With the changing time, the scenario for women has seen a change too when it comes to them going out and earning. With time, we have seen that more and more women are heading out of their home to work and earn in various fields and even serve as the bread earner for their family.

This change has brought some positivity in the world of gender has certainly helped in resolving the gender differentiation issues. But not everything about it settled well. There are a lot of issues at the workplace, which only women have to face. Such issues make us ponder whether society is really heading towards gender equality!

Many studies have revealed that women have fewer chances of making it to the top management or getting promoted and they are most likely to quote that their career is affected due to their gender. There are fewer women who aim for higher positions.

Just talking or lecturing about women empowerment won’t do any real good, until one takes an initiative to resolve the discrimination at the workplace due to gender. Proper steps should be taken to give equal opportunities to everyone irrespective of the gender.

Mentioned below are 4 issues that need to be taken care of to engage more women employees at work:

• Sexual harassment: This is a shameful act that many women, sadly, have faced at their workplace in some or the other form. Sexual abuse/harassment means ‘unwelcomed sexual advances, asking for sexual favors or other kinds of physical or verbal sexual behavior’. As per a survey by Cosmopolitan, 1 in 3 women between the age group of 18-34 has suffered from sexual harassment at the workplace.

This issue needs to be taken care of immediately as it is very shameful conduct and results in losing good women employees. This behavior at any place is not acceptable. A proper sexual harassment policy should be drafted and everyone in the organization should know that this behavior is intolerable.

Women, who face such issues, should not stay put and should raise their voice against it. Staying quiet will only make things worse. Be bold enough to respond to such misconduct and report it.

• Discrimination in pay/gender pay gap: This issue is the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about. This issue has been prevalent yet unresolved for a long time. Various studies have revealed that women are paid less than men, even for the same position. Even when asking for a pay-raise, women face discrimination or are usually led down. Organizations are still not getting the point here that more women are required for a higher paying role and at the managerial levels. They should work on their pay structure and should ensure that women are paid equal to their male counterparts.

Women should know their worth and try not to settle for anything less than what they deserve. Lay stress on your qualifications and experience and put forth it confidently. Raise your voice if you feel any discrimination based on gender when it comes to paying. Get the pay you desire for and are worthy of.

• Facing prejudice post pregnancy and maternity leave: Various reports have stated the harsh and sad fact that the majority of pregnant women and new mothers fall prey to bias at the workplace. Instead of supporting pregnant women, they are made to feel discriminated. It is serious issues and needs to be taken care of immediately. Women returning post a career break after maternity leave or other reasons also face a lot of troubles making their way back into corporates. They are often judged based on their break and they lose out on the opportunities often. This can be a huge discouragement for women. Organizations must take proper actions to eliminate this issue and help pregnant women and new mothers manage their career well. Organizations should have proper maternity policies and the women should be aware of their rights and should be informed. Women should be confident while approaching back at work and start their second innings.
• Dealing with gender stereotypes: Even though the fact is that both men and women are at the workplace for the same reason- to move ahead in their career and earn, sadly, gender stereotypes creates an unfair differentiation between the two genders. Some of the common stereotypes revolving around women are:
  • Confident or aggressive women are seen as trouble, bossy or feminazis
  • Women can’t perform well at work and would lack commitment due to family constraints
  • Women cannot gel-up with other women at work as they are spiteful in nature
  • All that women love to do is ‘gossip’
  • Emotions dominate women and this hinders their performance
  • Women are bad decision-makers and are not a good fit for managerial or leadership roles

These are some of the stereotypes that define women in the workplace. Though both genders have distinct ways of communicating and doing things, it doesn’t mean that they are not equal in terms of work and profession. Implementing gender stereotypes often result in miscommunication, contravention and cacophony at the workplace. This would lead to a downfall in the career graph of employees as well as organization.

Organizations should not practice this and the women at the workplace themselves should believe that they are any less than their counterparts. Believing in your abilities and proving your worth through your work and conduct is the best way.

Establishing a gender-equal society is very much possible if we take sincere efforts towards it. The change starts with us and we can lay the foundation for a society free from gender bias where no woman has to face the mentioned issues at the workplace.

Turacoz Foundation, an organization by the women and for the women believes that both genders are equal, and women should be treated fairly, especially at the workplace. We support women who want to start or re-start their careers by training them in medical writing and offering them work-from-home opportunities.

Our motto is to make women independent financially, emotionally and mentally. To know more about us and our services and to be part of the growing Turacoz family, drop a mail at [email protected]