For Catherine

3

Cameron Veritas

Date

Course

Prof

Gender Inequality: Viewpoints

In Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, Sheryl Sandberg quickly addresses the reasons why there aren't as many women in power as men. She calls them internal and external barriers. Internal barriers are those that cause women to hold themselves back. Examples include lack of self-confidence and fear of appearing strong and aggressive, traits usually associated with men. External barriers are those out of the control of women such as sexism, harassment, and lack of flexibility when it comes to child care or parental leave. However, is it possible that biology is the main culprit for the disparity?

Kingsley Browne, Professor of Law, seems to think so. In his book, Biology at Work: Rethinking Sexual Equality, Browne suggests that evolutionary pressures caused behavior differences between men and women. Women are heavily invested into their offspring and value relationships over competition. Men, on the other hand, have been rewarded throughout history for their strength, skill, risk-taking, and status. He doesn't feel that these barriers are holding women back. Browne states, “…women, though somewhat constrained by life circumstances, as are men, make rational and responsible choices that are most compatible with their temperaments, abilities and desires.” Browne doesn't attempt to assign the blame of disparity to anyone. He simply thinks that over time nature developed males and females differently, and that accounts for out differences.

Sheryl Sandberg introduces us to the term “queen bee” in chapter 11 of her book Lean In . It's a term used to describe women in leadership positions who use their power and influence to keep other women, “worker bees”, at lower statuses and positions. Sandberg acknowledges this is a problem but tells us that there is hope that this attitude is changing. She tells us of a survey showing that “high-potential women” want to “pay it forward” and that 73% have reached out to other women to help them develop their skills or talent. Sandberg tells us “The more women help one another, the more we help ourselves.”

Judith Sills, PH.D, an author and clinical psychologist, seems to have a different opinion on the topic. In her article, “Catfight In the Boardroom,” she suggests that women should take up a mantra that is commonly used amongst men: “It’s just business.” Effectively, the mantra is telling the intended audience not to have any hard feelings or resentment due to the competition that naturally arises at work. Sills explains that women, since the beginning of social organization, are hard-wired to compete against other women for resources in order to survive and raise their young. Although Sandberg’s stats show that women are willing to help other women, it’s hard to go against nature, as Sills explains. Also, due to the small amount of spots at the top, women naturally eye each other as direct threats. While Sandberg is optimistic about women reaching out to other women, Sills believes that competition is just the way it works in corporate settings.

The wage gap is commonly brought up when discussing equality between men and women. Sandberg briefly mentions it. She tells us that in the 1970s women made 59 cents for every dollar a man made, but by 2010 women had “protested, fought, and worked their butts off to raise that compensation to 77 cents for every dollar a man made.” However, she never explains the reason for this. Simply looking at the wage gap, one would assume that women are unfairly getting paid less than men simply for being women. This, however, isn’t the only way of looking at the calculations.

Once again we come across Kingsley Browne, but this time from a different publication. He tells us “…the 'gender gap' in compensation is largely an illusion.” Men earn more because they work more hours. On top of this they tend to take on riskier and dangerous jobs, such as fisherman, loggers, and steel workers. These riskier jobs, not surprisingly, tend to pay better. Furthermore, men major in fields that compensate greater than those women major in. Browne makes a compelling case that wage gap is just a perception.

A source providing data in support of Kingsley Browne’s claim is the Morton College Nursing Department in Cicero, Illinois. In an interview with both the department’s scheduling officer and an assessment coordinator, I learned that big data and other information technology fields have come to play a large role in nursing. At the same time, the percentage of men entering nursing has spiked from just under 2% over all national programs in 1995, to over 7% in 2015. Curiously, according to Morton College, between 65%-70% of the nursing students entering data heavy training and careers in nursing are men. Those careers pay, on average, 15% more than do other careers in the nursing field. Women, largely for personal reasons, tend not to pursue training in those careers. The primary reason was that those careers demanded longer hours and less flexible scheduling.

Works Cited

Browne, Kingsley. Biology at Work: Rethinking Sexual Equality. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 2002. Print. .

BROWNE, KINGSLEY "Biological Sex Differences In The Workplace: Reports Of The "End Of Men" Are Greatly Exaggerated (As Are Claims Of Women's Continued Inequality)." Boston University Law Review 93.3 (2013): 769-794. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Oct. 2014

Morton College, interview, (name omitted) and (name omitted), February 12, 2015

Sills, Judith. "Catfight In The Boardroom." Psychology Today 40.1 (2007): 61-62. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.