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March: An Examination of Women in the Workplace

March, which is Women's History Month, has thrust important issues about women in the workplace into the national spotlight. From finding a way to close the pay gap to reflecting on the contributions of women on the job, the discussions have been broad and diverse.

Legislatures, advocacy groups and working women are continually grappling with the most effective ways to ensure fairness and create a job market open to all qualified employees. A close examination of some key issues will help shed some light on the direction HR managers and executives are headed and how that might impact hiring practices and workplace policy.

‘Digital Fluency’ May Hold the Key to Closing the Gender Gap

A new study asserts that improving their digital skills will help women close the gender gap, according to an article from Quartz. Women lag men in pay, leadership roles and science and technology opportunities. They are also lagging in digital skills and if women can become more digitally proficient, the workplace the gender gap may be closed by 2040.

A report from Accenture highlights the importance of “digital fluency,” which is multifaceted. “It’s less about doing things like learning to code, and more about using technology to become more ‘knowledgeable, connected and effective’ via taking remote courses, teleworking, or looking for jobs online,” the Quartz article notes. “Men around the world overwhelmingly rely on technology more than women do, Accenture found, and that’s partly what’s getting them ahead in terms of pay, promotions, and the like.”

The study ranked 31 countries with respect to gender equality and digital fluency. Nations with higher digital fluency for women also had more workplace equality. Some notable observations from the study include:

  • Women in the U.S. had the highest digital fluency
  • Japan had the greatest gap in digital fluency between men and women
  • The U.K., Ireland, South Korea, Spain and Argentina had the smallest gaps.
  • In Argentina, women were more digitally fluent than men.

Utah Legislature Looks to up Women’s Workplace Protection

The Utah Legislature is taking aim at discrimination in the workplace and has passed an amendment to the Utah Antidiscrimination Act that provides additional protections for pregnant and breastfeeding women, according to a post from JD Supra Business Advisor.

“This law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees upon request for conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, unless doing so would create an ‘undue hardship,’” according to the article. Employers are prohibited from firing an employee, or denying employment to a woman, to avoid accommodating them. However, the law states an employer is not required to allow a woman to bring her child to work as an accommodation.

The law applies to employers with 15 or more employees and is awaiting the governor’s signature. If signed, the law will go into effect in May.

A Visual History of Women in the Workplace

Opportunities for women in the workplace have increased exponentially in recent decades. Reuters took time to collect some powerful historical images of women at work.

“U.S. Library of Congress archive photos show women’s workplaces ranging from a flour mill in England to a coal mine in Belgium or Lincoln Motor Co.’s welding department in Detroit,” according to Reuters. One picture shows women in an office, as a “President Warren Harding portrait stands on the mantle circa 1921-1923.”

International Women's Day was celebrated on March 8, aimed at raising awareness of gender equality issues.

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