Women in the Workplace, The challenges they have to navigate

Women, especially African American women are the most educated gender and race group. Women are half of the labor force and earn the majority of advanced degrees; but while women are doing outstandingly well in universities and in the workplace it's a contradictory representation. According to the Chicago Tribune, women are hitting a glass ceiling. Research also confirms that the higher a women climbs the workforce/corporate ladder, the greater the wage gap.

Pay equity is the biggest disparity among women in the workforce. Below are just a few categories of women earning less than men do in those same fields.

•       77.5% women’s salaries all occupations
•        72.7% women’s salaries in professional specialties
•        72.3% upper-level executives’ salaries

In spite of all the educational gains that women have made, the accumulative wage gap is more than the price of a home ($430,000).

Another barrier that women face in the workforce is that if they are competent, they are disliked by their peers. Unlike their counterpart that is seen as forceful and worthy of promotion, women who display the same traits are often seen as unfeminine, aggressive and untrustworthy. Psychologist Madeline Heilman of New York University notes that less competent women are seen as more likable but not very good at their jobs…….another lose lose for women.

Barrier 3 is the credit that women are due regarding their accomplishments. Women are hard workers and their desired goal is achievement. But oftentimes in achieving these great accomplishments the men are standing in the shadows ready to scoop in and take the credit. It’s not necessarily a matter of discrimination against women but simply a skewed idea we all have in our heads about what men and women can or can't do.

Despite these barriers, women are making gains in the entrepreneurial sector. Women owned businesses grew 1 ½ times the national average since 1997. Today between 30% -40% of all businesses are owned and operated by women.

When discussing the barriers that women face in the workplace and with the rising numbers in entrepreneurship, becoming a business owner looks very promising for women. Let’s look at some of the pros of being an entrepreneurial.

Partnership in Business

Pros:

Partners can contribute capitol

They offer a built-in support system

You share in the responsibilities

Two heads are better than one when it comes to ideas and creativity

Your business has access to a wide range of skill sets

So ladies, when it comes to the barriers that impede most women from reaching the highest levels of success in the workplace. It’s nice to know that we are making gains in another area that will allow us to put all of our time, energy and creativity in building our own empires where the glass ceiling is not an issue for us.

Sources:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-women-pay-gap-workplace-equality-perspec-0519-jm-20160518-story.html

https://www.resourcefulmanager.com/women-workplace-statistics/

http://glassceiling.info/barriers-for-women/

https://www.inc.com/young-entrepreneur-council/the-pros-and-cons-of-entrepreneurial-partnerships.html