Gender Discrimination in Workplace and Happiness in Marriage

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1: If women now have equal rights in the workplace, why aren’t they as successful as men at work?
Gender equality is a basic human right and a foundation for a prosperous and sustainable world. It is needed to attain peaceful societies that use the full human potential. Women and girls account for half of the world’s population and half the potential (UN, 2022). Operating with half of a disempowered population is a huge disadvantage for society. The fight for gender equality aims to ensure that women and girls can enjoy their fundamental rights and participate in society as equal members. It is undeniable that women have made significant progress toward quality. The fight for equal rights has been instrumental in providing more opportunities for women in the workplace. However, there is still a long way to go to achieve equal rights and opportunities between men and women. While there is a perception that women enjoy equal rights in the workplace as males, this is not the case because they continue facing challenges in the workplace. This has considerably inhibited their success, allowing their male peers to take the lead. Women have hence found it challenging to succeed as men in the workplace, despite the notion of equal rights.
Women have less access to opportunities in high-level management positions. A 2008 Catalyst survey was conducted 2008 involving more than 4,000 full-time employed males and females. The participants had graduated from top MBA programs in different parts of the world. The survey revealed that women are paid $4,600 less than their male counterparts in their first post-MBA jobs (Ibarra, Carter, & Silva, 2010). At the same time, the survey indicated that women occupy lower-level management positions, while males in the same category occupy high-level management positions. The inability of women to access high-level management positions as fast as men have made it challenging for them to be as successful. Since fewer women occupy high-level management positions, women find themselves with fewer sponsors to advocate for them. A sponsor is a mentor willing to go beyond offering feedback and advice and utilizes their influence with senior management to advocate for a mentee (Anafarta & Apaydin, 2016). With fewer women in sponsorship positions, more women remain over-mentored and under-sponsored relative to their male peers. The inability of women to find people who can advocate for them means they are less likely to occupy high positions than males. As a result, more males occupy positions that women are equally qualified to hold, further reducing the opportunities available for women to succeed. This keeps women in lower positions as men advance and grow their careers.
Moreover, women face gender discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Workplace gender discrimination comes in different ways, but the applicant received different treatment because of their gender identity or sex. Because of their gender, women are more likely to be hired in certain positions deemed important in an organization. In such a case, women are denied employment even where they are qualified, and the opportunity is accorded to males with the same qualifications or even lower. Discrimination manifests when women are held to different standards than men (Stamarski & Son Hing, 2015). They could be evaluated more harshly because of their gender identity. For instance, women can be criticized for being too “aggressive,” while male peers who exhibit the same behavior are praised for their “leadership” skills. Harassment entails unsolicited behavior that occurs where male colleagues make women feel threatened or belittle them. Women have to endure more harassment in the workplace than men. When discrimination combines with harassment, it becomes challenging for women to exploit their full potential. Discrimination makes it challenging for women to be held to the same standards as men. The double standards make it impossible for women to become successful, while harassment belittles them and lowers their self-esteem.
Besides, the workplace does not appreciate motherhood. This is because of the traditional gender roles and expectations that mothers are supposed to be undertaking house chores. Such a bias leads to the assumption that mothers are likely less committed in the workplace since their family takes their attention. Mothers may appear less capable of undertaking particular responsibilities, especially challenging ones. When promotions come, such mothers are more likely to be ignored. Additionally, organizations tend to lack supportive policies and infrastructure for working mothers (Ferrant, Pesando & Nowacka, 2014). The inadequate support for mothers makes it challenging for them to strike a balance between work and family responsibilities. In organizations that do not offer paid parental leave, it can be challenging for mothers to fully engage in their jobs, especially when the children are young. Such mothers may appear less committed, which minimizes their chances of getting promoted and risks demotion and dismissal. An unfavorable working environment for mothers means that more women will less likely succeed in the workplace when they give birth.
Conclusively, workplaces need to make progress in enhancing equity and inclusivity. As the challenges persist, they make it challenging for women to ascend to higher positions. Since women have the same ability to perform in the workplace, it is important to make structural changes to address the barriers preventing women from succeeding. The world needs to use women, who represent half of the population (UN, 2022). There is a need to increase the number of women accessing higher education to empower them to compete for higher positions. Recognizing the importance of workplace diversity calls for organizations to make changes necessary to accommodate women. Having policies in place that prohibit discrimination and harassment is critical in providing a safe working environment for women. Like their male peers, women must be trusted with influential organizational positions. Women have the required leadership skills needed to move to higher management levels. Barriers that prevent them from becoming successful should be removed to allow them to exploit their potential. Organizations need to factor in the needs of women and work towards making the environment more conducive. For instance, providing paid leave to new mothers will ensure that th...