Where are all the Ladies? The gap between men and women in the workplace.

One of my interests as it affects me directly....

Globally and especially in South Africa stereotypes and perceptions are keeping women back.
We see women as the nurturers.  She should be at home looking after her kids.  We see men as the providers: He should be out there working long hours and making money.  This perception is built into us, if you look at evolutionary psychology, and how we are brought up.  As society progresses (from the Stone Ages through to the Industrial Age and now the Information Age) and as countries develop there is more of a transition to a level playing field and less gender stereotyping.   Society still has a way to go though.

The recent book by +Sheryl Sandberg called Lean In has brought this topic into the mainstream.  She mentions many factors as to why women do not take on these leadership positions, a few that have really resonated with me:

• Society and gender stereotyping.  Changing generally accepted ideas and how we view men and women.
• Women make choices early on in their careers to take a back seat as they see themselves having families in the future which in turn means that they will have to sacrifice their careers.  (self inflicted!)
• Critical mass: if we had a society with 40-50% of senior management being women then it would be more 'acceptable'.
• Women need to see themselves as part of the decision making process and not exclude themselves.
• Women sit back and expect to be approached to take on more responsibility.  Go out there and sell yourself!
• Choose your partner carefully so that the household and child duties are shared equally.

In my circumstances I frequently have people (family and friends) commenting on how can I still be willing to work full time and not spend time with my daughter.  After her birth I was confronted with problems of not being able to do it all.  We have made great advances since the previous generation when all our moms stayed at home.  No wonder many of them put pressure on their daughters who have kids to stay at home or to not shoot for that promotion because she will sacrifice her family and children in the process.  Thank goodness my HR Manager (and perhaps we need more of these type of managers in organizations) understood my dilemma and was willing to meet me half way....if I think of what would've happened if I was not in this situation I would not be where I am now.  When women exclude themselves from the workforce after maternity leave it takes many years to get back in as technology and industry advancements have moved on.  The financial toll it takes is quite significant, not being able to contribute to retirement savings or save up for future education for the kids can have a profound effect.

For me having a career while being a mom isn't about the money or prestige.  It's about having a purpose and being in a stimulating environment (and of course in today's time for most people one income just doesn't put bread on the table).  This is obviously not for all women, some prefer to stay at home and raise a family.  Some are forced to be economically active because they are the breadwinners or single parents.  But the vast majority of women who have qualifications and can contribute significantly to the economy and hopefully also help other women in the work environment start leaving the workforce in droves after they have children.  92 % of men with the same level of qualifications remain in full time employment compared to 45 - 52% of women with the same qualifications after having families.

Men and women need to become aware of this in order to progress.  We are getting there but the last 30 years there has been a stagnation in the upward mobility of women in the workforce.  We all have choices...but if you want to get out there and have a rich fulfilling career be aware of the challenges and face them head on.  No one else will do it for you.

So start small. One of us could be the one who can start the overturn of the gender gap.