Fajardo 1

Karla Fajardo
Professor Olivas
English 101
13 November 2016
Women Can Be Leaders Too
In America, on average, there are more women than men. Thirty nine states, out of fifty,
have more women than men; Washington is the only state with an equal ratio of men and
women. Given this, one may think there would also be more women in leadership positions, but
that is not the case. It is also astonishing to think that despite there being more women than men,
women who do become leaders are not seen, or treated equally to their male counterparts.
Although it may seem that the attitude towards female leaders has changed, there is still
discrimination against women in the workforce.
The wage gap is a prime example of how women are discriminated in the workforce.
Women and men can do the exact same job and the men will be paid more. According to the
Institute for Women's Policy Research, In 2015, female full-time workers made only 80 cents
for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 20 percent (iwpr.org). Twenty cents may
not seem like much, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Research done by the Pew Research
Center shows that white men who work full time earn about twenty two dollars an hour. Asian
and White ($18 and $17 respectively) are higher (in earnings) than those of Black and Hispanic
women ($13 and $12 respectively) (pewresearch.org). Women are being paid less than men,
and women of ethnic minorities have about a fifty percent wage gap. Not only do women who
aspire to be leaders have to face gender discrimination, but racial discrimination as well. Today

Fajardo 2
women are strong and independent leaders, and female leaders should not be to paid less than
their male counterparts. Female leaders can do anything a man can. It is often thought that a man
is the one who provides a living for their family, however studies have shown that women are
equal, if not the main breadwinner in four out of ten families (iwpr.org). If the attitude towards
women really change, female bosses and women in the workforce in general would be paid
equally to their male counterparts.
In the workforce, discrimination is evident due to the fact that there are not enough
women leaders. Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, states that women
are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world (Sandberg). It is an
incredibly bold statement to make but the evidence is overwhelming:
The numbers tell the story quite clearly. 190 heads of state -- nine are women. Of
all the people in parliament in the world, 13 percent are women. In the corporate
sector, women at the top, C-level jobs, board seats -- tops out at 15, 16 percent.
The numbers have not moved since 2002 and are going in the wrong direction.
And even in the non-profit world, a world we sometimes think of as being led by
more women, women at the top: 20 Percent (Sandberg).
The numbers do indeed tell quite the story, they show the lack of representation of women in
the workforce. Women... are disportionately represented in working class jobs where mobility
is virtually nonexistent (civilrights.org) So why does the world have so few women leaders?
The truth of the matter is that the glass ceiling prevents women from even getting close to
working in higher positions. The glass ceiling is defined as an intangible barrier within a

Fajardo 3
hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions. There is
literally a name for the discriminatory barrier preventing women from achieving high positions
in the workforce. The Wall Street Journal conducted a survey to find try and see what women
felt the biggest obstacle to becoming a boss is:
women managers were asked what they consider to be the most serious obstacle
in their business careers. Only 3% cited family responsibilities, but half named
reasons related to their gender, including: "male chauvinism, attitudes toward a
female boss, slow advancement for women, and the simple fact of being a woman
(feminist.org).
The sole fact that being a women is a obstacle is evidence of the discrimination barrier, the
glass ceiling, that women bosses have had to go through, and aspiring women leaders will have
to face. The glass ceiling is called the glass ceiling because the person on the other side can
clearly see their goal and no matter what they do to achieve it they just cannot seem to get there,
break through. Women are not allowed into leadership positions because the corporate
executive suits are the ultimate boys club (feminist.org). It may seem very childlike, and quite
frankly it is, but men in leadership positions have excluded women because they feel threatened.
Many middle- and- upper white male managers view the inclusion of minorities as a direct
threat to their own chances for advancement (civilrights.org). This scenario is very much like
the one in Anne Harts short story, The Friday Everything Changed. In the Friday Everything
Changed the boys have the very important task of bringing water to the class. To the boys is
was an honor to be chosen to go and bring the water. One day Alam Niles asked, Why cant
girls go for the water too? (Hart). Well, all hell broke loose with the boys when the teacher

