Women’s Equality Day: What Being a Woman in the Workplace Looks Like in 2020

Women’s Equality Day, celebrated on August 26 every year, marks the day women in the U.S. got the right to vote. This year is the 100th anniversary of the occasion, and it is a great time to evaluate how far women have come in the workplace.

Why is Women’s Equality Day a good time to bring up women’s situation in the workplace? Because per a recent Pew Research Center studyOpens a new window , when respondents were asked what the most prominent sign of an equal society would be, most cited equality in the workplace. And 45% of respondents said equal pay would be a clear sign of a society where men and women are treated equally.

There’s no denying that women’s effort to achieve the right to vote has been a key historical event that has advanced their position in the U.S. But there’s still a lot to be desired for women in the workplace.

What’s Holding Back Women at Work in 2020

Let’s begin by addressing the most noticeable change since the COVID-19 pandemic set in. More women are struggling with household work. More women are holding themselves back because of added childcare responsibilities. More women are opting out of work, and this is affecting the gender wage gap.

And even before the pandemic, we still had to answer questions that men would never be asked, such as, what about our jobs if we plan to have children in the future or why we asked for a high salary if we didn’t have a family to support (this happened to a friend).

On the bright side, more women are now Fortune 500 CEOsOpens a new window . But that’s still 37 companies out of 500. More women (including women of color) are now in senior management rolesOpens a new window . They have the opportunity to change the workplace so that it is more conducive to women handling more than they bargained for.

While it is vital that we acknowledge all the progress women have made since 1920, it is also vital that we recognize what’s holding women back at work in 2020.

Merely being a woman of color

The Center for American Progress reports that racism and sexism shortchange working Black womenOpens a new window . It’s interesting to note that Black Women’s Equal Pay Day (August 13) comes five months after women’s equal pay day, which in itself is an indicator of how much longer a woman must work to make the same amount of money as her male counterpart. In short, what men make in 12 months, Black women make in 20.

The Center of American Progress also reports that “Workers of color, especially women of colorOpens a new window , also receive lower wagesOpens a new window  and have less accessOpens a new window  to paid sick leave and paid leave for child care than white workers. For communities of color, the labor market is unsteady when the economy is strong and extremely hazardous when it is not.”

In fact, a 2018 reportOpens a new window by Catalyst titled found that women of color pay an “emotional tax” on the job. “Women of color continue to deal with some of the workplace’s most entrenched hurdles such as pay inequities and near invisibility in top leadership roles, as well as daunting roadblocks that stifle the meaningful dialogue that would help make real progress,” says Opens a new window Dnika J. Travis, PhD, vice president, research, Catalyst.

Sexual harassment and discrimination

In 2018, more than a third of women experienced sexual harassmentOpens a new window at work in the U.S. In a world where it has become easy to report workplace sexual harassment cases in 280 characters to the whole world, women still refrain from reporting these cases and work in environments that are harmful to their well-being. The causes are several: a poor organizational culture that doesn’t encourage respectful behavior across the workforce, the industry – which may be prone to such an environment, or a male-dominated culture. Harassment and discrimination are discouraging for some women, who may choose to move on from the job or industry, a choice that can affect their career.

Non-diverse leadership pipelines

In 2019, women in the U.S. made up 40% of leadership positionsOpens a new window . The data for women of color is even worse. Black women made up only 4% of this number. 21% of all women made up the C-suite, but only 4% of women of color contributed to this. The lack of representation at leadership levels can be one of the key reasons women are still struggling to find an equitable position in the organization. Some research suggests that men need to step up as allies of women in the workplace to ensure their growth. Outside of this requirement, though, women still need to pull each other up, and that starts when organizations provide equal opportunity for growth at work.

Learn More: How the Coronavirus Has Negatively Affected the Gender Wage Gap

Advice From Women in Leadership Positions for Women in the Workplace

In conversation with three women in leadership positions, we gathered their advice for women in the workplace. Here’s what they had to say.

“Research shows us over and over and over again – men ask for it and men are assumed to want it, women don’t ask and aren’t assumed to want it.”

– Amanda RichardsonOpens a new window , CEO, CoderPadOpens a new window

1. On women owning their careers

Even before she had children, Richardson tells us how she often held herself back from trying to grow at work because of her own fears. “I told myself I wasn’t ready, or it was right, many, many times. I would think I needed one more project or to accomplish one more item on the list before I was ready for that promotion.” But with support, she overcame this challenge.

