Women and work
Financial independence is an important part of the process of women’s emancipation. But being a woman and working is not an easy combination since it rises several specific problems such as the double burden, the glass ceiling or the pay gap. Women, who have been told that they belonged to the private sphere, i.e. the household, have to find their place toward a productive or reproductive work. Women might face different issues in their professional life such as maternal guilt, lack of ambition, or social positioning. Sometimes, women have to choose between being liked or being respected (Williams, quoted in Belkin, 2007). Today in Europe, at all education levels, employment rates are lower for women than men (Eurostat, 2008, p.102). A gender gap study reveals that some countries are doing better than others: Sweden, Norway and Finland are on the top whereas Chad and Yemen are at the bottom. When it comes to women and work, the issue, more than being linked to the individuals, has to be considered as something global. From the theory, an evaluation of the issue is necessary in order to consider the problem further and to rise some questions that matter. The international spheres provides some interesting examples on how women can achieve both a satisfying private life and a successful career.
There are lots of things to learn from the different nations. Northern countries and communist countries for instance should be an inspiration for others. There, the notion of gender equity is more developed than elsewhere, which tends give more chance to women to go to the top. The problem has to be addressed more than in an individual or a familial perspective. The society should be responsible to provide some structures such as child day care services to allow women to have a professional life, since womanhood is often linked to childbearing. Maternity leave breaks can sometimes be as well a carrier break (Grunell, 2007). Recently, in the news, Rachida Dati, the French Justice minister has been criticized a lot for returning to work just five days after giving birth, which shows how difficult it can be to work while you are a mother. Sometimes, women have to deal with other issues in the workplace such as religion, race or age: working with a headscarf is allowed in the Netherlands but in France things are slightly different. Companies have a lot to gain from women and should make their integration easier. According to the newsworthy McKinsey and Company report, “companies with a higher proportion of women in top management may perform better” (2007).
The traditional familial scheme is changing and there are more and more mono parental families or homosexual couples, which leads to a redefinition of the role of women. A woman who wants to climb the social ladder should have other alternatives than having to master male codes. Some solutions exist to find a right balance between private and professional life: flexible hours, self-employment, working at home, and so on. This process is long and the issue is particularly concerning for each of us since the work of women have a repercussion on the whole society. It is definitely a subject that matters. Theatrically, gender equality is a fundamental right of the European Union but how is it implemented on the ground? But how the European Union can stimulate the countries to increase their efforts? How efficient are the initiatives like the charter called “Women on top” signed by forty organizations in the Netherlands 2008?
References:
Belkin, L. (2007). The Feminine Critique. New-York Times.
Bina, V., Hamersveld, I., Smithuijsen, C. (n.d.). The Netherlands : Gender equality and cultural policies : Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe. Retrieved February 24, 2009, from http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/netherlands.php?aid=4210
EBSCO. (2007). The new mommy track.
Eurostat Statistical books. (2008). The life of women and men in Europe: a statistical portrait. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
Gallagher, C. (2000). Going to the top: a road map for success from America’s leading women executives. New-York: Viking.
Grunell, M. (2007). Gender and career development — Netherlands. Retrieved February 24, 2009, from http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/studies/tn0612019s/nl0612019q.htm
Idrissi, K. (2009). Headscarf Award for fighting discrimination Radio Netherlands Wordlwide. Retrieved February 24, 2009, from http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/region/netherlands/090223-polder-headscarf-mc
McKinsey&Company. (2007). Women matter: Gender diversity, a corporate performance driver.
The Economist. (2007). Tied to the kitchen. The Economist.