GENDER INEQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE
IN TERMS OF PAY GAP AND LIMITS ON CAREER GROWTH
Gender inequality in the workplace refers to the unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender, leading to differences
in pay, opportunities and career growth. Two major aspects of this issue are the gender pay gap, where women earn less than men for the
same amount of work, and limited career growth, where they face obstacles against promotions and leadership roles. These inequalities are
often rooted in institutional biases and traditional gender roles, and they continue to inhibit true equality and fairness in professional
environments.
HOW CAN WE REDUCE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN IN THE Figure 1: Gender pay gap over the
WORKPLACE IN TERMS OF PAY GAP AND LIMITS ON CAREER GROWTH? years since 1982
Promoting Women in Leadersh:
Highlight successful female leaders to inspire others and set examples
Create mentorship, sponsorship, and leadership training programs specifically for
women.
Percentage
Closing the Gender Pay Gap:
Governments must mandate pay transparency laws
Corporations should be penalized for unjustified disparities
Creating Equal Opportunities:
Make part-time work or flexible schedules available without penalizing career
growth
Using structured interviews and diverse hiring panels, and anonymizing resumes
Years
(Laidlaw, Hall) (Fry and Aragão)
THE JOBS THAT WOMEN PREFER
Due to stereotypes that label women as caring and loving, women tend to lean towards jobs in healthcare,
education and administrative fields. “For instance, in the United States, women constitute approximately 86.7%
of registered nurses and 96.8% of preschool and kindergarten teachers.” (Shannon). Roles in leadership are
mostly occupied by men and this demotivates women from even trying to apply to those positions. “Women
are judged more harshly when they show traits like ambition or confidence—traits that are rewarded in men.
This double standard makes people question women’s ability to lead, even when they’re just as qualified.” (Kay)
This proves the discrimination towards women is based on traditional gender roles.
OUR GRAPHS
HARRASMENT
Women experiencing sexual harassment also incur intangible but Figure 2: Female to male ratio in Figure 3: The ratio of female to male
significant losses. They often lose self-esteem and confidence in different fields globally according to employment rates 1988-2023
themselves and their competency, and they often report loss of
motivation or passion for their work. Their loss of self-confidence TUR (M) TUR (W) USA (M)
and passion pushes them to retire and those who haven’t started
working fear that they will be harrased as well. Healthcare USA (W) CHI (M) CHI (W)
SAF (M) SAF (W)
(Sexual Harassment of Women 45)
Education 100
BIOLOGICAL REASONS 80
Percentage
Finance 60
23% of mothers have considered leaving their jobs due to a lack of
40
reasonable accommodations or fear of discrimination during a Infrastructure
pregnancy. Having a kid, or even the possibility of it, means less 20
working time. Therefore, some people purposefully don’t recruit 0 20 40 60 80 0
pregnant women or mothers. Another reason is menstruation
98
18
08
88
93
13
03
23
20
20
cycles. Since women tend to be more emotional during that time
20
19
19
19
20
20
(Shannon)
period, employers hesitate while recruiting women. Years
(BPC – Morning Consult para. 3)
Figure 4: Women to men ratio in management roles 2025 CONCLUSION
Gender inequality in the workplace remains a serious issue,
driven by pay gaps, stereotypes, and limited career opportunities
for women. Tackling these challenges requires stronger laws,
(Hall et al.) inclusive practices, and support for women
in leadership. Creating fairer workplaces SOURCES
“Eighty-eight percent of application engineers
benefits not just women, but society as
leave because they feel they are undervalued,
face exclusionary behaviors in the workplace, a whole.
have no growth opportunities, or have
unsupportive managers.”
(Shaikh) DENIZ ERYILMAZ / OYA ELLEN IŞIKER
