For several decades, women have fought for equality in the workplace.
Men are told to think like women and women are told to act like men.
This advice tends to reinforce gender characteristics such as empathy
for women and aggressiveness for men. Gender characteristics are often
exaggerated, but research shows gender characteristics do exist and play
an influential role in the workplace.
Many women have now entered the professional workforce and have risen in the ranks. Interestingly, most of these female leaders have not become male clones by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed, men and women are oftentimes just as different in the professional world as they are in their personal lives. Finally, corporate executives are beginning to understand that these gender differences can be great for business.
What are gender differences?
There are physical and emotional factors impacting gender differences. They are essentially the characteristics that influence male and female behavior in the workplace. These influences may stem from psychological factors such as upbringing or physical factors such as an employee's capability to perform job duties.
Social factors are the primary influencers of gender differences in the workplace affecting the behaviors of men and women. Some organizations welcome gender diversity and encourage the inclusion of both sexes when making company decisions and offering promotional opportunities. Other organizations discourage gender inclusion and promote bias in the workplace. With most companies, gender differences add value and varying perspectives to an organization.
Why Gender Differences Matter?
Research is clear that successful companies tend to “look” like their customers. Businesses, especially those that target female consumers, will be more successful when they have more women in leadership positions.
Today, many organizations have a fairly even mix of men and women from entry level positions to middle management. However, in the middle management to senior management positions, there is an increasing disparity in gender numbers. The fact is that the number of women in executive level positions has been virtually frozen below 15 percent. The Catalyst 2013 Census of Fortune 500 Companies found that the percentage of women advancing to the top leadership ranks has remained flat for more than a decade.
To eliminate the shortage of women in executive positions, organizations are developing targets such as “20 percent female representation in senior-level positions by the year 2017”. However, the following quote from the Catalyst 2013 Census Report reveals that executing on this organizational initiative will be challenging since only 14.6% of executive officer positions are held by women today.
“Women held only 16.9% of corporate board seats in 2013, indicating no significant year-over-year uptick for the 8th straight year. And only 14.6% of Executive Officer positions were held by women—the 4th consecutive year of no year-over-year growth."
Thus, thirty years after women became 50 percent of college graduates in the United States, men incredibly still hold more than 85% of corporate executive officer positions. Interestingly, research validates that there is a positive financial impact when there is at least one female member on the Board of Directors. Catalyst found that companies with more female board member outperformed other companies on three financial measures: return on equity (53% higher), return on sales (42% higher), and return on invested capital (66% higher).
Women now account for 58% of college graduates and graduate students. Thus, female talent pool is larger than ever before and female graduates are seeking organizations that will provide them with growth opportunities into the executive ranks.
Despite the available female talent pool and the statistical evidence that females on corporate boards increase profits, the percentage of female executives did not increase in 2014 versus prior years.
What is the primary factor preventing top female talent from making it to the executive suite? The reason may be organizational culture. In order for organizations to shift their culture, they need to create a climate where men and women understand each other's differences and are allowed to operate from their natural strengths rather than pressuring women to assume the characteristics of men. To move the needle in terms of the number of female executives, there must be a shift in a company’s mind-set to develop a more inclusive organizational culture.
Balance is the Ideal
Though most experts agree that a balance of gender in the workplace is ideal, studies show that women tend to excel in some areas and men excel in other areas. According to a U.S. Labor Department study done in 2010, female salaries are only 81% of their male counterparts. Stated another way, a man typically makes 23% more money than a female doing the same or similar job.
Based on this study, one could incorrectly assume that masculine attributes must result in higher corporate success or profits than female attributes since males have 23% higher salaries than females. However, as already stated, there is no evidence to suggest that hiring more men increases corporate profits. Again, research shows the opposite results – corporations with more female board members tend to have better sales and profits.
Solutions to Gender Equality
Gender discrimination exists in many different forms. Examples of gender discrimination include paying people of different genders differently for performing the same job, hiring and training only one gender for a certain type of work because the job has the reputation of being "man's work" (construction) or "woman's work" (nurse), refusing to promote a pregnant woman because of her pregnancy, and sexual harassment.
