April 15th, 2007
From diversityonline.com…
Gender Bias Still Exists Within The Executive Workplace
Half of all managers at U.S. employers are female, yet when it comes to senior posts, men outnumber the women by almost six to one, according to a survey by TheLadders.com, the world’s leading $100k+ jobs Web site. Amidst a surge of news reports about the unique challenges that high-performing women face in the workplace, and as the nation considers electing a woman to the top job in the country, the survey found that gender discrimination is still a factor in the American workplace. When asked whether men and women were paid the same for similar positions, a 71.5 percent majority said, "no." Likewise, 66.3 percent of executives surveyed said that women do not have as many opportunities as men to become company CEOs. Meanwhile, 54.1 percent of the survey respondents – representing both sexes – said that men and women are equally adept at managing employees. When asked whether they would continue to work after having children, 47 percent said they would continue to work, but at a reduced load, even if money were no object. Twenty seven percent said they would continue to work at full-time status. This high prevalence of working moms is set against a stark backdrop of 55 percent of executives who said that employees with young children are more likely to experience workplace discrimination. The study also found that 51.2 percent of executives responding to the survey said they have experienced some form of sexual harassment. Twenty six percent said that they hadn’t personally but knew of someone who had experienced harassment.
Given the fact that current estimates put new entrants into the workforce at 70% women and racial minorities, I think that this is yet another wake-up call that there is going to be an increasing amount of friction in the workplace if there is not more investment in culture and health communication. If organizations want to develop engagement and loyalty in the new workforce changes are going to have to be made. This is not simply a matter of "being nice", and it is not about special treatment…it really is about the success and the future of the organization.