What do you think is the biggest challenge that women face today?

Introduction

Without a question, women have faced a wide range of issues from ancient times to the present, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, issues with their reproductive systems, and representation in leadership, among many others. What is the greatest challenge that women today face, despite the other difficulties? Employment was mentioned as the top concern among women in a survey on this topic that was commissioned by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and included nations from almost all of the world’s continents. When asked about what they saw as their biggest challenge, majority of women from Italy, Kenya, Colombia, the United States, Brazil, Thailand, Britain, India, and Senegal answered that employment related issues like equal pay, equal access to employment, as well as the flexibility of juggling jobs with housework and raising children were the biggest problem.

The History of Employment Challenges for Women

Although the history of the challenge of employment among women is as old as mankind’s history, the study of this challenge is well-understood from the period of the Industrial Revolution of the early nineteenth century. Conceptualization of this challenge from this period is appropriate because unlike in the past periods when women were confined to house chores, this period witnessed a gradual integration of women into mainstream economic activities. During the industrial period, the nature of work changed as both men and women got involved in industrial work where they earned salaries and wages. Despite the involvement of both genders in industries, women were given fewer opportunities based on the myth and assumptions that women were less capable to handle hard physical labor. As such, women were involved more in “hawking” of industrial goods than in the production process. Inequality of wages was very evident as in most cases men earned almost twice as much as women earned, even in some cases where equal work was performed.

The Challenge of Employment in the Twentieth Century

At the turn of the twentieth century, the challenge of employment increased due to factors such as rapidly growing world’s population that did not match the job opportunities being created. As a consequence, there was a quiet revolution by women in the workforce seeking to overcome this challenge by obtaining better access to employment, equal pay and better working conditions among other issues. Women were joined by groups such as women rights’ activists, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and even industrialists in trying to find solution to this challenge. Despite significant efforts and resources and some notable progress realized, women still face this same challenge today. This situation has been attributed to factors such as lack of affordable and accessible child care that makes it hard for women to balance between professional development and motherhood; lack of self-confidence and feelings of inferiority, especially in male-dominated fields like engineering; and cultural biases that still regard women as of weaker gender thus unable to perform certain roles.

Challenges Today

The challenge of unemployment among women is certainly not a new problem as women have been contending with it for a long time. The status of women in the labor market has improved over the decades as evidenced by more women holding positions of authority around the world; organizations creating flexible working arrangements to accommodate the needs of women; enhanced control over reproductive and sexual choices; increased education access among women; and better chances for equal pay, promotion opportunities, and gaining meaningful work. Nonetheless, the challenge of employment among women is still daunting as women continue to face old and new barriers to equal employment platform as men. They are still facing the challenge of discrimination especially within prestigious and management hierarchies. Particularly, they face horizontal segregation that is founded on the belief that women and men are inherently suited for varying occupations. Also, they face the problem of network discrimination as characterized by the fact that most recruiters for prestigious jobs are mostly males. Similarly, males dominate the highest echelons of socio-economic status thereby perpetuating their over-representation not only in best jobs, but also in prestigious business communities.

The Future of Employment Challenges for Women

Despite the world acknowledging that the problem of employment among women is enormous, I do not see a resolution to it in the near future. This view is informed by the reality that it is a deeply-entrenched challenge that has many dimensions including cultural, political, and economic. As such, addressing this challenge will call for a multi-dimensional approach that covers all its dominant aspects. Unfortunately, the efforts being applied at the moment are not comprehensive and only address few parts of this challenge rather than the whole. The problem is further compounded with the inaction among majority of women who are either complacent or unaware of the enormity of the challenge.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident that employment is the biggest challenge that women face today. It is a multi-faceted challenge that not only affects the quality of life of women, but also their progress and position in society. Despite having a long history, its resolution is not foreseeable in the near future. Nonetheless, there is need for continued efforts and initiatives aimed at addressing this challenge comprehensively going into the future.

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