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workplace gender equity
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GENDER EQUITY is a cultural state where people of all genders are offered resources and benefits based on what they need, without judgement, to take advantage of the same opportunities to succeed as others.
EQUITY IS DIFFERENT FROM EQUALITY, where everyone simply receives the same opportunities whether or not they can use them.
WORKPLACE GENDER EQUITY happens when employers value and reward all employees solely on the basis of their ability to contribute to the success of the company. In today’s culture, this requires some key principles, including:
COURAGE: Employers recognize that true company success often requires a break from conventional workplace models
DIVERSITY: Hiring managers use inclusive practices to attract and retain employees from a broad range of backgrounds
HUMANITY: Women and men are supported in balancing caregiving responsibilities with their work life, without negative repercussions in any form
San Diego by 2025!
San Diego is our pilot community. We’re teaming up with University of San Diego
to make San Diego County a model of workplace gender equity by 2025.
wHERE aRE wE rIGHT nOW?
We got up-close and personal with 30 San Diegans to find out what they believe and understand about their own workplace cultures.
Even with this small sampling, we uncovered some fascinating thoughts, misconceptions, biases, and practices that perpetuate gender injustice by obstructing women and, yes, impacting men every day.
Observation #1: PEOPLE BELIEVE IN PAY PARITY. So far so good. Everyone agreed that pay should be based only on talent and contributions, not gender.
SO WHY DOES PAY INEQUITY EXIST? In San Diego, full-time working men make an average of $50,359 a year, while women average $42,486. [Census Bureau]
A. Women trade lower salaries for flexible hours to care for children
B. Women accept lower starting salaries and don’t negotiate because they’re worried about seeming “too aggressive”
C. Women are punished for promoting themselves
D. Women are more expected to be primary parents so they get behind in, or drop out of, their careers
E. Supervisors assume women will prioritize family, and give them less aggressive (and less lucrative) accounts
F. All of the above and more – yes, this is the correct answer!
HOW DO WE ADDRESS ALL THE POSSIBLE SCENARIOS?
You can’t. That’s why the Kim Center is doing the deeper dive and tackling THE CENTRAL ISSUE: Society still values women less than men.
This results in women being assigned the bulk of caregiving and homemaking responsibilities, which are also undervalued by society. It allows us to perpetuate double-standards for female behavior. Worst of all, we are taking it for granted that women often must work harder to become accomplished, be noticed, and get rewarded.
Next time: PRIMARY CAREGIVERS
Executive Director Hei-ock Kim Calls Upon San Diego County
Supervisors to Support Workplace Gender Equity
Supervisor Gaspar Awards Grant
San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar awarded the Kim Center a $3,500 Neighborhood Reinvestment Program grant.
Read ArticleSupervisor Cox Awards Grant
San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox awarded the Kim Center an additional $5,000 from the Neighborhood Reinvestment funds.
Read Article
