Gender Inequality in the Workplace

Throughout history, gender inequality has been a persistent feature of the world’s economy and politics. Although there have been some periods of accelerated progress, since about 2000, global progress towards equality has stagnated and even reversed in many dimensions. This article surveys levels of and recent trends in gender inequality across the globe, before exploring some reasons for this change.

The economic dimensions of gender inequality are reflected in wages earned, access to self-employment and the share of household wealth held by women and men. Women’s earnings tend to be lower than those of men, and the gap widens with age (Gilbert & McLennan, 2014). Women also hold less financial assets than men, and are less likely to own land or property.

There is much debate on the causes of these gaps, with some researchers suggesting that biological or psychological differences between men and women are at play. For example, studies have documented statistical gender differences in tastes and preferences, personality traits such as risk aversion and ‘people skills’, as well as in innate cognitive abilities like maths ability. But there is also strong evidence that the origins of gender differences lie mainly in social and cultural factors, not biology (Blau & Kahn, 2015).

Gender inequality has been linked to poor economic performance and social unrest. Achieving gender equality will therefore require a holistic approach to development that includes policies addressing income, empowerment and asset ownership. It will also be important to address gendered aspects of poverty and vulnerability, including sexism, violence against women and girls, and discrimination against marginalised groups (Bryan & Varat, 2008).

Currently, the majority of interventions and initiatives to close these gaps are focused on individual-level interventions. In this approach, the main goal is to boost women’s motivation, engagement and ambition in order to increase their chances of success and narrow the gap. For example, initiatives to encourage more women into STEM fields often aim to improve their technical competences, such as through enhancing their computer literacy and working on their public speaking skills. However, there is a growing body of research that questions the assumption that gender equality in workplaces can be achieved simply by increasing women’s competencies. Studies have shown that the gendered cost and benefits of taking risks are more important than individual inclinations or competences in explaining why men and women perform differently in the workplace (Liben & Coyle, 2014).

Another problem with these one-size-fits-all approaches is that they are often based on the experiences of white, middle-class, straight women. This excludes many women, especially those from ethnic and linguistic minorities, low-income backgrounds, and who are LGBTI+ or disabled. This is a serious problem because it means that these women are not being adequately supported and empowered to pursue the careers they want, and it also limits the potential for wider gender equality gains.