How Companies Indirectly Exploit Women and What To Do About It
A recent survey of over 279 companies employing 13 million people reports on what the experience of being a woman is in the workplace. And in simple terms, it’s not a good one.
The survey reports that women are doing their part, that women have been doing their part, yet companies have failed to recognize them. Women earn more bachelor’s degrees than men; they bargain for their salaries and ask for promotions just as men. The survey highlights the predominant culture present in companies where Corporate Social Responsibility has become a checklist, as opposed to a genuine effort focused on improving company health. So, exactly how did companies get here, and how can that dynamic be reversed.
Well, the answer to that question is rooted in the very problems that exist for minority women. According to the survey, 36 % of all women have had their judgment questioned in their field of work. Another 21 % have been mistaken to be in a junior work position. And these numbers are even higher for women of color. For example, 31% of all women have felt the need to provide additional evidence to prove their competence, yet for Black women, that number is 41%.
So, what do these statistics mean, and what are their impacts? Well, these statistics show the variety of microaggressions that women face. Microaggressions are everyday racist and sexist actions of others that slowly build up for people and become a cause of stress. What this does is that it halts the growth of women as a collective in the workforce. A person under pressure from a variety of microaggressions is less likely to care about that promotion when they feel their well-being is at risk. This provides companies with leeway. They don’t feel the need to launch more initiatives that promote diversity or a healthier work environment because they know that their stressed minority employees will not fight for those initiatives. And this is precisely how companies indirectly exploit women in the workforce.
This is, of course, all visible in the data that has been collected throughout the last four years that this survey was conducted. There has been no significant change in how many women were employed as entry-level workers to C-suite workers from 2015 to 2018, the most recent year of the survey.
Yet, there were companies that took part in this survey which shows that they are committed to action. But for real change to occur, companies must do more and do better. Some of these actions include making sure hiring and promotions are fair, senior leaders represent and encourage diversity, and company policy holds discriminatory behaviour accountable.
And to break the cycle of microaggressions in place, which companies seem to exploit, women must be on the lookout for their health. Some actions include practising regular self-care, finding an outlet to express themselves, and having community. Studies show that having a community especially decreases the chances of depression. Support is crucial.
Written by Ahmad Awan, Writer for the Junior Economist
Originally published on November 25th, 2019
