Mistreatment of women in the workplace has been a long-standing issue for decades, but has gained attention since the rise of the #MeToo movement in the United States in 2017. Even after the impact that #MeToo has had in the cultural mind, many still argue that workplace sexism does not truly happen, that it is all in the victim’s mind, or that it is such a subtle and/or rare experience that there is no need to implement any regulations to create a better work environment for women. In a more critical sense, some would argue that our patriarchal, misogynistic society does not recognize the issues women deal with in the workplace because it would necessitate a complete dismantling of the workplace, which could dismantle our society.
There are two studies that outline that workplace mistreatment does occur, and how it impacts women in the workplace. Schilt (2006) conducts a study on stealth transgender men in the workplace to assess if and how men experience advantages in the workplace. These participants had the unique perspective of being a woman in the workplace pre-transition and being able to directly compare it to being a man in the workplace post-transition. Through this study, Schilt (2006) finds that these transgender men experienced several advantages in the workplace after their transition, including: increased beliefs by others of their authority and competency, increased respect and recognition, and possible economic gains. They received better evaluations from their higher-ups, coworkers listened to them more, they had an easier time getting jobs, they received increased support and resources to complete projects, and gained bodily autonomy – including less sexual harassment and comments.
As opposed to the advantages men receive in the workplace as perceived and explained by the transgender men in Schilt’s (2006) study, Manuel et. al (2017) measures workplace sexism to see how it affects women’s health and overall workplace experience, including job security, autonomy, and stress. The authors also measure these factors in combination with presenteeism, which is when an employee comes in to work sick instead of using a sick day. Throughout their study, Manuel et. al (2017) find that women who perceive that their workplace as sexist perceive lower job security and autonomy, more work-related stress, rate themselves as having more symptoms of poor health, and higher rates of presenteeism (or lower absenteeism).
Given the advantages that men experience within the workplace, as outlined by Schilt’s (2006) findings, are subtle to those in higher positions or not part of a marginalized community (like women, people of color, or those part of the LGBTQ+ community), it is seemingly hard to pinpoint whether workplace sexism happens. However, since the participants in Schilt’s (2006) study have experienced being in American workplaces as a man and a woman, her findings only bolster the findings in Manuel et. al’s (2017) study. Women don’t only miss out on the social and economic advantages that men receive in the workplace, but this form of workplace inequality through sexism also disadvantages women by impacting their overall job experience, their long-term health, and even leading them to go to work while sick (increased presenteeism) instead of recuperating at home.
This fits within the U.S.’ neoliberal, capitalist, misogynistic ideals. Our society automatically deems women as unworthy, less knowledgeable, and incapable before she enters the workforce. Once she does enter the workforce, she is still unworthy and incapable, and is seen as less of a workplace asset and more of a loss (of a home asset). Women are dehumanized and objectified, with their sole worth being what service they can provide in the domestic sphere. This is where they are most valuable in a patriarchal and capitalist society, to help reproduce the next generation of workers and to help sustain current workers. By depriving women in the workplace of the social, physical, and economic benefits men in the workplace receive automatically, America’s patriarchal, neoliberal, capitalist system works overtime to push women back into the domestic sphere. If being disadvantaged and mistreated in the workplace doesn’t work, increasing women’s work stressors and having higher rates of presenteeism will surely nip their notion of gender equality and the right to work.
Manuel, Sara K., Kristina Howansky, Kimerly E. Chaney, and Diana T. Sanchez. 2017. “No Rest for the Stigmatized: A Model of Organizational Health and Workplace Sexism (OHWS)”. Sex Roles 77: 697-708.
Schilt, Kristen. 2006. “Just One of the Guys?: How Transmen Make Gender Visible at Work”. Gender & Society 20(4):465-490. doi:10.1177/0891243206288077
Written by: Lily Philbrook