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Subscribe to RSSWhen it comes to making their way to the corner office, American women have made little progress over the last decade, according to a report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office.
As of 2007, the latest year for which comprehensive data on managers is available, women accounted for about 40 percent of managers in the United States, up slightly from 39 percent in 2000, according to the report. Outside of management, women held 49 percent of the jobs in both years, the GAO report said.
The report also shows that women managers are still paid less than their male counterparts, but they have made some progress in narrowing the gap.
A woman manager in the United States is paid 81 cents for every dollar earned by a male manager. That 19-cent wage gap represents a slight decrease from seven years earlier when women managers made 79 cents for each dollar earned by a man.
Having children is a significant factor in gender pay differences, the report found, with women managers with children earning 79 cents for every man’s dollar in 2007 and women managers who do not have children earning 83 cents for every male dollar earned.
The full findings are detailed here.
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I am sure my post will get bounced, but here goes:
Is this any mystery? This is just nature playing itself out. When young, managers fear women because they may go on maternity at any time - and may never return. If they have kids, their attendance may become unreliable. If they are older, nobody wants to be on "Hormonal Meno-Coaster" with them.
These are just facts of life, most women hit on one of the three at least once in their career, we in business just can't say it because it's not PC. Yes it isn't fair, some women will never fall into any of those categories; and therefore they get shafted due to perception, but it is what it is.
Walk with me.....At least women have an excuse for their behavior....what's yours??
I worked in the corporate business world for years, and believe me, I could come up with just as many reasons why men aren't suited for the corner office. The real reason there aren't as many women in the corner office as men is simply the fact that women have not dominated the work force for as long. Their accomplishments are great and many, and as time goes by they will equal or surpass in the male dominated glass tower.
Get used to it.
No. The real reason women do not dominate the corporate hierarchy is that men are more difficult to compete with due to work ethic, innovation, appetite for risk and hours at the office. There are some women that are able to do this but usually not for 20-30 years in a row. The rest find it more efficient to leverage their femininity to get a guy to buy her stuff.
Well at least we know why the economy has been so jacked-up; it is what it is and it has been for years.
Economies rise and fall. One thing is constant : women are always present take for granted the rise and criticize the fall.
Vincent Denali- Wow, what a load of crap. I sincerely hope there's not a woman in your life, and that you never have a daughter. Or a son, for that matter.
Blame it on Patrick Swayze. He's the one that said "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Thus, women are not put in corners anymore.
I have to acknowledge the brilliance of your post- LOL. Hilarious
WalkWithMeInHell, that amounts to discrimination. If any company came out and said that, they'd be inviting lawsuits. Unfortunately, systemic discrimination is much harder to prove.
Many women do come back to work after having children, especially female executives. Most likely they are the main source of income for their families. More and more, both members of the household share sick kid responsibilities; it is no longer only the mother who must stay home with a sick little one.
Personally, I have known more difficult male executives in all phases of their lives than difficult female executives who may be menopausal. Most women who make it to the executive level are complete professionals who know that they are up against "the boys club". Your male execs may be part of the boys club that protects and may even encourage the superiority complex because of their own insecurities when sitting across from an evenly matched female exec.
The "boys club" exists not because they are male but simply because men are the risk takers and business initiators. "Boys" behavior in the workplace is efficient, and that is the explanation for the universal development of industry by men.
There are fewer female managers because the talent pool is proportionally smaller. Every effective male manager I've known logs excessive hours per week, stays late regularly and very late on demand (including overnight), cancels/moves vacations and is present during busy weekends. I can understand and respect the maternity burden on office mothers, but why is the behavior the same with unmarried women?
If anything, women are already over-represented in corporate management. Corporations have buckled to female promotional demands with titles such as "project manager" that satisfy their need to communicate and reroute status reports and even boss some people around, but still, this category of worker has no direct reports.
Actually, "boys'" behavior in the workplace is not efficient. There is a study that shows that companies with several high-ranking women at either officer or director levels tend to have higher earnings per share, return on equity and stock prices than competitors with few or no senior women. This is precisely because men tend to be riskier - they are more likely to gamble with other people's money. So, "boys'" behavior is actually antithetical to an efficient working environment.
Kari-2428897 wrote "There is a study that shows that companies with several high-ranking women at either officer or director levels tend to have higher earnings per share,"
Companies have already done well can afford to hire some women and overpromote them. Women join these successful companies with little risk while men build companies from the ground up. The most valuable people at companies are the founders and the builders.
"So, "boys'" behavior is actually antithetical to an efficient working environment."
