Why Some Women Struggle to Succeed In The Workplace

Please note that the National Association of Professional Women allows guests to post to our blog, however these posts in no way represent the views of NAPW.

According to the latest US Department of Labor Statistics, women are slowly closing the salary gap in relation to mid-level corporate American jobs; however, it’s still an on-going and disturbing number. Research shows that the gap is just over 21 cents on the dollar. So, if a man makes approximately $100,000 a year; a woman in that same position would make $79,000.

To add more fuel to the flame; last year’s Forbes magazine article, The Highest Paid Women in Corporate America, points out even more startling statistics. If you compare the top paid 100 women in corporate America with the top paid 100 men in corporate America; you’ll find that every woman on the list makes at least 3 million a year- not bad. But then take a gander at the top 100 paid men; they all make at least 18 million a year. That’s a big and lofty difference. And if the lists were combined, the top ranking woman would fall down to 9th place; as well, she would be the only woman in the top 25.

Why is it that professional women seem to make less for doing the exact same job? Most experts point to the layering effect that women must deal with on a daily basis when it comes to work and family. Women must deal with day to day conflicts in regards to their personal life that most men would “leave” at home. Women prioritize differently than men and often there are missed opportunities in the work place due to this. Other experts say it’s based upon risk assessment; men are more prone to take higher risks, therefore they reap larger benefits. But more and more research shows that it’s much deeper than that; it’s a matter of gender discrimination starting at birth and often a behavior passed on throughout life by family, schools, and society in general.

Most young children are given toys in reference to their gender; girls are given dolls, boys are given cars. Girls are taught to be nurturing care-givers; while boys are not. Studies have shown that school age children are also discriminated against in regards to gender. Research has shown that elementary school boys are often paid more attention to in regards to math and science subjects; where girls are more prone to have more attention paid to them in subjects such as language arts and reading. The lack of encouragement for girls in relation to fields of science and math may explain why a CNN Money report in 2006 referenced that only 10 women were running Fortune 500 companies.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying your young daughter a doll; however, you should be willing to also buy that same girl a toy car, a globe, or a set of building blocks. Ending sexual discrimination and closing salary gaps all start with baby steps, literally.