Nadine Barrett-Maitland | Hidden obstacles for women in the workplace

The United Nations observed International Women’s Day on March 8, under the theme, DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. The World Bank’s theme was Accelerating Equality and Empowerment. We should look seriously at the “shifting sand” that women face in a male-dominated society.

Women have contributed significantly to many male-dominated fields, yet they are under-represented in top-level management and major decision-making capacities. Their contributions should be celebrated as they are often in fields where they are historically neither welcomed nor appreciated as stated by the United Nations Website.

There is a persistent gender gap preventing women from unlocking their full potential. This serious gender gap is also evident in higher education and findings from the Pew Research Center indicate that the gap is widening. While women continue to outpace men in college graduations and enrolment. They are significantly under-represented in high-paying jobs and executive-level positions. According to The New York Times, when more women join a male-dominated field, the salary in that field declines rather than stays the same. The change in adjusting the gap is slow and at the current rate, the wage gap will remain until 2059.

A Capri report of February 2023 titled Fair Pay reveals that while there are no formal barriers to entry for women to any occupational group, de facto barriers exist. Women dominate in lower-paying jobs, such as in the service and social work sectors. According to the report, for every $100 men earn, women earn $61. There is a “glass ceiling” that women face when trying to advance in organisations.

DIFFERENT RETURNS ON INVESTMENT

Globally, the data clearly show that men get different returns on their investment than women. We might ask why so many women are not in management and executive roles. Though they might be capable and interested, they face invisible barriers and have difficulty breaking the “glass ceiling”. These invisible career barriers prevent women from “accessing the ranks of power”. Jamaica boasts the highest proportion of female managers in the world.

However, 50 per cent of women occupy junior and middle management positions and only 33 per cent hold top executive positions. According to the Capri report, of the 507 directorships for listed company boards, only 22 per cent are held by women and only three are chaired by them. Of the 53 companies listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, only 17 per cent of the board directors are women. A survey done in the Caribbean reveals women represent 25 per cent of board members and only 18 per cent are board-chairs. Though women hold more graduate degrees, the unofficial “boys’ club” prevents them from making it past the junior and middle management positions.

Organisational psychologist Tomas Charmorro Premuzic claims people often misinterpret male displays of confidence as signs of competence and are “fooled” into thinking that men are better leaders than women. Charisma and charm are often mistaken for leadership potential and these are more prominent in men than in women. Premuzic suggests that most men think they are smarter than women. However, arrogance and overconfidence are not traits of leadership talent. The hallmark of good leadership is building, inspiring and maintaining high-performing teams while avoiding selfish agenda. A good leader is usually humble and women tend to possess this character trait, whether through nature or nurture.

Men are usually more arrogant, manipulative and risk-prone than women. Job transition expert George Murray says there are unconscious biases that favour men for leadership roles in organisations. Societal biases and the preconceived notion that men are naturally better leaders than women also contribute to problem.

Research indicate that men thrive in these roles for long periods because other male sponsors cheer them loudly for the simplest achievement. These sponsors usually excuse every shortcoming. Men often get promoted with the caveat that they can keep working on their shortcomings over time: “nobody is perfect”. On the other hand, women are often judged harshly and face an uphill task of having to repeatedly prove themselves.

The lack of accountability facilitates the perpetual reign of incompetent leadership. Experts suggest that some solutions to this leadership crisis are that managers/ recruiters:

1. distinguish between confidence and competence.

2. reduce their love for charismatic individuals.

3. avoid narcissistic individuals with grandiose visions who admire themselves more than anything else.

Good leaders care for people and about their reputation. An important step in reducing gender inequality is promoting leaders based on competence, integrity, humility and the ability to adapt and lead a team. Improving the quality of select leaders requires improving the competence for judging and selecting them, especially when they are men.

Another advantageous move would be for higher educational institutions to develop and implement a gender policy that guides how employees are treated. This can help protect women who are often ostracised, victimised and punished if they are vocal.

There has been some progress towards gender equality over the last decade. However, the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. According to the United Nations, “gender equality is necessary to ensure a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world”.

This is a rally cry. It is time for women to band together and support each other. As stated by Martin Luther King Jr, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As the prophet Amos said, “But let justice roll down like waters and right actions like the ever flowing stream.” Women’s rights are human rights and they are not negotiable.

Nadine Barrett-Maitland, PhD, is a senior lecturer at the School of Computing and Information Technology, University of Technology, Jamaica. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com