85% Of Working Women Miss Out On Opportunities, Promotions And Raises Because Of Their Gender
We’ve stuck to traditional gender norms for so long that they have now started becoming extremely toxic. Women are forced to stay indoors and learn how to cook and manage the house while the men go into the real world and build a career for themselves. It’s wrong on so many levels but because we’ve lived with this oppressing system for so long, most people don’t see it. However, now that more and more women are joining the workforce things are changing. This change is slow and not steady all but something is better than nothing, right? Even today though, women are discriminated against in the workplace. They are given lesser opportunities and don’t even get me started on the pay disparity. A recent report by LinkedIn shows that 85% of women miss out on work opportunities and promotions because of their gender. That’s a staggering statistic.
On Thursday, the LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021 said that compared to the 60 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region as much as 85% of Indian women miss out on a raise, promotion or work offer merely because they are women. We aren’t surprised at all. Around 2,285 people participated in this survey. Out of whom, 1,053 were women.
The report read, “In India, more than 4 in 5 working women (85 per cent) claim to have missed out on a raise, promotion, or work offer because of their gender, compared to the regional average of 60 per cent.”
85% of Indian women miss out on a raise, promotion because of gender: Report https://t.co/3R5hw4cO6o
— Hindustan Times (@HindustanTimes) March 2, 2021
Also Read: World Bank Report Says Pandemic Has Had A Detrimental Impact On Women And Global Gender Equality. Why Are We Not Surprised?
Even though a large number of people feel that gender equality has improved in our country, the report shows that more than 7 out of 10 working women feel like household responsibilities come in the way of their career development. About 63% of working women and 69% of working mothers also said that they have faced discrimination at their workplace because of household and familial responsibilities. Of course, this is not an issue men face because it’s beneath them to partake in household duties, right?
22% of women said that their companies show a favourable bias towards men and 37% said that they get fewer opportunities and are paid much lesser. It’s clear that a person’s gender is a key factor when one seeks out to make a career. We are a long, long way from gender equality and the pandemic has only made it so much worse.
According to the LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021, more women in India have experienced the impact of gender on career development when compared to the APAC region.
— Deccan Herald (@DeccanHerald) March 2, 2021
More than 86% of working women stated that they were negatively affected by the COVID 19 pandemic in terms of job retrenchment, pay cuts, and reduced working hours. Talking about this, Ruchee Anand, director of talent and learning solutions at LinkedIn India said, “Gender inequality at work and added domestic responsibilities amid the pandemic have collectively made women’s jobs more vulnerable at this time. As Covid-19 continues to widen these gaps, this year’s LinkedIn Opportunity Index report suggests that it is the need of the hour for organisations to reimagine their diversity practices and offer greater flexibility to caregivers, in order to increase female participation in the workforce. Reduced and flexible schedules, more sabbaticals, and new opportunities to upskill and learn are critical offerings that can help organisations attract, hire, and retain more female talent.”
Why can’t we let go of traditional gender norms and accept women into the workforce? No discrimination, no pay parity and equal opportunities. It’s not too much to ask for, is it? Although honestly, most of the times it feels like India takes one step towards gender equality, especially in the workplace, and 40 steps backwards.
https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/india-skills-report-2021-women-employability-higher-than-men-gender-gap-improving/