Both men and women benefit when gender equality is practiced in the workplace. Promoting gender equality takes the commitment of management to establish guidelines and take the necessary actions to enforce those guidelines. Following are some simple steps organizations can take to promote gender equality:
Women account for 58% of college graduates and graduate students but only comprise 14.6% of corporate executive positions and men still earn 23% more than women for doing the same job. For decades, women have fought for workplace equality but the statistics prove there is still much work to be done in the area of gender workplace equality. It is important for male and female working people to remember that change starts with YOU. As the great civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Male and female managers can lead by example and encourage change in employee behavior at all organizational levels by developing strong working relationships among men and women. This will ultimately increase corporate profits and end decades of gender inequality in the workplace.
Amy B. Shannon is the President of Pinnacle Leadership Solutions, LLC, and Partner in Your Partner in HR.
She has specialized in Organizational Development, Human Resources,
Leadership Training and Executive Coaching for over 20 years. She has
been certified by the Ohio Supreme Courts and Community Mediation
Services of Central Ohio in the area of Personal Conflict and Mediation.
She is a frequent speaker at local, state, and national conferences,
seminars and workshops. Amy was a featured speaker at the Corporate
University week at the Disney Institute and recently presented on HR’s
Role in Office Politics: A Positive Approach at the Atlanta and
Cleveland 2014 Annual HR Star Conferences and Cleveland Society of Human
Resource Management. She serves as the Vice President and Board Member
of the HR Leadership Group and as Chairperson of the Faces of Hope
Campaign for Volunteers of America. Amy frequently teaches organizations
how to foster Respect in the Workplace.
Many women have now entered the professional workforce and have risen in the ranks. Interestingly, most of these female leaders have not become male clones by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed, men and women are oftentimes just as different in the professional world as they are in their personal lives. Finally, corporate executives are beginning to understand that these gender differences can be great for business.
What are gender differences?
There are physical and emotional factors impacting gender differences. They are essentially the characteristics that influence male and female behavior in the workplace. These influences may stem from psychological factors such as upbringing or physical factors such as an employee's capability to perform job duties.
Social factors are the primary influencers of gender differences in the workplace affecting the behaviors of men and women. Some organizations welcome gender diversity and encourage the inclusion of both sexes when making company decisions and offering promotional opportunities. Other organizations discourage gender inclusion and promote bias in the workplace. With most companies, gender differences add value and varying perspectives to an organization.
Why Gender Differences Matter?
Research is clear that successful companies tend to “look” like their customers. Businesses, especially those that target female consumers, will be more successful when they have more women in leadership positions.
Today, many organizations have a fairly even mix of men and women from entry level positions to middle management. However, in the middle management to senior management positions, there is an increasing disparity in gender numbers. The fact is that the number of women in executive level positions has been virtually frozen below 15 percent. The Catalyst 2013 Census of Fortune 500 Companies found that the percentage of women advancing to the top leadership ranks has remained flat for more than a decade.
To eliminate the shortage of women in executive positions, organizations are developing targets such as “20 percent female representation in senior-level positions by the year 2017”. However, the following quote from the Catalyst 2013 Census Report reveals that executing on this organizational initiative will be challenging since only 14.6% of executive officer positions are held by women today.
“Women held only 16.9% of corporate board seats in 2013, indicating no significant year-over-year uptick for the 8th straight year. And only 14.6% of Executive Officer positions were held by women—the 4th consecutive year of no year-over-year growth."
Thus, thirty years after women became 50 percent of college graduates in the United States, men incredibly still hold more than 85% of corporate executive officer positions. Interestingly, research validates that there is a positive financial impact when there is at least one female member on the Board of Directors. Catalyst found that companies with more female board member outperformed other companies on three financial measures: return on equity (53% higher), return on sales (42% higher), and return on invested capital (66% higher).
Women now account for 58% of college graduates and graduate students. Thus, female talent pool is larger than ever before and female graduates are seeking organizations that will provide them with growth opportunities into the executive ranks.
