For thousands of years there has always been an evident difference
between the treatment and acceptance men and women receive. Women were granted
the right to vote over one hundred years after men did. Women were expected to
stay home instead of going to school, learning the duties of their mother,
preparing to one day take on her role.
Today, in the 21st century, after all the progress our country
has made, the stereotypes that have to do with working women still remain
strong. Women in the working world lack many of the options and opportunities
than their fellow male co-workers do. Women hold themselves back so those who
believe they are not capable will not judge them. Many people in the work place
see high paid, accomplished women as selfish and annoying, while high paid and
accomplished men are seen as likeable, smart, and successful. To avoid this
many workingwomen quit their jobs before they get promoted and instead have a
family as expected. As a result, this
reduces the workforce involvement from women, not men. Shocking statistics from
author Sheryl Sandberg proves that because of the amount of women exiting the
workforce only "21 of Fortune 500 CEO’s are women, women hold 14% of executive
officer positions, and women hold 16% of board seats". Many feminists like
Sheryl Sandberg wonder why women seem to seek less and are less optimistic than
males.
Even when women are younger they are still given less attention than
males because in the minds of many, men run the world. It is proven that girls “perform
worse on tests when they have to check off M or F before taking it” and for
every one dollar a man makes, a woman only makes seventy-seven cents. The
differences between men and women need to decrease. Women need to step up and
own their place in the working world. Whether they are working at top companies
or making minimum wage, it is essential for the numbers to become even. Women
should start by asking their spouses to do at least half of the parenting work.
These conversations are important. Women need to begin to talk about getting
ahead in the workforce to realize that it is possible. They need to see what it
takes to search for leadership positions. Working women are not bossy or
egotistic they are qualified and deserving. As Sheryl Sandberg says, “If we
push hard now, this next wave can be the last wave. In the future, there will
be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.”
Statistics and quotes are from Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In
Statistics and quotes are from Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In
Greta, first, I apologize that no one responded to your post. This is my fault. I accidentally forgot to assign your name to someone.
ReplyDeleteSecond, this post is very strong - probably your strongest of the year. You write well, and you construct a logical argument. Everything you write makes sense to me, and regretfully, I agree with what you write. Many of the claims you make have become more apparent to me, now that I am a father and my wife works full time. In my house, my wife and I earn the same income and work the same amount of hours. Although she might disagree, I think our domestic responsibilities are virtually equal. I make all the baby food. Don't tell anyone! Yet, my wife still considers leaving her job, or at least she feels a guilt about working that I do not feel. I wonder if this is because she feels like she is violating some societal expectation that she stay home to raise our daughter, or if the guilt is more biological. In other words, why does my wife feel guilty working full time, but I don't? Ironically, my wife also struggles with Sheryl Sandberg's theory, yet my wife is a successful, full time working mother. There is some other variable, and I don't know what it is. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.
Anyway, great post. There are a few minor - very minor - errors, but these do not detract from your argument. Good job.