Were this the case, the most successful companies would be companies made primarily of women headed by a women CEO. The contrary is true according to the evidence.
Vincent,
I am sorry that your mother had to take maternity leave to have you.
My business has a female owner and I am convinced that she is nuts. Unreasonable, petty, argumentative, aggressive and contradictory. I'm just lucky she lives in another city and I don't have to deal with her on a daily basis. I would never get anything done as she says "no" to everything and then argues to the death before she gives her alternative and unrealistic solution to the situation. I'd rather work for a man any day; they don't have control issues.
In the name of PC and diversity, most women have been promoted far beyond the 'Peter Principle'. As a result, those that deserve positions are clumped in with the rest.
Surveys like this aren't really worth any real value, as summed up in the reports summary paragraph that the report is a descriptive analysis and the results were inconclusive. The problem is dealing with averages skews the results. The world isn't fair, there can only be so many managers per number of employees. Men are more likely than woman to be the people starting and running the businesses therefore they tend to bring their cohorts into power with them. That's the way business works. It is very much so "not what you know but who you know", experience and education only will take you so far.
it is my experience as a manager, who has interviewed and hired women (and no not because they were cheaper), women typically sell themselves short, dont negotiate well and usually accept the first offer given to them. Perhaps this is a skill that needs to be trained to as men had years ahead of women in this survival of the fittest jungle and just do it better.
I agree. My experience shows that women have lower self esteem and therefore will take the lower wages, position.... and remain loyal as well. Men tend to use women's skills and ideas and have no problem taking credit for it themselves.
Melanie S wrote "Men tend to use women's skills and ideas and have no problem taking credit for it themselves."
The Evil Man Myth and Undiscovered Female Genius myths in one sentence. Is the entire U.S. Patent database really female ideas stolen by men ?
You men need to stay home and give birth/raise children!
The women are in good company with the disabled workers. Let me know when they get their offices.
Where I work we have to had to call in professional counselors to help the women managers get along.
Sorry Judy, I can only report what I have seen from the trenches (I am not in upper management).
If anything I agree "Realist" and "ProAmerica" above. There was a fad in the 90's & 00's, in the companies I worked in, to promote at least one Female to the VP level (more often than not "VP of HR"); it was good EOE public relations as everything was soooo overly PC, and yes now there is some sort of backlash due to that.
I am sure there are plenty of deserving ladies who get lumped-in, discounted, or overlooked unfairly. But, alas, as the saying goes: "Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason". I don't see what the problem is with stereotypes, I am a white suburbanite middle0-aged male; and yes, I like Football, Beer and Fast Cars (and I can't tell the difference between dark navy blue and black!) <- I don't get offended when somebody makes those prejudiced judgments about me...
Sorry Judy, I can only report what I have seen from the trenches (I am not in upper management).
If anything I agree "Realist" and "ProAmerica" above. There was a fad in the 90's & 00's, in the companies I worked in, to promote at least one Female to the VP level (more often than not "VP of HR"); it was good EOE public relations as everything was soooo overly PC, and yes now there is some sort of backlash due to that.
I am sure there are plenty of deserving ladies who get lumped-in, discounted, or overlooked unfairly. But, alas, as the saying goes: "Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason". I don't see what the problem is with stereotypes, I am a white suburbanite middle-aged male; and yes, I like Football, Beer and Fast Cars (and I can't tell the difference between dark navy blue and black!) <- I don't get offended when somebody makes those prejudiced judgments about me...
WalkWithMeInHell wrote "There was a fad in the 90's & 00's, in the companies I worked in, to promote at least one Female to the VP level (more often than not "VP of HR");"
The fad continues today. There are so many female managers that show no direct reports on the org chart. Their title includes the word "Manager", but they are not really doing managerial work. This title was given when the women threaten to quit after two years of no promotion while their male coworkers wait at least five. They are selected, assigned a male mentor and groomed to satisfy this social engineering. Women call this progress. Men call this "throwing a bone."
Actually, all the reasons I listed above are nothing but smokescreen.
Want to know the two main reasons it is difficult for women to get ahead in corporate?
1) They are not usually good at, or at least not fond of, the bizarre male bonding experience of Golf.
2) They usually do not care for going to "Gentleman's Clubs" (wink-wink), which is a slightly less bizarre bonding ritual.
3) All Guys can fake #1 & 2, well enough to "pass", even if they don't care for them (I am in that minority).
4) Anyone who knows anything, about corporate, knows that all deals and decisions are made during #1 & 2.
5) I think you can do the math on the rest...
