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The gender gap in workplace leadership positions

On Behalf of | Jul 11, 2016 | Workplace Discrimination |

Among the situations in which a worker may want to consult with an experienced employment law attorney is when they suspect their employer has committed gender discrimination against them. It is important to note that federal law does not just prohibit gender discrimination when it comes to an employer’s pay practices. It also prohibits other forms of employment-related gender discrimination.

Among these other types of prohibited discrimination are employers passing over a worker for a promotion or leadership position because of their gender. This prohibition is a key one, as there is not only currently a gender gap when it comes to pay, there is also such a gap when it comes to leadership positions.

A recent study indicates that women remain underrepresented in leadership positions in many different areas, including in profit and non-profit workplaces. According to statistics cited in the study:

  • Of the CEOs of non-profit organizations, less than half (43 percent) are women. This is happening despite the fact that a large majority (three-fourths) of workers at non-profit organizations are women.
  • Of the CEOs of companies in the Standard and Poor’s 500, fewer than 5 percent are women.
  • Overall underrepresentation of women is present when it comes to many different positions at higher education institutions, including: president, dean, full professor and tenured faculty positions.

It is thought that a range of different factors are playing roles in the continued presence of the gap among the genders when it comes to leadership positions in the workplace. One wonders how big of role illegal conduct by employers (such as gender discrimination regarding promotion or the hiring of leadership positions) is playing in the current gap.

What do you think would best help with closing the gender gap in workplace leadership positions? In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges to closing this gap? What do you think Texas employers should do to ensure that gender discrimination or other things that could lead to such a gap are not present within their promotion and hiring practices regarding leadership positions.

Source: The Huffington Post, “The Status of Women in Leadership Positions, According to an AAUW Study,” Mariela S.M., July 7, 2016

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