Gender inequality in the workplace continues to be a topic of discussion in society today. Many women feel like they don't get treated equally as men in the workplace. Things such as unequal pay and positional biases are common examples of gender inequality that women struggle with today. It may play a role as to why women don't get hired in male-dominated fields. I asked myself the question, is it possible to break the glass ceiling? Yes...
In August of last year, the San Antonio Spurs hired six-time WNBA star Becky Hammon as their Assistant Coach, making her the first female coach in NBA history. The Spurs head coach Greg Popovich told Dayna Evens of nymag.com that her hiring was not a play for media attention. "She's a coach, and she’s good at it. I think some people thought this was some kind of gimmick or we were just trying to be cool. I’m glad she’s there.”
Popovich, gave Hammon another big opportunity to coach in the NBA Summer League, where Hammon would capitalize on the opportunity-- winning the Summer League championship.
Hammon told Poppy Harwlow of CNN her perspective of working for and under a man in her profession.
"I wouldn't be the first one if more people looked at it the way he did if more people had to think out of the box, and don't think traditionally. Because, traditionally, women have not had a fair shake. Minorities have not had a fair shake. So, for a guy to come along and say, "I don't really care. She's good at her job. She's got a great basketball mind." I think it took somebody like a Gregg Popovich."
When asked by Harwlow how do we make hiring more women better ten years from now, Hammon stated, "Well, I think it is important that people are hired on their merits. I don't think I should be hired because I am a female. I'd like to think and I know that, because of the organization and because of the person that Gregg Popovich is, I was hired on my merits. He is not about stories. In fact, he does not like that side of the job. And I think as long as people are open-minded and hired on their merits, the end of the day I still need to do a good job. I need to be the best coach I can be. ...
As long as we go into the operating room or the political spectrum or we go into war because women are in war now, we go into whatever business we are in, we've got to do a good job. You can't just get in there because you're a woman."
Trailblazing
Since the hiring of Hammon by the NBA, there have been several women that have taken coaching roles in male-dominated fields:
Kathryn Smith is a special teams quality control coach for the Buffalo Bills earlier this year, making her the first NFL full-time coach.
Nancy Lieberman was hired as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings in August 2015, becoming the second female assistant coach in NBA history.
Jessica Mendoza was named a permanent fixture on Sunday Night Baseball after a few appearances last season. When she filled in for Curt Schilling on a Sunday night broadcast last September, she became the first woman to ever to call a primetime MLB game. Later that fall, Mendoza called the American League Wild Card game, making her the first woman analyst to call an MLB post-season game.
