I want to use this blog post to talk about one of the most prevalent issues related to feminism and philosophy: the gender gap in the workplace.
First, let’s start with some statistics. Even with the recent surge to close the gender gap, women still only make 84 cents for every dollar that their male colleagues make. According to Dina Gerdeman’s Harvard Business School article on gender stereotypes and the self-confidence of women, this gender gap is in part due to “occupational sorting,” which involves men choosing higher-paying careers than women. More specifically, women represent just 26 percent of US workers in the computer and math industries.
Katherine Coffman, a Piramal Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, has conducted extensive research on decision-making with a specific emphasis on the role of gender stereotypes.
Her research, in addition to other, new work, attempts to explain why women may be shying away from certain professions. Namely, this research has found that women lack confidence in their abilities in certain fields, such as science, math, and technology. Additionally, women are more reluctant to share their opinions in group settings in these fields, and women are more likely than men to shrug off praise for their abilities.
Coffman notes, “Our beliefs about ourselves are important in shaping all kinds of important decisions, such as what colleges we apply to, which career paths we choose, and whether we are willing to contribute ideas in the workplace or try to compete for a promotion.”
I believe that conversations about gender stereotypes, expectations, and roles in the workplace are vitally important if we are to close this gender gap. I encourage everyone to read more about this pressing problem and discuss this gap’s influence on societal progress.
Thank you for reading!
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