominated roles, such as women in health, the majority of women are employed in entry and low-level roles. Whereas their male colleagues hold higher leadership positions.
The LinkedIn Economic Growth Platform shows that globally only 25% of women hold C-suite positions. Even though research suggests that diversity enhances a company’s creativity and progression.
The lack of women in leadership reinforces discrimination, gender bias, and stereotypes. This is an important factor that contributes to gender inequality in the workplace.
8. Career Development and Advancement
Among others, one main cause of gender discrimination in the workplace is unequal access to career development and promotion opportunities. Employers prefer men over women for career advancement opportunities.
This practice is mostly adopted because women employees are thought to be also occupied with family responsibilities. It is assumed that women may require flexible working arrangements if promoted.
Along with this, one reason that hinders women’s development process is the lack of family-friendly policies. Many companies overlook these issues and adopt weak policies that do not support the private and professional lives of women.
These flawed systems contribute to the gender gap and gender discrimination in the workplace.
9. Gender Objectification and Gender Inequality in the Workplace
Gender objection or sexism is another common reason women face discrimination in the workplace. As stated before women are often objectified for their looks. Their appearance, height, weight, age, and even marital status are taken into consideration before hiring them or giving them a promotion.
These attributes are not necessary for their work but still, they are evaluated on these parameters. Objectification of women is a core reason that women are often confined to entry-level or low-level positions. It is a result of unequal treatment of women in the workplace.
