Women in the Workplace Presentation
The History of Women in the American Workplace
The problems which exist surrounding women in the workplace in the USA have manifested throughout American history. The colonial era established the stereotype of ‘women’s work’ involving domestic duties as this very early time period restricted women to housework. This initiation of ‘women’s duties’ – caring for children and domestic work around the house were expectations – is still visible today, yet its origins lie in the American colonies such Jamestown and the Chesapeake. As Tindall and Shi argue: “In the eighteenth century, “women’s work” typically involved activities in the house, garden and yard.”[i] These early days of American women at work also introduced the issues of inequalities between ethnic groups.
Although the American Revolution somewhat changed the societal mindset surrounding gender roles, 19th century America was more significant in the progression of women in work. The first wave of feminism at the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 united women in their fight for equality after centuries of oppression. However, this appears to have benefited wealthy white American women, omitting the ethnic minority females from this development of women in work.
A prime example of this inequality within races of women is Lucy Hobbs Taylor, the first woman to earn a degree in dentistry. Although an obvious milestone in the progression of women as professional workers, Taylor was also a wealthy, white woman who had advantageous privilege in order to achieve such a feat. Meanwhile, African American women struggled to access educational and professional opportunities which allow themselves advancement due to poverty and racism.
The Progressive Era saw changing times for women in the workplace. White American women became popular in the career paths of office and telephone work. However, black women were still generally confined to previous mundane task work, as Foner points out that “black women still worked primarily as domestics or in southern cotton fields.”[ii] This further demonstrates the inequalities which not only women overall experience, but particularly those who are not white.
The impact of two World Wars allowed women to extend their progression in the professional world previously belonging to men. Careers as military nurses and radio operators became available professions for the American woman, as the men became involved with war and required women to fulfil these supporting roles. As the right to vote was gradually gained by women across the world, controversy continued to emerge surrounding the extent of gender equality. For example, whether women would be drafted for the army in the same manner as men. Nevertheless, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act was signed into law in 1972, presenting a huge change for gender equality in the work environment.
Women in American Politics
Women in politics is another area of discussion when contemplating the issue of women in the workplace in America. In US politics today, female representation at a federal level is disproportionate to that of men. Women make up 23.6% of Congress, 25% of the US senate and 23.2% of the US House of representatives.[iii] Although this is an increase, there are discrepancies which must be remembered when comparing these numbers with male counterparts. It is still a typically accepted stereotype that a women’s role is within the home, caring for children and undertaking domestic duties. This combined with the fact that politics is predominantly viewed as a male-dominated profession leads to many women not seeing themselves as “eligible”[iv] to run for public office.
This highlights that the origins of women in work, within the colonies and early American history, established a long-lasting precedent in which domestic duties were labelled as ‘women’s work’. This has the resultant impact of hampering the ambitions of American women in the present day, as they feel it would be a hopeless attempt against men with the same professional desires. Hilary Clinton’s bid to be the President if the United States in 2016 is the most successful race between a man and woman in Americas political history[v]. Although she did not win the race, this was a step in the right direction for the progression of women gaining representation within American Politics.
Gender stereotypes can be used to highlight why there are fewer females in politics. Sanbonmatsu and Dolan[vi] examine the link between gender stereotypes and women in politics. They suggest that women can lose voter support if they hold unfeminine issues close to their campaign. It is suggested that feminine campaigns are to be orientated around education and healthcare, whereas masculine campaigns focus on economic policies. Therefore, even when women do break through into American politics, inequality is still experienced within their work.
Women also face many issues in the workplace in relation to sexism and sexual harassment. For example, the Anita Hill vs Clarence Thomas 1991 is one of the most infamous cases relevant to this. Hill’s testimony has allowed for better understanding of the issues faced by women, especially when placing allegations against someone in a superior position[vii]. Therefore, this allowed progression for the treatment of women within politics as a result. Overall, American women still face inequality within the political workplace environment. This is visible through statistics which convey the lack of female representation in America’s political system, as well as within the struggles of sexual harassment which many women face when involved in the US political workplace.
Race and Women in the American Workplace
Often, the experience of American women in the workplace is dictated by ethnic group. It can be argued that being female when attempting to access professional roles equal to men still renders a disadvantage in doing so, negatively predisposed by gender. However, add to this equation that the woman in question is not white, but is of a different ethnic group. This creates extra challenges within professional capacities, as the African American woman must face barriers not only against her gender, but also against her race. These obstacles are highlighted in the statement:
“Discrimination in the workplace against black female workers comes in the form of stereotypes excessive demands, and Abscess of mentoring, exclusions from work cliques, being ignored harassed and assumptions that they are incompetent.”[viii]
This discrimination against ethnic minority women within the American workplace is clearly evident through the existent pay gap. Although all American women are impacted as “”Women earn just 79 cents for every dollar men make in 2019″[ix], this is even more severe for other races:
“among women who hold full-time, year-round jobs in the U.S., black women are typically paid 61 cents, Native American women, 58 cents and Latinas just 53 cents.”[x]
Therefore, the inequalities within ethnic minorities are even more advanced than for the white American woman, meaning race is a problematic area of women in the US workplace. The cycle surrounding poverty linked with race in America also contributes. As women of colour typically have lower-paying jobs, this means their families grow up in poverty. This poverty then results in poorer health due to America’s healthcare system, and also less educational opportunities. This lack of accessibility to education and wellness usually results in the children entering
equally low-paying jobs to their parents, and so the cycle of low pay continues within the community. This is present through the fact that there are no women of colour within the top fortune 500 companies, reinforcing the evidence that ethnic minorities are pushed into low-grade positions through discriminatory societal tendencies. Race has always impacted the work carried out by American women, from the colonies through to the modern day, and even those who do make it into their desired career, will face grater barriers than white men or women.
Other sources of interest on this topic can be found at:
McKinsey & Company, “Women in the Workplace 2019”
International Labour Organization, “Gender Inequality and Women in the US Labour Force”
YouTube – Tedx Talks, “The Myths That Hold Back Women at the Workplace”
Bibliography
[i] George Brown Tindall and David Emory Shi, America: A Narrative History (New York: W.W. Norton & Company inc., 2010), p.61
[ii] Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History (New York: W.W. Norton & Company inc., 2005), p.685
[iii] Center for American Women and Politics Eagleton Institute of Politics, Women in the US Congress 2019 (2020) <https://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/women-us-congress-2019> [accessed 30 March 2020].
[iv] Marrianne Githens, ‘Accounting for Women’s Political Involvement: The Perennial Problem of Recruitment’ ,in Women and American Politics: New Questions, New Directions, ed. by Susan J Carroll(: Oxford Scholarship Online, 2003), p.2
[v] Kira Sanbonmatsu & Kathleen Dolan , ‘Gender Stereotypes and Gender Preferences in American Politics’, in Improving Public Opinion Surveys, ed. by John H Aldrich, Kathleen M McGraw(: Princeton University Press, 2012).
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] Amy E. Black and Jamie L. Allen, ‘Tracing the Legacy of Anita Hill: The Thomas~Hill Hearings and Media Coverage of Sexual Harassment’, Gender Issues, 19.1, (2001), 33-52.
[viii] J.camille hall, Joyce E. Everett and Johnnie hamilton-mason, Black women talk about workplace stress and how they cope, 43(2) edn ([n.p.]: Sage productions, 2012), p. 221
[ix] Elkins, K. (2020) Here’s how much men and women earn at every age, CNBC. Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/02/heres-how-much-men-and-women-earn-at-every-age.html (Accessed: 1 April 2020).
[x] Ibid.
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