 

Amanda Richardson, CEO, CoderPad

Richardson tells it like it is when she says, “You should always have ownership of your career – it’s up to you. No one will give it to you, and research shows us over and over and over again – men ask for it and men are assumed to want it, women don’t ask and aren’t assumed to want it. So you have to own it yourself – no one is looking out for you. And managers/leaders should overindex on being aware of that fact and help create an environment of encouragement.”

“Strategic thinking is one of those nebulous pieces of feedback that I feel women in particular are susceptible to receiving and often cited as a reason that someone is not ready for ‘promotion,’” says Christine Tao, CEO of Sounding Board. “When I talk about strategic thinking, I refer to having a longer-term, proactive perspective on the business and then being able to prioritize against that day-to-day. Confidence plays a role here as well which is why managing your stress actually also helps you seem more strategic (because your actions look like they come from a place of intent, rather than reactivity).”

2. On choosing the right company to work for

“Organizations may have different resources and capabilities to support career trajectories, and different inclinations to support the career trajectories of their employees.”

– Christine TaoOpens a new window , CEO, Sounding BoardOpens a new window

So the onus is on women to find organizations whose values resonate with their own.

Tao’s advice on finding a job where women are represented in leadership is something that women might want to consider seriously. “I would think about the areas of your life that are non-negotiables and make sure to be clear about those from the start. When I started looking for a new opportunity [after having children], I was clear in my interviews upfront that my family was important to me and was upfront about leaving the office by 5:30 pm to be home for dinner. I looked for family-friendly companies and other female executives in leadership roles. If I didn’t get the feeling that the CEO understood that, I didn’t move forward in conversations.”

Christine Tao, CEO, Sounding Board

“I know this may not be feasible for everyone,” she adds, “but I do think having as many of these conversations upfront or as they occur go a long way in setting expectations and helping you to feel more supported in your work (or at least know where the company truly stands).”

3. On becoming leaders in the organization

“Don’t measure your worth based on the company yardstick. You have to know what you’re bringing to the table, and sometimes you may need to even find a new table or build your own.”

– Amelia RansomOpens a new window , senior director of engagement and diversity, AvalaraOpens a new window

In a world where hiring someone so different from the traditional male leadership candidate indicates a high risk tolerance, women [of color] will have to do more than wait for the organization to see them. They’ll have to be self-aware about their worth so they can build a case for their merit for leadership.

Tao insists that women don’t give up as quickly as they might want to.

 

“I give the same advice to almost everyone,” she says. “One of my favorite podcasts is ‘The Startup Chat’ by Steli Efti and Hiten Shah. While the podcast is geared towards entrepreneurs, they often discuss the finer nuances of leadership. In one of them, they introduced the moniker ‘HUCA’ – Hang Up and Call Again. The story was about one of the founders trying to negotiate a change on his flight and not getting the agent to work with him, even though his co-founder could often do so successfully. In asking the other co-founder what his strategy was, he replied simply, ‘Hang up and call again. If you don’t get the answer you want, hang up and call again until you get the answer you want.’

“I loved this as I think that as women, we get told no a lot, in many different ways. I’ve come to know that while we’ve made great strides in advancing our careers that there is still a long way to go. This phrase helps me to keep going until I get the answer that I WANT, not what someone else tells me.”

Learn More: Breaking the Bottleneck: How Firms Struggle to Achieve Gender Balance

Now, Women’s Equality Day Must Signify More Than Success in Women’s Right to Vote

In 2020, it is not too much for women to expect a supportive work environment. If anything, this pandemic has crushed the rose-tinted glasses through which we viewed women’s growth in the workplace. On the other hand, it has made organizations more empathetic. And women must first learn that it is okay to expect this empathy and understanding at work.

A key piece of advice that may benefit women in all positions comes from Richardson: “Think about your situation today – don’t worry about your future situation. You don’t know what the future holds – you don’t know when/if you’ll have kids/get married/move wherever/have to deal with a spouse relocation – just solve for today. Plus – you may be surprised – taking that next job may make your personal situation easier to deal with.”

Also, an organization’s size is no longer an excuse to continue longstanding traditions of limited maternity leave, unequal pay, and forced overtime in frontline jobs.

Ransom concludes a powerful message here: “Organizations tend to be afraid to differentiate and give everybody what they need individually. To better acknowledge women and other marginalized groups of people’s needs, organizations need to see their needs as an individual and be willing to give them what they need to grow, even if that means treating people differently.”

What, according to you, are the challenges of being a woman in the workplace in 2020? Share your thoughts with us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window .