Fajardo 4
actually considered it; they felt threatened. The boys began to exclude the girls from softball,
very much like how men in corporate and leadership positions have excluded women from their
boys club eventually building the glass ceiling. The underlying cause of this discrepancy
systems from the perception of many white males, that they are losing corporate game, losing
control and losing opportunity (civilrights.org). Grown men have began to act like boys and
wont let women come to play leadership positions in their corporate games. It is discrimination.
Women leaders are oppressed in the workforce. Even when women manage to become a
boss in they are often harassed. In the The Friday Everything Changed, the boys felt that
something of theirs was being threatened (Hart) so in response they went right after Alma
(Hart). They began to beat her up, try and make her uncomfortable so she would just drop the
idea of girls being able to go for the water. Unfortunately, this also seems to be the how some
corporations view sexual harassment. Sexual harassment puts a woman in her place, so a
corporate environment tolerates sexual harassment intimidates and demoralizes women
executives (feminist.org). The worst part is that often times little to nothing is done about it
only 20% of offenders lose their jobs; 4 in 5 are merely reprimanded (feminist.org). Women
are not taken seriously enough to be treated with the respect they deserve after having to go
through so much to get to where the leadership positions they are in.
Women leaders in the work force are not seen as equals to their male counterparts.
Women have yet to be seen as the leaders they are. A Wall Street Journal survey found that 61%
of women executives reported having been mistaken for a secretary at a business meeting
(feminist.org). The views on female leaders have not changed much if women are only viewed

Fajardo 5
as secretaries. The same survey found that these were the disadvantages to being a women in
the business world (feminist.org). Women are seen and treated differently to their male
counterparts. Women feel like they are not taken seriously by men, even though they have
become the boss, they are still only viewed as assistants and secretaries, views that show the
attitude towards women bosses really have not changed.
Some, like The Atlantic, may argue that the way female bosses are viewed really has
changed. A study called Heidi vs Howard was conducted. A professor took Heidi Roizens,
Silicon Valley executive, information and changed the name to Howard. The professor then
showed students Heidis and Howards information and asked students to choose who they
would want as their boss. The study showed that the students thought of Heidi as a little out for
herself. She's a little political. You're not sure you'd want to work for her (Sandberg) and they
would prefer working for Howard. Well this study was recently reconducted. Now ten years
after it was originally conducted. This time around, students rated the female entrepreneur as
more likable and desirable as a boss than the male (thealtlantic.com). One can say a significant
amount of time has indeed passed since the originally study was conducted and that since then,
the views of the students changed. However, the statistics of female leaders around the world
show that women continue to be discriminated against. For example, America just elected
Donald Trump as their next President over Hillary Clinton. Clinton had previously served as
First Lady, and was most recently Secretary of State. Trump on the other hand, was only the host
of a television show and is a businessman who has never before held an office position. Clinton
was more qualified to serve as President yet America choose Trump, a man who has been known

Fajardo 6
to have said sexist remarks and has often disrespected women, to be the next President. Perhaps
Clinton was seen as a little out of herself, too political, you wouldnt want her as President. It
just goes to show that the views on women leaders have not changed, and with a man with no
respect for women leading the country the views and discrimination against women are bound to
only get worse.
Addressing the discrimination against women matters. Ultimately, we are all equal
because we are after all only human. Because we are all human, it would make sense for
everyone to be treated equally, but unfortunately that is not the case. Women should not have to
face the discrimination of being paid less than a men. There are single working mothers who are
the ones to provide everything for their children. According to a recent regression analysis of
federal data by IWPR, the poverty rate for working women would be cut in half if women were
paid the same as comparable men (iwpr.org). Addressing the gender gap can make a significant
change in the lives of many families.
In conclusion, there have been some changes to the way female bosses are seen in the
workforce, but the discrimination persists. Due to the glass ceiling it is challenging for women to
even obtain leadership positions. The women who do become bosses are then not paid the same
as their male counterparts or treated with the respect they deserve. There is still a persistent its
a mans world attitude in the workforce preventing female bosses from striving in the
workforce.

Fajardo 7

Works Cited
"Empowering Women in Business - The Glass Ceiling - Feminist Majority Foundation."
Empowering Women in Business - The Glass Ceiling - Feminist Majority Foundation.
N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
"Glass Ceiling Commission Issues Report: Discrimination Still Deprives Women And
Minorities of Opportunities." The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Hart, Anne. The Friday Everything Changed.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

Patten, Eileen. "Racial, Gender Wage Gaps Persist in U.S. despite Some Progress." Pew
Research Center. N.p., 01 July 2016. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

Fajardo 8
"Pay Equity & Discrimination." Pay Equity & Discrimination IWPR. N.p., n.d. Web.
11 Nov. 2016.
Sandberg, Sheryl. "Transcript of "Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders"" Sheryl Sandberg:
Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders | TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript | TED.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.