Sponsored by Christian A. Schwaner, P.C.:
Being a woman in business often comes with biases and obstacles, but you can overcome them with time and effort. As you try to navigate through gender issues at work, don’t let gender inequality negatively affect your career goals.
Ensuring Businesses Treat You Right
You might find that your employer doesn’t treat you equally to your male colleagues. For example, they might try to pawn off poor managerial decisions on a female executive or pay women less than men doing the same jobs.
In response, some companies have chosen an affirmative action approach toward sourcing female leadership in order to bridge the gender equality gap.There is so much power coming from the female front today that many businesses understand they must hire women for certain positions for publicity reasons. However, just because you get hired for that high-powered managerial job doesn’t mean you’ll be treated well.
First, employers know they can get away with paying a woman less for the same job a man would do — and getting more work out of her — especially if she is of a non-Caucasian ethnicity. You’ve heard of the wage gap?
To ensure your upward mobility in a fair way, you need to stand up for yourself and not allow yourself or other women around you to be taken advantage of.
Ending the War of the Sexes
Organizations know that regardless of women’s rights, it’s easy to pay women less than men who do the same jobs. Since it’s still acceptable to do so, employers continue with the status quo. Often, women who do speak out about the gender pay gap are maneuvered out of their positions.
Additionally, in organizations that take an affirmative action approach to balancing gender representation in leadership positions, resentful executives might find ways to undermine their female peers, including blaming these women for problems or setting them up for failure. Have you ever seen the film Fun with Dick and Jane? In movie, the female employee is man played by Jim Carrey who is hired for the specific purpose of being a scapegoat.
With this in mind, it makes sense for you to have some legal protection to help you navigate the doubtlessly turbulent legal landscape that can accompany standing up against gender discrimination in business.
According to Christian A. Schwaner, a criminal defense attorney providing legal advice in Colorado Springs, “You should always have an attorney by your side to ensure you’re protected. For example, did you know that if you have an employment contract at your job, and there is a mandatory termination policy for an arrest in that contract or within the employee handbook, your employer does have the right to terminate you for the arrest – even if you are not convicted.”
It’s important to understand all of the laws related to your employment, so you can work toward getting the best resolution for you.
Getting Through the Politics
There are politics in business and in the courtroom, and unless you are an attorney, you’ll need help. A smart business woman won’t wait for trouble to find her. She’ll be prepared to fight for her right to upward mobility in her career.
