How Organizations Can Support More Equity for Women
Today’s post comes to us from guest contributor Cecily Tyler lead human insights program manager at UKG. It is the second article in a two-part series on the importance of women in leadership roles, with a focus on women in the media, television, and film industries.
In part one of our series last week, we discussed the myriad benefits of women holding leadership positions. Today, let’s break down how organizations can create more equitable workplaces for women.
In this day and age, most people say they believe that men and women are equal, but the numbers show otherwise. Women still make on average 83% of what men make in the same job. They are still seen first as parents and caregivers — even when they don’t have children or someone to care for presently. This can hinder women from considering certain fields or drive them to leave the workforce prematurely. Some of the support systems that organizations can better engage and initiate to support women's equity in the workplace are:
Many of these offerings benefit all employees, not just women. Therefore, supporting women —the largest group still seeking equity — and encouraging them to positions of leadership, benefits the entire workforce in the long run.
Is Equity Really Necessary?
First, I want to acknowledge the tsunami of conversations that are currently happening about equity. Some people I speak with at a candid level share that they are fatigued, have lost clarity, and don’t know where to begin. They will sometimes (with shame or frustration) ask, “But seriously, why does it feel that we worry about this more than our bottom line and the future of the organization as a whole?” They go on to say, “Maybe the individuals — who happen to be men — in those positions are simply more qualified to help the company grow.”
The people saying things like the above (and maybe you, reading this article) might believe that we are so culturally consumed with what looks and feels fair, that we are no longer focused on what might be best, or simplest and most effective. And there is this: tradition. Many of us have had to absorb the lesson that “life isn’t fair.” It was a rite of passage for growing up and becoming an adult. Now, so much of the work-culture conversation seems to be flying in the face of that lesson and asking us to pivot 180 degrees. It feels like bad whiplash that will perhaps hinder growth.
I’ve had to stop and really consider these arguments. I certainly have some clear perspectives about what it means for me to do the right thing in society. However, the question I’ve needed to grapple with is this: Just because treating people equally is the right thing in society, what is the right thing when it comes to the competitive world of business? Do the same rules apply? If so, why or why not?
My perspective has landed here: focusing on equity is, yes, fair — but it is also the most right for all of us, including business. After researching and contemplating this for some time, this seems to be proven twofold from what history dictates. That tradition we once lived by, climbing the ranks and fighting for a place in the world under the auspices of “life isn’t fair,” has meant that many of us — perhaps even all of us — have hurt others along the way. While metaphorically or literally stepping on others’ backs, if we follow what neuroscience dictates, we have simultaneously done damage to ourselves.
Scientific studies show that, when we do the wrong thing, especially when it hurts others, they are not the only ones to suffer. One study consisted of an experiment utilizing a ball-tossing game: one group of players, the “ostracizers,” were directed to never throw the ball to another specified group, while another set of players, “compliance,” threw to everyone equally. As play continued, the ostracizers reported a worsening mood and feelings of isolation, equal to or worse than the players that they were excluding. The conclusion was that, by hurting others, we are also hurting ourselves, and creating negative impacts on our own brains and nervous systems. Extrapolate out and we should find that helping to create equity — helping to do the right thing — creates a healthier environment for everyone, including ourselves.
If this theory intrigues you in a positive or negative manner, I encourage you to review other studies and consider how the findings can shape your perspective and your business’s future approach to equity as we are all called to action to take a position. Often referred to as moral injury, much of the research has focused on the lasting effects of war on soldiers, but it is applicable to the workplace and our everyday lives as well.
Women in Leadership Globally
According to LinkedIn statistics, the percentage of women in business leadership globally is the same as the Fortune 500 leadership numbers: 32%. When it comes to government (civil service or public sector) leadership, the highest numbers come from countries in Europe. Canada is the only G20 country to have achieved gender parity (50/50). A handful of countries, such as Bulgaria and Denmark, have a higher percentage of women in civil service leadership positions. When it comes to the top tier of leadership, however, less than a third of UN countries have ever had a woman in that position. Currently, only 13 out of 193 member states are led by a woman.
So how do we get to achieve true equality globally? According to the World Economic Forum, the solution or path to true gender equity is in changing the system — and the conversation. Globally, as in the U.S., the problem of inequity is still placed on women. First and foremost, the prospect of motherhood, followed by the continuing belief that women are not as qualified and, therefore, have to work harder to prove themselves. There are, of course, issues of extreme poverty and countries where women live under harsher gender disparities that hold women back. Even in countries where women are making headway, however, it is still the conversation around their divided loyalties and ambitions, and doubts regarding their capabilities, that keeps the glass ceiling in place. The systematic changes that need to be made are creating frameworks where women can do both — and, simultaneously, the normalization of men sharing in those divided responsibilities, such as taking paternity and caregiving leave.
