Pay isn’t the Only Gender Gap - Careers in Government

Pay isn’t the Only Gender Gap

S. Chris Edmonds is a sought-after speaker, author, and executive consultant. He’s the founder and CEO of The Purposeful Culture Group, which he launched in 1990. Chris helps senior leaders build and sustain purposeful, positive, productive work cultures. He is the author or co-author of seven books, including Amazon bestsellers Good Comes First (2021) with Mark Babbitt, The Culture Engine (2014), and Leading at a Higher Level (2008) with Ken Blanchard.

When you consider the treatment of men versus women in your workplace, perhaps your thoughts initially go toward salary and wages: “My company pays women less than men.”

That would be one point of evidence, and not just in your organization. Taking data from the Census, in 2021 the GOA (Government Accountability Office) reported that for every dollar earned by white men:

Hispanic women earned only about 58 cents
Black women earned approximately 63 cents
White women earned an estimated 79 cents

While this is an issue that has been gaining attention over time, too few organizations and business leaders are taking aggressive steps to close that gap.

Our challenge is that women experience greater workplace gaps than just salary.

Rating work culture and experience

TINYpulse’s 2019 Gender Equity Report examined data from over 200,000 employees in 488 global organizations to understand the female experience in the workplace.

The results are powerful – and disappointing

53% of men rate their work environment as very good. Only 41% of women believe the same. That’s a huge gap – and it may explain the loyalty divide: 52% of men say they’ll be working at their current organization in one year while only 40% of women commit to that.

It’s not surprising that women feel more insecure in their current roles than men do.

CHRIS EDMONDS

Rating job security

It’s not surprising that women feel more insecure in their current roles than men do, 40% to 33%. And it’s not surprising that women are more inclined to be job hunting today.

Rating how appreciated they feel in the workplace

When examining the degree to which women are valued for their work contributions, women report receiving 17% less recognition than men.

Represented in senior management

Women are vastly unrepresented in senior leadership ranks. According to Catalyst Research, in 2021, the proportion of women in senior management roles is 31%, the highest number ever recorded – but far from equitable representation.

That same study found that 26% of all CEO’s and managing directors were women – a huge jump from only 15% in 2019, but it’s not enough, yet.

Changes Led by the Financial Industry

There are some bright spots in that 2017 study. The financial industry outranked all other categories with 30 percent of C-suite jobs held by women. However, the top jobs in this industry continue to lie out of reach – only 5% of CEOs and 8% of CFO’s are women.

We have a long way to go. The first step – and maybe the easiest – is to eliminate the salary gap. Boosting women’s happiness and job satisfaction begins with leaders recognizing and celebrating contributions by both sexes and all nationalities – equally.