Women have been a controversial topic in the business world since they first entered the workplace in the 19^th century. Since then, females have worked their way up, literally, to gain rights in nearly every professional field.  Although discrimination and mistreatment of professional women seem to be dying issues today, there are actually shocking limitations of female prosperity in business.  Statistical evidence regarding these limitations call into question whether all of the hard work and protesting that females did for their right to work side-by-side with males was even worth it.  Today, in 2014, women are still only being paid 77 cents to every dollar that a male earns. In terms of cost and reward, I am not so sure that women should be so eager to settle for less. If women make up nearly half of the American workforce today, then it sounds to me that the employers of females are getting off easy and saving a pretty penny by hanging on to that extra 23 cents.
Before I continue to discuss this issue, know that I am not just another feminist on a power trip or a sad, single girl worried about the financial stability of my future life as an unmarried bag lady. I am simply a future law student concerned with, or quite frankly, a little bitter that it will take me 33 percent more time to pay off my student loans than my male classmates.
There is no doubt that women are fully qualified to hold the same occupations as men, but they tend to trade careers in the professional world for a career in the maternal field. Women are seen as weak for making this decision. However, what people fail to recognize is that the very skills necessary to run a thriving business are acquired from the very thing that keeps women from taking on professional responsibilities: motherhood. Think about it -- running a family is like being a CEO of a company. Not to say that all business professionals are like children, but the head of any business will tell you that some days it feels this way.
Mommies have great time management skills. They must also be accountable and cordial when juggling the ever-changing schedules of multiple children, because if one piece of this wacky puzzle is missing, things can fall apart. Mothers have a lot of practice adapting and readjusting. Soccer practice moved from 6:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.? They would say, “no problem.” Aside from their uncanny ability to multi task, they are experienced teachers. Their background of disciplining, as well as encouraging their little worker bees, is an invaluable skill for any business owner or manager.
So, if these women are equally, if not more, qualified to hold high positions in a company, why aren’t they getting the jobs? Furthermore, if they actually do get the job, why are they getting paid less? There are plenty of possible explanations.
When it comes down to it, men just enjoy having other men around—whether that’s at a bar, around a poker table, and as it appears, also in the office. Bros enjoy “bro-ing out” with their guys, and the skirts are just cramping their style.
Aside from killing the bromance, some men are flat out intimidated by these smart, beautiful women. The success of these females immaculate the men, crushing their confidence, and decreasing their performance.
Also, men see hiring another male as “helping out a bro in need.” When faced between a professional woman and a male that is the primary breadwinner of his household, it will be difficult for the man behind the desk not to select the male out of moral obligation.
Something that should also be noted is that the people doing the hiring, like owners, managers, and those in the higher realm of the workplace, are typically men, meaning that odds are usually against the female candidate simply by default.
Despite such setbacks, there is no denying that women are valuable members of the workplace. In fact, they are absolutely necessary to the growth of our economy. But evidence regarding inequalities and discrimination in the workplace remind us female fighters that although we may have won a few battles here and there, the war is far from being over.
Though such issues can’t be fixed today—or perhaps not even in our lifetime—it is important to remember that females are a force to be reckoned with.