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Advances have been made, but there is a long way to go. Too many countries suffer from extreme inequality and many countries take steps forward only to backslide. Until global gender equality reaches critical mass, we cannot claim true gender equity.
While the struggle for equity continues, we should take the time to celebrate where advances have been made. For example, Mexico has seen a 24.3% increase in representation of women in civil service leadership positions since 2012. South Africa’s senior civil service leadership is 48.6% women, while Brazil has reached 41.9%. These are powerful advances that will certainly be reflected in the everyday lives of their citizens.
Women in Media and Entertainment Supporting Women in Leadership
It is the stories of women succeeding that we need to share with the masses! The images and portrayal of women in the media are some of the most powerful influences and motivators of women — especially young women and girls. According to research in 2019, 80% of the global narrative is being created and distributed by Hollywood. Unfortunately, historically in TV, film, and other forms of media, female characters are more often relegated to one-dimensional gender archetypes: the wife, mother, daughter, girlfriend, or friend. They are the supporting role, living in reaction to the male roles, and rarely the hero or main character. This is because the writers, directors, and producers have primarily been men, at least for the last 80 years or so.
Actor, activist, and producer Geena Davis has dedicated the past 20 years to studying women in Hollywood, both on and off screen, and the media in general, through her foundation, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media. In 2018, the film This Changes Everything was a result of her work. One of the revelations of this documentary was how much influence women had in Hollywood at its beginning.
In the early days of the film industry, women were welcomed and encouraged as directors and writers. Some even owned their own production companies. The rise of women in film (and then their displacement by men) was a confluence of events. Early cinema was considered a novelty, and its viewership consisted mostly of women. At the same time, World War I had taken many men out of the workforce, while the suffrage movement led to women getting the vote and entering the workforce as never before. In Hollywood, women were telling their stories truly and honestly. Stories that morality groups found scandalous, and this was one of the first pushbacks against these women. Then there was the advent of sound. As the filmmaking process became more technically advanced, it required more laborers to build and run the new sets and apparatus required. Unions moved in to represent these new workers and favored men over women. Movies with sound were becoming spectacles and gaining new audiences, which brought with them investors who wanted in on this new money-making opportunity. But investors wanted even more organized systems of operation, also to be run by men. The studio system began to take shape and women were relegated to the background. By the 1940s, the white male experience had been firmly centered in cinema to the broad exclusion of everyone else.
The battle to fund and fully promote female-helmed projects continues to be a challenge to this day. Each blockbuster success of a woman-centric project brings the promise of a new day. However, this argument is that the new day has not yet arrived: we simply return to business as usual. The myth that projects driven by women are not as successful persists, leaving narrow paths for women to advance. One exception to this is FX Networks. Also revealed in This Changes Everything was the story of John Landgraf, the chairman of FX, who, while reading an article about inequity at different studios, discovered that FX was the lowest rated, with 89% of their shows directed by white males between the years of 2012 and 2013. His subsequent research showed this was still the case in 2014 and 2015. He immediately sent an email to all showrunners, directing them to work to bring in more diverse content, and put out a call for new creators to come to the network. By 2018, 51% of content was being created by women, persons of color, and persons identifying as LGBTQ2IA+. That year, FX’s content was nominated for 50 Emmys, and FX was more successful than any time in its history as a network.
Still, FX is an exception in the film industry and beyond. In 2018, 85% of the 100 top-grossing films were written by men, and 92% of the 250 top domestic releases were helmed by male directors. This is perpetuated not only by the studios but by the agent system as well. When your salary is a commission based on your client’s salary, you are going to reach for the highest earners. The gap varies greatly depending on numerous factors: television vs films, name recognition in all categories, writers vs directors, leads vs character actors. In all circumstances, women make less than their male counterparts, with rare exceptions.
It took almost 100 years for the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director in 2009, for Hurt Locker. Kathryn Bigelow was not only the first to win, but only the fourth of eight women to ever be nominated to date (before this year). It would take until 2020’s Nomadland for Chloé Zhao to be the second winner.
Looking Ahead to a More Equitable Society
Hopefully, a shift in the leadership of women in media and film, as such an overwhelming influence on society, will be one solution for boosting women in leadership and gender equality across the board. To again reference This Changes Everything, “The images you see determine what you think is important and whose stories are important.” Women and girls are finally starting to see that their stories count because they are starting to see those stories reflected in the lives of women in leadership and on screen.
When, if ever, you catch yourself questioning the need to specifically support and uplift women, remember that helping these young women protects others, including ourselves, as well.
The commitment to supporting equity for women — for everyone — is growing every day. It still has a long way to go, but, hopefully, it will continue. Because it is the right thing for business, as well as the right thing to do — for everyone.
And, to end on a quote I love from our beloved Madeleine Albright, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.” But men and allies, it will behoove you to help us too! I imagine we will return the favor twofold.