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The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor, send us an op-ed pitch or check out our open positions for the chance to be published by the Daily Utah Chronicle.
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Social stereotypes relegate women to second-class positions, lower pay

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There are more CEOs named John than there are female CEOs.

John? Really?

Glass ceilings eventually have to crack, right? Wrong. Countless studies and articles disclosing the true facts of gender inequality have been released in light of International Women’s Day. Though women have been granted a higher level of equality to men since the days of Rosie the Riveter, there are still major discrepancies — especially in the work place.

FEATURE OPINION: WOMEN HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AS MEN IN THE WORKFORCE- THEY CHOOSE NOT TO TAKE THEM

Opportunities between men and women are not comparable. I say opportunities because mean salary between the two groups is not the only disparity. Women are severely underrepresented in careers involving science and technology and in esteemed positions on the boards of directors of major companies. In a world of growing divorce rates, women have been encouraged to seek an education independently of their spouse in case the marriage deteriorates, but this endorsement does not rationalize the fact women will still make less than men because they are not given the same opportunities to hold positions of substantial income. That is not something that can be changed by more women being independent but is something that must be changed in the way our society perceives the role of women.

The S&P 1500 companies comprise 90 percent of all United States stock value.A greater percentage of those S&P 1500 companies have CEOs named John than female CEOs, according to The New York Times. Whether a woman is Abigail or Zinovia or any name in between, men named John outnumber them.

There is no evidence to suggest men are more apt or successful when it comes to financing major businesses, so there is no reason they should outnumber women by such a drastic margin. The reason men are able to obtain more success in leadership positions is because our society has allowed them to. The common beliefs that women should withdraw from their jobs when they have children or that women who are straightforward with their opinions are bossy and intrusive are holding the gender back from obtaining equality with men. Men are just as capable of being the primary caretaker for a child, yet they are not expected to leave their careers when faced with parenthood. Men who speak their minds are never called bossy or impolite — they are merely furthering their business ideals and innovations. The double standard surrounding women and men is what is keeping women out of positions where they hold power and ingenuity, as well as the lack of encouragement women have while trying to accomplish this greatness.

The lack of women in science, technology, engineering and math fields — commonly referred to as STEM — is not a contemporary issue but one that has been present since these fields emerged. A study out of Yale University reported that only one-fifth of Ph.D. degrees in physics are awarded to women each year, and only half of those women are American. The study additionally supported the notion that women are underpaid for the same positions: When professors at six major research institutions were presented with imaginary male and female students who possessed identical credentials, they were discernibly inclined to choose the male. When granting the female scholar with the position, her income was set at $4,000 less than the male’s.

Several different studies mirror this inequality, all with the exact same results. While men were more likely to choose men for positions within their jurisdiction, women were also more likely to choose women when given the chance. However, women are rarely ever given that chance. The STEM fields are already heavily populated with men. This only increases the number of men entering these fields, which perpetually stacks the odds against women.

Even when women are able to attain those impossibly high leadership positions, they are not taken seriously. At a shareholders meeting in 2013, CEO of Yahoo! Marissa Mayer was mocked and sexualized by her male correspondents. A shareholder of Yahoo! remarked, “I’m George Polis. I have 2,000 shares in Yahoo!, I’m Greek and I’m a dirty old man and you look attractive, Marissa.” Nobody would ever make such crude remarks to an attractive male CEO. Nobody would ever sexualize a prosperous and brilliant man who held an esteemed leadership position.

A woman is everything a man is, and the sooner this is realized, the sooner women can achieve their full potential as contributors to society.

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