My Place At The Table : A Woman 's Guide

"In 1950 about one in three women participated in the labor force. By 1998, nearly three of every five women of working age were in the labor force" (Heatherfield, n.d., para. 4). In 2008, the U.S. Department of labor estimates that women will make up 48% of the workforce (Heatherfield, n.d., para. 6). As the number of women in the workforce rises so do the numbers of women who hold higher titles such as Chairman, CEO, Vice Chairman, President, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Vice President, and Executive Vice President. This number has increased from 7.3% in 2000 to 9.9% in 2002 (Diversity statistics, 2006).

Over the past few decades, great strides have been made by women in the workplace. This increased number in women in the workplace does not mean equality however. Even with equal qualifications and achievements, women are still not given all the opportunities that men have. The chapter in the textbook, “Gender at Work”, shows us more of these inequalities in the workplace. Such inequalities cause gender segregation of jobs and can be linked with the pay inequality in the labor force. Even in jobs that are predominantly filled by women, men earn more than women. Women are often stereotyped as being family focused and not as able to travel, therefore they tend to get passed up for promotions (Garson p.353). This invisible barrier that keeps women from moving up the executive ladder is referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Baxter and Wright p. 346). Women also tend to do more domestic work, or unpaid labor and caregiving. This extra unpaid work is referred to as “the third shift” and is largely rested on the shoulders of women (Gersel p. 352). Consequently, this seems to be one of the biggest things holding women back from taking on jobs that are normally considered male

Women’s role within the household has changed considerably over a period of time. In the later days in the United States women were to attend to the children and to the house and not do much more than that. Children are now being raised by stay at home dads instead of the stereotypical stay at home moms. According to Gardner, "Real-life families have changed considerably since 'Mr. Mom ' appeared, with more men sharing child-rearing and household chores." (Gardner 2010) This is occurring because women’s jobs are no longer labeled as being just for women. Men have gotten a lot of criticism for being stay at

With the rise of the modern age economic survival has become difficult for families based on a single income. This economic need along with modern attitudes toward gender equality has resulted in women being represented in the workforce in greater numbers. However, until the 1960’s women faced severe discrimination when trying to enter and maintain a position in the workforce. Often qualified women would be passed over for men with less experience and education. Employers were fearful that women were too emotional and were not equipped to handle the stress of the work environment. Also driving the decision to not hire or promote women was the concern over the additional health care expenses and leave time pregnant

Colleen Barrett is one of the most influential women in the world of business and her efforts have paved the way for future female executives. According to Dierendonck and Patterson (2010), “For five years in a row, SWA is the only airline to win the Triple Crown, ranked first in most on-time flights, least lost baggage, and fewest Customer complaints”(p 135). Colleen Barrett is a rare example of a leader that rose from the ranks of an organization to the highest position of the company while never receiving a formal education in business management (Southwest Airlines ' Colleen Barrett on 'Servant Leadership, 2008). Her greatest achievement while at SWA was completely changing the leadership style and atmosphere of the organization. According to Dierendonck and Patterson (2010), her remodeling of the organization has kept SWA the leader in their industry by “setting and achieving incredible records of performance”(p 135). Leaders at SWA still practice her servant leadership style of managing employees even after she left the organization (Dierendonck & Patterson, 2010). Before a leader can achieve greatness they have to overcome challenges in their career fields.

In the 1990s, there was another growing cause, popularly coined “The Feminist Revolution.” Half of the country’s workforce was female. Regardless, women were still outnumbered in traditionally male-dominated professions. Even though women were now employed in professions such as law, policing, construction, and as pilots, there was still a gap in salary and in treatment of female workers (Groeneveld, 2010).

Regardless if she is a housewife or a woman who works a 9-5, she is still under the dominance of a man when it comes to the term “work.” At home, she is the caregiver but he is the bread provider. In the work force, she is the assistant and he is the one calling all the shots. If she is fortunate enough to hold a high ranked position, it is almost evident that she does not have the same voice as a man that holds the same position. Unfortunately, this is the reality for most women, but some women have broken through these boundaries and excelled in the high ranked position in the work force. One woman in particular is Sheryl Sandberg. She the current CEO of Facebook and a mother to a little boy and girl. With a higher view on this, Sandberg recognizes the issues of the wage gap, gendered division of labor, social comparable worth, and second shift in her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, and her TedTalk and advises women to advocate for themselves in order to achieve equality the workplace.

Ellen Ostrow, P. (1998-2008). 20 Ways To Become A Leader. Retrieved October 24, 2014, from EmergingLeader.com: www.emergingleader.com

“Since the 1980s, the number of women holding managerial and professional positions has doubled, but the number of women working in corporate officer positions at Fortune 500 companies is stagnant,

For my research question I will be asking: “How is America making progress on gender equity?” Fundamentally, I believe that women are still misrepresented, and are still facing many challenges in the workplace, especially in the business world. The gender stereotypes play a considerable role in the way the society sees women as leaders. However, it will be judicious to consider the small but noticeable changes that have been made over the past years concerning gender equality in the American workplace.

The generation now has made it easier to equalize men and women but there is still a substantial amount of places where gender inequality is still happening in the workplace and where females still face discrimination. Women are often discriminated in the workplace and are usually not promoted as quickly as men are and they also receive less pay. History shows that women have not always been defined as property and thought of as second class citizens. But in the 21st century many have seen a drastic change in the so called “traditional” family ways where women are suppose to stay home and take care of the household chores, food, and children and men are suppose to work to support their family and provide financial stability. Many assume that in the workplace women are more vulnerable and less competent than men because women 's instincts are to put their family before work or anything else. Whereas men are the ones who will usually stay the late hours to work. People on both sides of the political spectrum and everywhere in between seem to be fearful of what is to come and more fearful of others than they are often willing to admit.

Women have experienced a historic situation of inequality in the social as well as professional aspects. Women were normally the ones that would take care of children, do the chores in the house, and in rural areas; they would work in the field with the rest of the family. However, today’s women have become more self-sufficient and independent from the predominant male figure within every historical family. Gender inequality in the workplace is becoming less common; yet, gender is a factor that affects men and women. Especially women have been subjected to a historical discrimination that has influenced society to decide which job is more suitable for women than men. However women have confronted and tried to break down the barriers that

In the last decades, professional situation of women has improved. The opportunities of women to get better education have grown, and so has the level of women in professional and managerial jobs that historically had been held by men. In 2001, women stood for almost 40 per cent of the worldwide labor force; yet, they had and still have to be confronted with the persisting gender pay gap and, in what considered the employment of women in senior positions, also with the “glass ceiling”.

Even though numbers are slowly rising in the United States, there are still more men in executive positions than women. According to one survey, female workers only made up 43% of legislators, senior managers, and senior officials whereas male workers made up 57%. In congress, congresswomen make up only 17% of representation compared to congressmen making up 83% (Ferrante, 2011, p. 312). Gender stratification is one explanation for the tremendous gap. Ferrante (2011) describes gender stratification as the unequal distribution of opportunities and resources amongst male and female employees. (p. 311) For example, male workers have an increased opportunity to receive a promotion than a female worker. According to Tinsley (2013), women are more likely to receive executive positions when a company is doing well, rather than when a company is suffering. Some companies stereotype that women workers will leave the workforce soon to bear children, limiting their chances of achieving executive status (Ferrante, 2011, p. 316).

In this paper the history of women in the workforce will be outlined, as well as the challenges they face. The changing attitudes towards women taking over family businesses will be looked at briefly, how women lead in comparison to how men lead, and a comparison of their leadership style will also be discussed.