By: Izzy Cheung, staff writer
Most of us remember walking through toy stores as kids and seeing various toys sectioned off based on gender. Mini kitchens, dress-up kits, and dolls were kept in one area, while toolbelts, race cars, and science kits were kept in another. The idea that girls should grow up gently “playing house” while boys should build and play with action figures can carry over to beliefs about gender roles. Cues like these — hinting at the futures of boys and girls — have sadly become common indicators of how sexist many societies can truly be toward women in the workforce.
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in particular are often highly demonstrative of divides between men and women; age-old stories about the lack of women in STEM dominate online conversation. Specific industries are known for being dominated by men or women, which is the result of sexist, patriarchal systems that rely on misogyny as a means of power. When we consider gaps in wages between men and women, disparities are often attributed to each gender’s choice of occupations rather than systemic issues that should be further examined.
Industries such as STEM are often dominated by men. While these fields benefit from traits such as assertiveness and leadership, outspoken and opinionated women are often shunned for speaking their minds, while men who do the same are celebrated. Leadership is not defined by gender, but company culture dominated by men can be a very difficult environment for women to break into. Because of these beliefs, career choices can become manipulated by the patriarchal systems that still exist in society.
The way we value work between men and women reflects biases in the workforce. The Pay Equity Office of Ontario reports that women currently make 87 cents compared to every dollar men make in an hour’s worth of pay. Many may assume this disparity in pay is due to the career choices that women make. For example, data from the US Department of Labor show that the three most common occupations for women are registered nurses, elementary or middle school teachers, and secretaries or administrative assistants. Interestingly enough, these positions were previously dominated by men, until perceptions about womens’ domestic skills being “advantageous” for this kind of work arose. However, despite 87.9% of nurses being women, men reported making an average of $7,300 more than their coworkers in the US. Women in CEO positions also see themselves making less than men, as men make almost $1 million more per year. The issue clearly isn’t just people’s choice of career.
Building a bridge toward equality in the workforce, especially regarding the wage gap, first requires small pieces to be put in place. On August 31, 2021, the government of Canada implemented the Pay Equity Act in an attempt to lessen, and eventually eliminate, the gender wage gap. This act is a small step toward change, but more still needs to be done. As a society, we should consider the subtle ways in which the system we operate within seeks to oppress certain groups. Women of colour, trans and queer women, and women with disabilities are often further marginalized in the workforce due to systemic barriers. Next time you walk into a toy section, think about which children get to play with what. Patriarchal beliefs have led us to believe that womens’ work should be confined to certain practices, making for an unfair, unequal workforce.
