Modern-Day Misogyny

Today, we look at shows like Mad Men and their depictions of shameless sexism and we see bygones, occurrences that make us chuckle and shake our heads at how antiquated the views of our grandparents' era were, and we revel in how much more advanced our attitudes are. The discrimination is presented in a way that it feels alien, removed enough that it seems impossible for such a thing to exist in the modern time... But perhaps not. Initiatives, such as 'The Everyday Sexism Project', in which women's accounts of sexism are cataloged, show that women are experiencing acts of sexual harassment and discrimination, not just in the form of catcalls on the street, but inappropriate touching and pay-inequality in the professional workforce as well.

Though physical harassment is illegal, there are many ways in which prejudice against females slips its way into the workplace, the most prevalent examples being:

1. Wage Discrimination

pbs.org

Despite the Equal Pay Act, which states "No employer shall discriminate between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex in such establishment for equal work on jobs...", women earn 78 cents on average to every dollar men earn for the same jobs. It is estimated that, over a 45-year working life, the average woman will have been paid nearly half a million dollars less than her male colleague.

2. Hiring

In a study published in PNAS, the results concluded that when potential employers were given two identical resumes, the only difference being that one was labelled with a male name and the other, a female, the male applicant was rated higher in competence, hireability, and whether the employer had a desire to mentor the applicant. More often than not, this exact situation occurs in real circumstances where women are looked over in favor of men for positions of employment because they are seen as incompetent in comparison.

3. The Maternity Risk

Women are also disregarded for employment because employers see them as time bombs for when a pregnancy will occur. Though such questions are not allowed, employers often ask women what they plan on doing when they have children. The problem with this is that there isn't even an "if" anywhere in that question. It's being implied to the woman being questioned that she is expected to have children and leave the workforce in order to assume her role as caretaker/stay-at-home mom.

4. Gender Stereotyping

wordpress.com

Our society enforces that women are supposed to be kind and demure, and men are supposed to be strong and assertive. It is assumed that women are less emotionally, and sometimes even physically, capable of leadership. Female executives that are more vocal at work are labelled as "bossy" and "domineering" as opposed to the "firm" and "dynamic" descriptions awarded to men.