Did you know what the latest global women’s labor force rate is? No? It is 47%. Not so surprisingly it’s 72% for men. Well, that’s a huge difference, isn’t it?
Today, they are many who talk about how women are turning into leaders and making their mark in diverse industries. But despite all of this the overall picture is still quite bleak.
Today, on October 11, International Girl Child Day, we will be discussing what’s holding women back to become the ultimate risers and whether gender equality still prevails.
What Society has to say
“Long working hours are not meant for women, they also have to take care of the family“. This is what we hear from our society. This mentality is making their careers suffer.
Let’s discuss what are the barriers that are holding women back and they are not still now equally respected or treated like men:
Unfavorable Work Policies
We live in the Always Available Culture. This is one of the biggest hurdles faced by most women. Ranging from maternity policies to period leave policies they are questioned as to why so many leaves are required.
Well, it is high time that organization should move their focus from hours sat in the system to what productivity is.
A study at Thrive Global depicted how people at the office are productive only for 3 hours whether it is an 8-hour long working organization or 9-hour work. It is always good that both managers and employees should have flexible hours and the organization should also maintain a hybrid working model. By a hybrid working model, we mean proving work-from-home opportunities along with work from an office.
Male Competence Assumptions
According to a study conducted at Stanford University, it was stated that men feel they are superior and more competent than women. They are usually judged by lenient standards as compared to women in a few organizations. This means the male-dominated culture still prevails.
To overcome this barrier it is the organization’s responsibility not to be partial and treat both genders equally whether it is related to promotions or anything else. Awareness in society is equally important.
The secret of getting ahead is getting started-
SALLY BERGER
Psychological Barriers
You are a woman, you should know how to work under stress, and you should stay for long hours in the office. Working under pressure should never be treated as a quality. Every employee has adaptable and workaholic behavior. Do they know how to manage everything why judge them based on their gender?
Women themselves have many barriers, sometimes it is nothing to do with gender equality. Therefore, it is important for them to believe in themselves. Since childhood, every girl hears from their parents, be a good girl, study well, behave well, learn cooking, know how to manage household work, be polite, and be kind. Well, all this doesn’t shape the personality traits that allow women to become leaders when they grow up.
Plenty of psychological traits are preventing women from becoming leaders. Criticism at home and at work makes them doubt themselves.
That Time of the Month
Every woman has a different menstrual cycle. Periods also come with mood swings and women tend to show mixed emotions of irritation, anger, etc. Sometimes they are subjected to prejudice in the organization while they are on their periods. They are mocked by different comments like, “Stop being so fussy, it is just a monthly period”.
Do you know what kind of grueling physical pain they go through? Men can’t even imagine but still, they comment why has someone taken a menstrual leave when it is so normal. Whether you believe it or not but gender equality doesn’t prevail.
You will be super surprised to know that a woman in Georgia was fired on her period day because she stained her office chair.
Closing Thoughts
The mindset has to be changed and the barriers should now be broken. Women should empower themselves and break barriers silencing the critics. Additionally, organizations should thoroughly investigate the hurdles women are facing and how it is impacting their performance. For this, it is important that they conduct group discussions and come up with solutions. The ‘One size fits all approach is unlikely to yield strong results.
Happy International Girl Child Day. Â
Read more about it : International Day of the Girl Child
11 October
Read More: Decade of celebrating International Girl Child Day-Struggle Still Continues
