By Thomas Ricotta on October 13th, 2015 in In The News
Despite gains in the workplace, women lag behind when it comes to gender equality. According to a Wall Street Journal report, support at the top of companies has not been sufficient to equalize gender gaps at most U.S. companies. A Boston Globe aarticle reports that despite gains in the workplace, women still lag behind in wages making 82 cents to the male dollar in 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Underrepresented Female Labor Force: All Levels, All Industries
The study found that female workers are underrepresented at all career levels. Indeed, women only represent 45 percent of workers at entry-level positions; 37 percent at the manager level; 32 percent at the senior manager level; 27 percent at the vice-president level; 23 percent at the senior vice president level; and a mere 17 percent at the highest C-Suite level positions in companies.
This gender gap is not just at individual companies. The inequality between the number of male and female workers can be seen across various types of industries. The WSJ report investigated the following industries: technology; professional services and finance; industrial, transport, travel and logistics; media and telecom; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; and retail and consumer products. The numbers showed:
- At the entry level, the percentage of women workers hover around 50 percent across all industries;
- Female managers comprise as little as 22 percent (industrial) and as much as 51 percent (health care and pharmaceuticals) of the workforce;
- The highest percent of female senior manager/director positions were well under half the workers, accounting for only 41 percent (health care and pharmaceuticals); and
- Even fewer female workers represent the workforce across all industries as the positions go up the corporate ladder: vice-president (27 percent), senior vice president (23 percent), and C-Suite (17 percent).
Women Don’t Leave, Face Same Concerns as Men
Surprisingly, the WSJ study found that in 2014 women left individual organizations at the same or lower rates than their male counterparts. In fact, once a woman is put in a leadership role, she is less likely to leave the company than her male counterpart at the same point in his career. Nevertheless, because women shift from line roles to staff roles they are less likely to snag the higher executive position because of promotion practices across industries.
Additionally, although the study revealed that women showed less ambition to reach the top executive role the desire for high positions increased for both genders once they had a senior level role. Likewise, women and men face the same worries when it comes to their perception of being a top executive; these included work-life balance, lack of interest and fear of the stress/pressure of the role.
Labor Law Attorney NY
If you or someone you know has been discriminated against due to your gender – or is the victim of any other type of workplace discrimination – contact the most experienced labor law attorney NY has to offer. The skilled labor law attorneys at Ricotta & Marks, P.C. will fight on your behalf, as we are well-versed in the federal, state and local laws that govern these types of cases. Contact the NYC office at (347) 464-8694 today for a free case evaluation. Have the best and most knowledgeable labor law attorney NY has to offer on your side if your workplace has a glass ceiling.