The feminist movement has improved conditions for women globally; however, it is still a work in progress. While the movement has helped women be in positions and roles thought to be gender specific and breaking those barriers, they’re still are a prominent issue in this generation. To say that the objective of feminism has been accomplished is a complete fib. Women earn twenty cents less than male co-workers for doing the exact same work (IWPR) while also dealing with sexual harassment (Cohen, 2016). The U.S. government, although mainly a male-dominated field, has a say on diminishing birth control and women’s rights like abortions but continue funding Viagra for their own needs (Planned Parenthood, 2017). In addition to this, female minorities also have an additional set of hurdles on their own, which is why the black feminist movement was created (Spaights and Whitaker, 1995). Women in some countries cannot even attend school and if they can they’re prosecuted and terrorized (Torgan, 2016). Gains due to the feminist movement have occurred but there are many improvements that need to be done in order for it to be obsolete. A foundation of standards and a more accepting culture adapting to change now exists but the feminist movement is necessary in order to truly make women equal to males rather than inferior. Women in the workplace experience and endure harsh conditions largely in part to gender discrimination resulting in wage gaps and sexual harassment.
Women today more than ever lead promising lives managing to balance their homes along with their careers. Most fields entail women participation and a small percentage are even in leadership positions; however, gender discrimination exists even if they’re fully capable to do their job. The role of the feminist movement is to be proactive with women’s issues. The biggest case of inequality emerges where women spend the majority of their time, being at work, where they participate in nearly the same magnitude as males. Yet, they are not recognized at the same level as their male counterparts. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research states, “Women are almost half of the workforce. Yet, on average, women continue to earn considerably less than men. In 2015, female full-time, year-round workers made only 80 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 20 percent.” If women are able to have a similar professional background as their sex rivals they should be treated and earning almost identically. Women are practically working for free in some instances when compared to male coworkers, creating a great disadvantage. Ruth A. Brandwein stated in 2012 that in contrast to men, women are 29% likelier to be poorer. In addition to this, Brandwin also mentions how women only earn $36,278 versus the $47,127 that men make. Women literally are earning almost $11,000 less a year than males for doing similar jobs. This is not only infuriating but a great disappointment because the IWRP also states that equal pay will be accomplished in the year 2059. Even though women have been discriminated against for centuries the forecasted statistics prove that it will take another four decades for both sexes to be on par. Clearly dependent on the job at hand but when multiplying the $11,000 times what is considered to be an average career span until retirement age, men will be earning at least $473,000 more than women. A half a million figure is a substantial amount and makes a significant impact on one's life decisions and future accomplishments. Women will never get the chance to have the same opportunities as men because the odds are against them simply by earning a lower wage. It is important to keep in mind that these statistics focus on the white race and those of other races have a greater disproportionate disadvantage in earnings, creating more challenges.
Gender discrimination towards women has recently been all over the news as more women have the courage to speak up about their personal experiences in the workplace. Leading and revolutionary companies have seen themselves in a turmoil after employees have decided to stand up for themselves and share what the atmosphere is truly like. Notably, Uber was one of the first companies to be spoken out about, allowing others to understand how in a feminist-leaning country enormous problems regarding gender are currently projected. A New York Post article brings light to the experience of engineers at Uber both in wage discrimination and sexual harassment. Unfortunately, both issues are far too common for women while working. The article expresses the preferential treatment towards men, “The engineers say that Uber had a ‘culture of preference for men’ that meant women and underrepresented minorities received lower salaries and were frequently passed over for promotions in favor of white and Asian men” (Ang, 2017). This incident proves how even in a renowned, modern company, men continued to be viewed in a superior manner. It is interesting that the engineer states that in some cases Asian men were preferred but Uber had other underrepresented minorities. The notion of selecting particular races and gender only furthers stereotypes and individual’s abilities. The basis for discrimination is not limited regardless of talent or work ethic. If it can happen at an admirable startup company, it can truly happen anywhere and have serious repercussions. This is not the only issue companies are seeing though, at Uber colleagues were told that their level of attractiveness is why they were in their position in the first place. Women are primarily viewed as eye candy. Being judged on someone’s physical appearance is not only superficial with no real underlying motive but also is beyond belittling. Success and moving up in the workplace seemingly does not exist and if does it appears to only come from a place of malice, in which, companies are rating their employees on an attractiveness scale instead of their competence and what they can bring to the table. This is only one case where someone decided that enough was enough and let others understand what they had to live through and know the real problematic sexist views in the workforce. One brave person sharing their story truly sets the foundation for others to feel safe and speak about their own encounters.
In 2015 alone, one in three women dealt with sexual harassment in their jobs, and of those women 71% did not report the issue (Vagianos, 2015).