Despite the available female talent pool and the statistical evidence that females on corporate boards increase profits, the percentage of female executives did not increase in 2014 versus prior years.
What is the primary factor preventing top female talent from making it to the executive suite? The reason may be organizational culture. In order for organizations to shift their culture, they need to create a climate where men and women understand each other's differences and are allowed to operate from their natural strengths rather than pressuring women to assume the characteristics of men. To move the needle in terms of the number of female executives, there must be a shift in a company’s mind-set to develop a more inclusive organizational culture.
Balance is the Ideal
Though most experts agree that a balance of gender in the workplace is ideal, studies show that women tend to excel in some areas and men excel in other areas. According to a U.S. Labor Department study done in 2010, female salaries are only 81% of their male counterparts. Stated another way, a man typically makes 23% more money than a female doing the same or similar job.
Based on this study, one could incorrectly assume that masculine attributes must result in higher corporate success or profits than female attributes since males have 23% higher salaries than females. However, as already stated, there is no evidence to suggest that hiring more men increases corporate profits. Again, research shows the opposite results – corporations with more female board members tend to have better sales and profits.
Solutions to Gender Equality
Gender discrimination exists in many different forms. Examples of gender discrimination include paying people of different genders differently for performing the same job, hiring and training only one gender for a certain type of work because the job has the reputation of being "man's work" (construction) or "woman's work" (nurse), refusing to promote a pregnant woman because of her pregnancy, and sexual harassment.
Both men and women benefit when gender equality is practiced in the workplace. Promoting gender equality takes the commitment of management to establish guidelines and take the necessary actions to enforce those guidelines. Following are some simple steps organizations can take to promote gender equality:
- Provide training on gender equality to management. Educate managers in both the obvious and the subtle discrimination that takes place in business. Teach them how to identify discrimination when it takes place among their staff, how to deal with the situation and how to prevent it from happening in the future.
- Develop a mentoring program. Start a peer mentoring program that partners the genders and embraces their differences.
- Provide employees with quality, on-site child care facilities for both mothers and fathers that work at the company. Work with the human resources department and management personnel to make sure that family leave is available to both men and women.
- Showcase the company's successful women. Nothing demonstrates equality like showcasing women who have become executives at the company. This is inspirational to other women aspiring to these positions.
- Support an existing women’s group – or start one. Enable it to function as a forum for women getting to know other women, for leadership development, for mentoring, and for mutual support.
- Publicize your efforts to promote gender equality. Whether it's on your company website, in newspaper editorials or advertisements, let other companies, your vendors and the local workforce know about your dedication to equality in the workplace. Become a role model for other businesses.
Women account for 58% of college graduates and graduate students but only comprise 14.6% of corporate executive positions and men still earn 23% more than women for doing the same job. For decades, women have fought for workplace equality but the statistics prove there is still much work to be done in the area of gender workplace equality. It is important for male and female working people to remember that change starts with YOU. As the great civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Male and female managers can lead by example and encourage change in employee behavior at all organizational levels by developing strong working relationships among men and women. This will ultimately increase corporate profits and end decades of gender inequality in the workplace.
Amy B. Shannon is the President of Pinnacle Leadership Solutions, LLC, and Partner in Your Partner in HR.
She has specialized in Organizational Development, Human Resources,
Leadership Training and Executive Coaching for over 20 years. She has
been certified by the Ohio Supreme Courts and Community Mediation
Services of Central Ohio in the area of Personal Conflict and Mediation.
She is a frequent speaker at local, state, and national conferences,
seminars and workshops. Amy was a featured speaker at the Corporate
University week at the Disney Institute and recently presented on HR’s
Role in Office Politics: A Positive Approach at the Atlanta and
Cleveland 2014 Annual HR Star Conferences and Cleveland Society of Human
Resource Management. She serves as the Vice President and Board Member
of the HR Leadership Group and as Chairperson of the Faces of Hope
Campaign for Volunteers of America. Amy frequently teaches organizations
how to foster Respect in the Workplace.
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