That was a great response!
The reason for this disparity is that women believe that they can go on Maternity leave and not harm their career. This is a fallacy. The company is forced to take them back, but in their absence, someone else had to do their work. Women need to wake up and choose. Motherhood or career. You can not have it all ways.
Just because we choose to be mothers; shouldn't be a penalty to trying to have a career. The company is forced to take them back; in fact, it's no difference in any other male employee being out for heart/back surgery. I mean what women wants to just be a house wife with kids, sit at home and wait for someone to tell you when you can shop or take money out of the account to spend, and when and if you do spend any, make sure you take him the receipt; what kind of life is that. Women can do what they want when they want, and that includes family, career, and independence.
smarttalk41 wrote "it's no difference in any other male employee being out for heart/back surgery."
Women have the heart/back surgeries as well. If you don't think that children occupy a mother's mind, you probably do not have a marriage with children of your own.
"I mean what women wants to just be a house wife with kids, sit at home"
The modern American woman is so materialistic that the notion of a responsibility for family culture is incomprehensible. No wonder the average marriage lasts only six years with women filing for 70% of the divorces (and of those involving children, nearly 100%).
Well shoot - let's just all stop reproducing so we can make sure not to leave someone else with work for a whopping 6 weeks. Gosh work is so much more important than the continuation of our species. Oh...wait.
WOW...I thought I worked with some real "good ole boys" but nothing of the likes that I've seen on this site! My boss was a male, and a real taskmaster. As a female I had to work twice as hard as the men to get the same respect from him, but I did it willingly because I wanted to be successful. In the end he came to respect me more than some of his male counterparts because I did my job and did it well without a lot of need for ego gratification, and we all know about men's egos. I ran one of the most profitable divisions in my company, and retired at the top of my game.
I would just like to say to any woman reading these posts not to be discouraged. Continue to work hard at what you do, stand up for what you believe in, and don't allow yourself to be labeled or sabotaged by some male or female counterpart who can't get out of their own way. At the same time, don't go around acting like one of those feminists, because that is a sure fire way to derail your career. Realize that most of the male/female issues that arise are mainly about inability to communicate on the same level. Women tend to be more intuitive than men, and that is an asset in the management world today, so use it to your advantage. It's only a matter of time before women equal or surpass men in the so called corner office.
kaara wrote "Women tend to be more intuitive than men,"
Women's intuition? Is this some sort of sixth sense? Does my female dentist know I have a cavity without examination? Does my female eye doctor know my eye health before examination? Should I have a female stock broker? (My current broker is female, but she has no more market intuition than the next guy and had no warnings of any kind about the recent stock market dip.)
If women the special attribute of women's intuition, do men have a special attribute to build large business hierarchies that are less obscured by intuition and feelings?
Not really, I was actually told by a male, that all you have to do is suck-up, use the point on your nose, and laugh about everything even if it makes you look stupid, and don't know what's going on; just be a professional butt kisser. That should get you a corner office and one for your butt kissing friend.
Is it just me??? I can say that I have seen more women not in the corner office but in positions of power. Judges, Heads of governmental agencies, Lawyers, etc. I believe their salaries are compatible to the men they work with. More and more businesses are using females. Successful women such as the person who is head of EBay did not get to the position because they were cheaper in salary.
oh yap yap yap...hey women...STFU...wasn't there a report that was posted a little while back that women were out earning men in the major cities?...aren't more women graduating college than men due to the inequalities of title 9?...STFU and realize that money does not sleep, nor does it wait on you to have a baby and take all that time off...get real ladies and put in the hours that men do, take the risks that men do, and then maybe you can get over yourselves and all that whining and $hyt...
I have two daughters so naturally I want them to have every opportunity their skills and hard work will provide, but I realistically know that not every man or woman makes it to the corner office. If all of us are executives nothing will get done, or worse yet, we could become a business community of AIG types who know nothing about work and everything about "management". I know that it's important to keep tabs on equality so please don't think I'm misogynistic, but really, just how many of us will become executives?
This should have nothing to do with male or female but who's better for the job, and not who can run the fastest and open the bosses car door, or run out and be his errand boy. Integrity, professionalism, and know-how ensures things are done properly and not like things were handled in most of our banks and large corporations were ran/bankrupt. I wonder was the CEO of all the major corporations that went under were male or female. Great eye opener.
feminism is a disease
male BABIES are strapped down and have their gentials sliced, and WOMEN (who are NEVER circumcized i nthis country) say its ok because "female circumcision is worse"
its disgusting
DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY WOMEN HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH MALE GENITAL MUTILATION??
