5 Common Problems Faced by Women in the Workplace
Women make up nearly half of the labor force globally today. According to the Pew Research Center, female employees make up more than 40 percent of the workforce in 114 countries.
However, women in the workplace still face many challenges due to gender bias, stereotypes, and work-life balance demands.
5 Common Problems Faced by Women in the Workplace
Despite gaining the right to work and a much better position in western societies in the last two centuries, women still face several problems in the workplace.
Here are some of the most common.
Work-Life Balance
Most modern women struggle to strike a happy medium between their job and personal life. Many working moms sacrifice their family life and free time in order to meet work demands, prove themselves at work, and succeed.
They often find themselves in a dead-end position between late nights at the office or hours spent working on important projects and missing their kids’ school plays, games, and bedtime cuddles.
Over time, a work-life imbalance can take its toll on a woman’s sense of well-being, productivity, and relationships, causing burnout and other mental health issues.
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Harassment
According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, anywhere from a quarter to more than eight out of ten women experience workplace harassment in their lifetime. Studies show that in most cases, harassment comes from a man in a position of authority.
Whether it’s non-sexual harassment, sexist remarks from male coworkers, or a sexist manager attempting to seduce you, harassment, discrimination, and assaults at work have serious consequences for both individuals and businesses.
Harassed women may suffer from severe mental and physical health consequences, unemployment, reduced opportunities for career advancement, financial difficulties, and other issues.
At the same time, workplace harassment can be extremely costly to businesses.
Fewer Opportunities for Advancement
According to studies, women are typically perceived as less competent than men. Male workers, in general, have better access to career development and growth opportunities. Because it is widely assumed that women lack leadership potential, female professionals have a much more difficult time advancing in their careers.
Even high-achieving women must generally work harder than their male coworkers to prove themselves and earn recognition at work.
Equal Pay
According to a Pew Research Center analysis, women earned 84 percent of what men earned in 2020.
Unequal pay is one of the most significant issues women in the workplace face globally. Moreover, the gender pay gap is one of the most common reasons female workers decide to move to a new job.
Lack of Role Models
One of the problems faced by women in the workplace is the lack of role models in the male-dominated labor force. Due to fewer women who succeeded in the workforce, many female workers have no inspiration, motivation, or confidence to pursue specific careers.
For example, a lack of female workers in the STEM field is possibly one of the primary reasons young women are not choosing tech and engineering careers.
Overcoming Challenges in the Workplace
Despite the increasing number of powerful, high-achieving women in the workforce today, there are still myriad problems faced by women regardless of their work, qualifications, and talents.
From overt and obvious obstacles such as the difference in paychecks to subtle challenges like unspoken harassment, difficulties at work persist for millions of women in the workplace.
So, learning how to overcome challenges at work is a first step toward improving your position and achieving greater satisfaction.
Here are some of the ways to tackle this problem.
Strike a Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is an essential part of your self-care. Try setting priorities and organizing your time better to pull yourself out of this conflicting situation. Set time during the day for people you love and things you enjoy, without feeling guilty about enjoying yourself.
Report Harassment
If you are being harassed at work, talk to your employer or contact the EEOC (if the employer is the one harassing you). Find out about your company’s policy on harassment and contact the responsible person.
Your employer’s responsibility is to protect you from further harassment and take all the necessary steps.
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Seek a Role Model Outside the Company
While you may lack a female role model at the office, there are many successful women to look up to. Look into the strategies high-achieving women have employed and find inspiration in their success.
Ask for Help
Many women in the workplace believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness or incompetence. This is so wrong, however. Instead, be open to feedback and accept constructive criticism. This can be an excellent opportunity to learn and grow professionally.
Also, seeking peer group support may be a good idea. People who face the same problems can help increase self-awareness, boost your confidence, and provide valuable role models.
Set Clear Boundaries
An understanding that you don’t have to answer every demand at work can be enlightening. Set boundaries by learning to say “no” to overwhelming work tasks and or unreasonable demands at work. Learn the difference between productivity and business to avoid burnout caused by overwhelming demands, deadlines, and tasks.
Change Your Mindset
Don’t give in to assumptions of female incompetence and try to overcome self-limiting beliefs. If you struggle to change your mindset, seek counseling. Counseling can help you hugely with this.
A skilled counselor can help you identify self-sabotaging behaviors that hold you back and start replacing them with positive ones.
Also, counseling can help you identify your achievements and praise yourself for what you have accomplished already.
It can help you recognize your value, identify your weaknesses, and the assets you want others to acknowledge in you.
If you are working on moving forward professionally in conjunction with how to maintain your personal life, feel free to reach out and book a time to speak at www.chatwithkamini.com
