March is Women’s History Month, but that doesn’t mean it’s all good news for women. Of course, we saw an influx in stories of how women have influences politics, social life, and more (see this article, for example). However, if you were keeping an eye on the news this past month you probably also saw a few articles discussing just how far women have to go to achieve equality in the workplace. Multiple studies delved into the perceptions and performance of women in the workplace.
In case you missed them, here are five reports worth reading from this past month:
Women Graduating College in 2020 May One Day Be Paid as Much as Men Let’s start out with a little good news. A recent study by Accenture estimates that women graduating in 2020 could see the gender wage gap close in their lifetime. It also explains why the firm thinks this could happen. Hint: It only works if women live in developed countries and can gain some key tech skills.
Study: Women Are Less Likely to ‘Choke’ Under Extreme Pressure A few researchers designed a “pressure index” to determine which gender was more likely to choke – that is, to lose their focus and composure – during a high-pressure situation.They used that index to measure performance during scenarios like a tennis Grand Slam tournaments and found women performed better when the stakes were high. In contrast, men’s performance often declined. Read this article for more info. on potential reasons why.
How Can Women Smash the Technology Gender Barrier? The answer to that question isn’t so simple, as this article explains. It also offers a great collection of stats about women’s recruitment and retention in technical fields. One example? “[A report] said 75 percent of respondents state their employers lack gender leadership development programs, and about 80 percent said they report to male supervisors. Meanwhile, a minuscule 8 percent report that they have never experienced gender bias in the workplace.”
Nearly 30% of Men Worldwide Think Women Shouldn’t Work The headline of this article only tells half the story. In the International Labour Organization and Gallup poll, 27 percent of women also said they don’t believe women should work outside the home. This isn’t necessarily surprising, given that the poll was meant to capture the sentiments of everyone – including those populations in more traditional countries. Nevertheless, it’s a good reminder that equal rights to work are not a given for many people.
Men’s Negotiating Styles Toward Women Changes after Trump’s Election A Wharton professor was studying communication styles between genders when the November election occurred. Then, a strange thing happened. Following the Trump win, “men were more aggressive when they negotiated with counterparts they knew they were female, using hardball tactics more often.” This article contemplates why.
And in case you missed them, check out this month’s other GovFem posts:
Every month, GovFem compiles a list of the top articles about women in government from around the web. If you have an article you think should be included in next month’s reading list, email hannah@govloop.com with your suggestions.