Society and culture appear to be built on the toil of brave men, as often depicted in many of our
historical tales. Yet, rarely do we see the contribution of women to how our society has grown over the centuries. When women were rarely given opportunities at the forefront, it was
understandable why we have so few women as historical figures. But what would be an explanation for the lingering gap between women and men today? With the rise of education among women, there are still so few jobs given to women. Even with more women taking up the workforce, a minimal number still secures higher-ranking positions. Another unfortunate reality is that we still observe many young girls being deprived of access to education. With this pandemic, we have observed how boys continue to receive preferential treatment over girls, especially when it comes to education.
Evaluating The Occupational Gender Gaps
Women made half of the working force by the year 2000, according to the International Labor Organization. Yet, in 2021, there have been few changes to this workforce to enable the growth of women within it.
While this may appear to progress, there is very little done to increase access to better jobs or better wages. A lot of our corporate structures have been built and continue to be fostered by men. We need to understand that since men have built this, it scarcely reflects the requirements for women to grow in this workforce.
The World Economic Forum estimates that it might take about 202 years for a gender wage gap to decrease. An initial cause was the lack of education among women. However, with that lessening, as women achieve or surpass educational excellence, many factors play into this gap.
For one, women are still weighed down with choices between their homes and their careers. Often with a lack of support at home and minimal infrastructure, a working woman might have to drop out if the domestic burden increases. In addition, there is near to nothing that helps with childcare within the workforce, such as nurseries, creches, or even something as simple as space to breastfeed. Women are also likely to opt for part-time work versus full-time positions if available.
Another aspect to consider is that women often consider differing job positions when compared to men. For example, women are often encouraged to become teachers, nurses, and caregivers, which often pay less. This is based on social conditioning on what appears to be a “woman’s job” versus a man’s. Education plays a huge role here, with fewer girls picking up subjects under the STEM umbrella primarily since they are not advocated within a female lens, so to speak.
Another aspect to consider is that women continue to face the risk of harassment on physical, sexual, and mental forefronts, which decrease their likelihood of continuing within their organization. With motherhood, pressures to caretake ill family members, and limitations in education, women are already at a disadvantage when they reach the job market.
The Role Education Plays In Future Job Prospects
Today, when compared to the past, the overall education rate is at its highest. This also means that more girls are getting educated today than they were probably a few decades ago. However, there are a few factors that consistently maintain the gap in education between boys and girls.
In certain countries such as the Middle East, rural sections of South Asia, and Africa, boys are more likely to obtain an education over girls. When in school, girls might seem to outperform boys through most of the schooling years. However, during the final stages, we often observe that fewer girls are encouraged to take up science and engineering streams as further study options.
A primary reason is often how these subjects are taught. Pedagogical differences across subjects are reflected in the number of girls signing up for these courses. Innovation and technology are often depicted as a “boy’s only club,” which tends to hinder a lot of young girls from considering them as an option. Yes, this is slowly changing, but the progress is painstakingly slow.
Another concerning fact is that when crisis strikes, girls are often the first ones to leave their education behind as observed during this pandemic. A survey conducted by Room to Read observed that about 42% of girls were expected to support their family financially when COVID-19 hit the globe, which meant leaving their education behind if required.
Expectations For An Equal Future
When moving towards an equal future, we need to address that we are still living in a time where there is a noticeable gap. And this is primarily due to the inefficiency of the progress that we are making to address the gap.
At the outset, we need more education that is equally distributed. To do so would include providing the communal infrastructure, not only with schools but also with changes in societal mindsets that have expectations from young girls to only help out in the house. As they grow older, upgrading skills should also be easily accessible, and this should not be limited to household duties.
We need to build an ecosystem that enables women to progress in the workspace. Studies have proven that women can run businesses successfully and often more efficiently than men. However, within a work environment, women are expected to choose between their domestic and professional lives. And these expectations are baseless. Women need to be accepted with all their facets within a workspace. Productivity doesn’t decline for a woman who returns from work after a maternity break. If anything, a break often increases productivity levels.
Overall, to reduce this gap, we need to equip women to understand their rights within a legal framework. This also includes policies within workspaces that penalize firing women returning from maternity leave. There also have to be improvements in reporting harassment within the workforce through zero-tolerance policies.
Women have always been the backbone of society. Their contribution towards managing the working population of the world is what has led to global progress. A lot of what women do within households is unpaid labor. And this is never addressed. They have effectively learned to manage houses on small budgets and encourage generations to go ahead and live their dreams. We have come to a stage when their efforts should never go under the radar. Recognizing that they require equal opportunity at education and financial freedom is just a small first step to a long journey of change.