Mcorrison, what on earth are you advocating for??? FGM? You surely must realize the huge differences between FGM and circumcision.
Female Genital Mutilation? That's illegal in the US and thus does not occur. For you ladies out there, pinch your clitoral hood with a pair of pliers. Add pressure until the clitoral hood detaches. That is what a male circumcision feels like. Despite a topical anesthetic that lasts a short while during the procedure and appears to be largely ineffective, babies feel tremendous pain that lingers for a week. The complication rate of circumcision is twice that of any preventative health benefits, and a handful babies die every year in the US from circumcision.
There are no laws against male genital mutilation in the US. The penile foreskin, the most sensitive skin on a man's body, is crushed with a "surgical" procedure that is unbelievably painful. US mothers are educating themselves and passing avoiding circumcision, which as of 2009 is 33% and rapidly declining, down from 90% in the 1960's.
If there were no history of circumcision, the introduction circumcision in the US to newborn boys and girls would be uniformly rejected by parents as child cruelty.
Feminism runs rampant in the US, Canada, UK, Sweden, and most other Western nations. Of those countries, only the US has a significant circumcision rate that peaked at 90% in the 1960's and has fallen steadily to 33% in 2009.
Women aren't prone to go into fields that require a lot of mathematics and science which is where the high salaries are. It's not societies responsibility to give me a salary that equals a man. It is mine. When women start blaming men and others for the lack of what they want instead of taking responsibility for themselves, they will be prone to failure. Get with it women, you have to have the fortitude of a man to get paid like a man. I love being a women and don't try to act like a man in the work force. Because of that, I bring special talents to the corporate table.
I think Vincent there needs a wake-up call. i do work in upper management and I agree with the lady who said you have to work twice as hard to get half the respect, but once you gain that respect (and it does indeed take a lot of time) it has a higher value to the CEO's VP etc than the men. If you want a great assessment of women's roles and being stereotyped, watch that movie with Whoopi Goldberg and Dianne Wiest, called "The Associate". very accurate portrayal of women in the stock market and more "mathematic" businesses.
he "boys club" exists not because they are male but simply because men are the risk takers and business initiators. "Boys" behavior in the workplace is efficient, and that is the explanation for the universal development of industry by men.-What a crock. Most of the "boys' behavior in the workplace consists of how little they have to do and how much can they get someone else(preferably female) to do for them so they can announce. "got it done". I know plenty of women in management who are risk takers. This is not activity that only includes males, I would point out the Greatest rulers of all times, and the most prosperous reigns, all had women in charge. Elizabeth I, Victoria, Catherine the Great, Pharoah hatshesut are just a few of those women who were "risktakers" and every one of their reigns were called "Golden times" "reigns of Peace and prosperity" etc.
There are fewer female managers because the talent pool is proportionally smaller. Every effective male manager I've known logs excessive hours per week, stays late regularly and very late on demand (including overnight), cancels/moves vacations and is present during busy weekends. I can understand and respect the maternity burden on office mothers, but why is the behavior the same with unmarried women?
You clearly haven't been in the office during those late night hours, and/or simply are underexposed to competent females. Maybe you should take a better look around at their abilities and what's actually going on, instead of hanging out at "the boys" club. oh, and by the way, most men will not make true financial decisions with out consulting their wives, who know more about their finances and budgets than they ever will.
Just take a look at the labor reports from the US Census and US Department of Labor by CONSAD. The former shows that there are significantly fewer women working at every salary level while the latter shows that women on average work fewer hours.
Men are weary of all of these lazy/evil male myths. All of the female rulers you list were dynastic rulers, and I'd argue that any of those reigns would compete with modern prosperity.
I have been in the office during the late night hours, including three Fortune 100 corporations. The ladies are not there. Oh, wait, it's because women are more efficient and productive and always finish their work between the hours of 9 and 5.
Vincent....One of the best books ever written about utilizing intuition in business was "Emotional Intelligence" written by a male author who recognized the importance this would play in the changing business environment. If you don't have an intuitive bone in your body, and it sounds like you don't, then you are stuck with all the old paradigms of the business model. I wish you a lot of luck going forward!
kaara wrote "Emotional Intelligence" written by a male author
Even men can write books that women want to read. There is little more satisfying for a woman than to read that she her innate talents, inner beauty, inner genius and superior female attributes are perpetually unrecognized and that women are fundamentally better at everything. This is female supremacy. This is Feminism.
right on vincent...voting you up for your sensible and reality based replies...