There are more women leaders and upper-level managers in the United States now than fifty or even twenty years ago. But over a half century after the start of the modern women’s movement, progress toward equity at or even near the top of the professional ladder remains slow.
Only about ten percent of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are women. Women constitute slightly under a quarter of equity law partners, about a quarter of U. S. Governors and Senators, and just over a quarter of members of the House of Representatives. Never has a woman been president of the United States. Moreover, in the last two decades the gender pay gap has scarcely budged. Women still earn only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Of course, in many parts of the word the professional plight of women is far worse. In China for example is only one woman among the 25-member Politburo, the leadership body of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the CCP’s standing committee has no women on it at all. Similarly, because women in South Korea usually feel they must choose either between family or career, the country has the lowest fertility rate in the world.
But the United States is not China, nor is it South Korea. In America have been considerable changes to promote and accommodate women – in the law; in public policies; in workplace accommodations; in teachings and trainings promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion; and in attitudes and behaviors considered professionally acceptable. Which raises the question of why, after many years of considerable, perceptible, change, has the number of women leaders and managers remained stubbornly low?
To this question is one answer that remains largely undiscussed and therefore unaddressed. It’s that men and women are different. There are enormous physical and psychological differences between being a woman and being a man.
We pretend that the distinctions between the genders either do not exist or do not pertain. But they do. Women’s minds, and their bodies impact what they, we, want to do and can do, our entire professional lives.
To be clear, not all of us are the same. Not every woman has menstrual cramps; or gets pregnant; or is exhausted or nauseous while pregnant; or chooses to breast-feed her baby; or feels more responsible for her child than her partner; or has symptoms of menopause. But many or even most women do. To pretend, then, that being in the body of a woman has nothing whatsoever to do with being in the world of work –with both the level of our ambition and, yes, sometimes with our capacity to perform – is to be in denial.
We women openly discuss how having to care for our children affects our work. We do not, however, openly discuss, certainly not with our leaders and managers, the effects on us of dysmenorrhea and hormonal changes; of baby blues and postpartum depression; of swollen breasts and nipple discharges; of night sweats, weight gains, and mood swings.
Menstruation is an illustration. The average woman menstruates about once a month, for about five days, for about forty years. Over ninety percent of women report they have some premenstrual symptoms such as headaches or bloating. More than half of women have menstrual cramps; and some of the time monthly bleeding is heavy and unpredictable. Additionally, somewhere between five to fifteen percent of women report having menstrual pain so intense it interferes with their daily activities.
Does it make sense then to assume that menstruation has no impact at all on women at work or on women’s promotion to positions of leadership and management? Similarly with menopause, a transition that can last between four and ten years and that begins on average at age 47. About 80 percent of women report having symptoms associated with menopause, which is experienced in the prime of their professional lives. Is our physical and psychological well-being entirely irrelevant to our professional status and performance?
Given the gender differences, hybrid work seems on the surface a boon to women. But is it an asset to women ambitious to lead or manage? Not necessarily. Some are reluctant to work from home for fear of being branded a slacker. Others want to set an example – “Do as I do, come into the office.” Still others feel they cannot lead or manage from home as well as from the office.
There are reasons why women as well as men choose even now to ignore the enormous gender differences. They relate to religion and tradition; to feelings of embarrassment and shame; to perceptions of delicacy, fragility, and weakness; and now, to concerns about political correctness. It’s why women usually decide it’s best for professional purposes to pretend they never have a menstrual camp. To pretend they are not drained and depressed by in vitro fertilization. To pretend they do not vomit while they are pregnant. To pretend pumping is fine even when their breasts hurt, and they are obliged to pump in a small room set aside for this purpose. To pretend they do not have menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats; headaches and sleeplessness; anxiety and palpitations.
Granted times are changing. Lactation, menopause, and even menstruation is slowly being destigmatized. Moreover, some companies are trying to accommodate what women particularly want and need. But the changes fall far short. So long as any aspect of women’s health and well-being remains a subject that’s taboo, so long will it impact negatively especially on their rising through the ranks.
The curtain of decorum does not excuse anyone’s silence – including our own – on this obvious but still obviously discomfiting issue. High time then we claim our bodies, ourselves. Given we are physically and psychologically radically different from men we must speak openly, honestly, and yes, loudly about what we need and want when we need and want it.
I get that women who are forthright are at personal and professional risk. At risk of being labeled pushy or demanding, or, heaven forefend, aggressive. But if we don’t speak truth to power, who will?