Introduction
Gender imbalances occur in multiple industries, an issue that is widely discussed due to the difficulties of creating a more diversified workforce. However, despite the fact that specific limitations have been addressed based on the premises of equal pay and hiring practices, high-paying and prestigious positions are still mainly represented by white males. While there are multiple positions that are overrepresented by females, such as academic settings, care provision, and administrative jobs, prestigious and high-paying positions such as CEOs and senior executives are almost always males. The topic that arises is whether feminists are to be concerned with the aforementioned imbalance. Based on existing evidence, the limitation requires attention since such a pattern illustrates the societal difficulties women meet when aiming for high-paying positions.
A Contrast in Negotiation Approaches
It is certain that the lack of women’s representation in high-paying jobs is a complex issue that highlights the societal challenges and lack of opportunities that are gender-based. Namely, the imbalance is to be a concern for feminists because it highlights a type of inequality and discrimination that persists in other areas of life besides the professional one. According to Sandberg (2010), one of the concerns that ultimately prevents women from aiming for such jobs is the lack of desire to negotiate and believe in their own strengths. Thus, women are less likely to ask for a raise, a higher organizational position, or an adequate employment contract. The factors that impact such findings may be related to the fact that women have been taught to be more modest and quiet and not be outspoken in regards to their skills and success. Thus, one of the reasons why the feminist movement is to address the lack of women CEOs is because it shows that there are still differences in the ways men and women view and navigate the workforce.
The Concept of “Woman Work”
As mentioned prior, despite the changes in hiring practices, the stigma of certain jobs or positions within an organization is still based on gender. According to Jaffe (2016), breaking out of the “woman work” stereotype is one of the aims of the feminist agenda. Based on the fact that high-paid jobs are rarely represented by both genders and are more of a monolith, the notion illustrates that women are still considered unfit for such roles. This also highlights a reason why feminists are to be concerned with the precedent, namely, the presence of intrinsic societal views which do not allow for women to be seen as influential CEOs, senior executives, and major stakeholders or corporations.
Unfair Labor Division and Work-Life Balance
One of the reasons why women are misrepresented in certain areas of the workforce is the additional duties they have in their day-to-day life. Evidently, managing a work-life balance is difficult as taking care of children and chores are things that are rarely equally divided among heterosexual partners. Thus, women often manage to work full-time and take care of the additional responsibilities, while men do not have the same tasks to attend to. The inequality of work and family lives is described as one of the limitations preventing women from succeeding in their careers (Saul, 2012). Moreover, the imbalanced divisions of the house labor division give men more opportunities to attend to their work tasks even outside working hours, creating an unfair precedent in which one gender has more options to advance in their professional setting (Brooks, 2021). Another circumstance that has to be a concern for feminists in regards to a lack of representation in high-paid jobs is the psychological aspect of such aims. Women who focus on their careers are still considered betrayers of such values as family and marriage (Hooks, 2013). As a result, motivation to advance in professional life decreases since the results may include further stigmatization, blame, and criticism from other members of the community in which the woman operates.
Feminists have to be concerned with this aspect because any gender-based stigma correlating with decisions in the professional life limit all women from pursuing their dream careers. It does not only involve those aiming for high-paying positions but can affect all gender minorities regardless of the industry, employment objectives, or wage. Thus, such aspects that limit individuals from advancing in their work lives are examples of a societal problem affecting women in general, which is why the issue is so complex.
Conclusion
Women face difficulties achieving high success in their careers not because of a lack of skills, knowledge, or experience but because external factors impact their ability to do so. A lack of belief in themselves, gender-based job divisions, an imbalanced share of house labor, and stigmatization of those prioritizing careers create circumstances in which prestigious positions are mainly represented by men. Since the challenge portrays complex gender inequality issues, feminists have to be fully motivated to combat such significant statistical differences in representation. The concern is not only to be related to the lack of women who achieve such professional success but to the general inequality that is exemplified in multiple areas of society, including the aforementioned one.
References
Brooks, R. (2021). Recline, don’t ‘Lean in’ (Why I hate Sheryl Sandberg). The Washington Post.
Hooks, B. (2013). Dig deep: Beyond lean in. The Feminist Wire.
Jaffe, S. (2016). Trickle-down feminism. Dissent Magazine.
Sandberg, S. (2010). Why we have too few women leaders [Video]. TED.
Saul, J. M. (2012). The Politics of Work and Family. Feminism: Issues & arguments, pp. 5–44. Oxford University Press.