WOMEN: LIKE MEN, ONLY CHEAPER

Women make up roughly 50% of the labor work force in the United States, so why do they earn,
on average, 78 cents to every 1 dollar a man earns?

Women—ages 25-34—are 21% more likely to graduate college and 48% more likely to finish
graduate school than men, so why are men viewed as “more qualified” for a job than a woman
with the same degree and experience?

Women have been working equally as hard as men since the dawn of time, so why do they face
prejudice every single day in their profession?

America has made bounding steps throughout the decades for women’s rights. Starting with
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton forming the National Woman Suffrage
Association in 1869, to 1920 when women were finally given the right to vote, then to the Equal
Pay Act becoming federal law in 1963, and now, Hillary Clinton, being the first woman to be
nominated as a major party presidential candidate. It is undeniable that things have changed
since the heyday of “women belong in the kitchen, not in the workplace”, but did the ideology
really disappear? Sexism in the American workplace still exists, it might just not be as obvious.
There are always instances of blatant, radical discrimination, but what about the subtle, “oh,
you’re not the secretary?” or, “smile more!”?

What’s a girl gotta do to be treated as a hard-working human being, rather than a sex symbol or
object? These types of prejudices don’t just randomly appear either, they start from childhood
and grow through adolescence. Young women in the workplace, trying to make an impact in
their profession are getting the short end of the stick, because they can’t be taken seriously.
Many female college students feel as if even when they work harder, get better grades, or have
more experience, yet they still get overlooked by their male peers.

I interviewed 10 young college women recently about their thoughts and experiences with
sexism in both the classroom and the workplace. It was surprising, to me, how often they came
in contact with prejudice or had to worry about whether or not they were going to be able to
break through the glass ceiling of their dream occupation.

Meet these strong, young women:

 • Lizzie N.

Major: Psychology

Dream Occupation: Entrepreneur or CEO

“People don't believe women are capable of

achieving higher goals and handling high stress
situations. They say men will always get the job
before women. Women don't get the same path
as men, no matter what position.”

Lizzie has just recently graduated and already

has a job with a very competitive flooring
company as a purchasing assistant. She is also
working on a master’s degree in Marriage and
Family Therapy/Counseling. She eventually
wants to own her own business and be her own
boss, but did you know that in 2015’s Fortune
500, only 4.6% or 24 of the CEOS of America’s
most influential companies were women? That
number was also, apparently, the all time high
for Forbes’ Fortune 500. The salaries combined
of the two top paid male CEOS ($210 million)
are still higher than all top ten of the female CEO
salaries ($204 million). Although Lizzie is not
quite sure of exactly what type of business she
wants to own, she knows it will be non-profit
and/or family therapy-based. According to an
article written by “The Atlantic”, male
entrepreneurs have 405 more of a chance to get
funding for their startups than female
entrepreneurs. One of the co-founders of Tinder
was quoted saying that having a female CEO,
“makes the company seem like a joke” and “devalues” it.”

Lizzie doesn’t think what she does is a joke at all. She hopes that proving all the nay-sayers
wrong by showing everyone what is capable of will help women get a step closer to breaking
through workplace sexism. She is not worried, because she is confident in her ability to follow
her dreams.
 • Victoria R.

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Dream Occupation: NASA Flight Control or

Imagineer at Disney

“Encouraging girls creates strong women,

and strong women are never to be
underestimated”

Victoria’s dream is to design the amazing

roller coasters and rides at Walt Disney
World or to be in the control room at NASA.
Either way, those are big feats, regardless of
gender, but she knows she can do it. 20% of
NASA engineers are female and they make,
on average, $12,000 less than their male
counterparts. The first female engineer ever,
JoAnn H. Morgan, was hired in 1963. Morgan
is quoted saying, "for the first 15 years, I
worked in a building where there wasn't a
ladies' rest room," and "it was a big day in my
book when there was one.” Victoria has
always been confident in her own skin and
thinks that women have just as much —or
more— ability to be engineers of all kinds,
even when society might not agree.

She stated, “When interviewing for an

internship, one manager I interviewed with
was a male. He assumed that because I was
a woman I would not be willing to perform the
tasks required from the job. He phrased
questions to me with the words "As a girl,", "When you were a young girl," and "Being a
woman," so that he could feel comfortable that I would be a satisfactory candidate for the
position.” Victoria isn’t afraid of the prejudices that are thrown her way in any job she interview
for or works at. She will not be tamed.

• Morgan K.
 Major: Finance with a Minor in
Computer Science

Dream Occupation: Financial

Analyst or Financial Advisor

“I think women can combat

sexism by not being afraid to
speak up in class or the
workplace. Women seem to
always be apologizing for
disagreeing or speaking up.
Or they're too scared to do
so.”

Morgan has been a star

student since she learned
numbers and hasn’t stopped
since. Although she has been
a 4.0 gal her entire life, she
still feels like she has to work
double time to compete with
her male counterparts, who might not even have the skills Morgan has. Personal Financial
Advisors were ranked as the “#1 Most Sexist Job by Forbes and women make up 1/3 of
financial advisors, but still only make 58 cents on the dollar. According to CBS News, In the past
10 years, 141,000 women, 2.6% of female workers in finance, disappeared from the industry,
while the ranks of men in the industry grew by 389,000, or 9.6%, according to a review of data
provided by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.” According to an article by U.S. News,
people find men to be “more trustworthy” with their money compared to women. They found that
the people they surveyed had put men as more reliable and “aggressive” with money, thus
making them better financial advisors.

While these numbers and prejudices seem kind of frightening, Morgan isn’t letting that burden
her. She is focused on her future and will most likely graduate with a 4.0 and go right on into her
career. She wants younger girls growing up right now to “not be afraid to come off as bossy or
even "bitchy" when it comes to standing up for themselves”

• Christine L. M.
Major: Math Education with a Fashion Merchandising minor, taking extra classes in Women's
Studies, Writing, and Art

Dream Occupation: Bestselling Novelist, Fashion Designer, Screen/Scriptwriter, and Actress.

It'd be dope to also own a bakery/restaurant. And a theme park. I have a lot of dream
occupations…

“I'm a firm believer in Nelson Mandela's line that "Education is the most powerful weapon which
you can use to change the world". Teaching everyone-- not just explicitly sexist people-- about
the consequences of a sexist society can invoke real change that is infectious”

Christine has many, many hopes and dreams for her future, but she knows she will make the
best out of whatever is thrown her way. Although her dreams might be big and promising, she
knows there is sexism everywhere. When asked if she believed there is sexism in her dream
occupation, Chris responded with, “Of course, because there's sexism everywhere... how it
manifests itself and how overt it is is what changes from place to place, career to career.”

Chris goes on to speak about her dream of being a fashion designer, “Any girl studying Fashion
Merchandising can tell you that there's flack for the major being "easy" and targeted towards
"dumb sorority girls that like shopping", which is absolutely false.” Agreed, Christine. The
fashion industry is actually, severely sexist. According to the blog Refinery29, only 1.7% of
fashion company’s CEOs are female. That seems ridiculous when you stop and think about how
many female designers there are.

As for her acting and writing career, Chris says, “It doesn't take any kind of whiz to see that
sexism is rampant in entertainment. On screen, roles are limiting: female characters are often
sexualized eye candy or "manic pixie dream girls" with no real goals or purpose beyond
furthering the plot of the male lead…Off screen the writing/directing/producing is male
dominated and it gets hard for women to get their voice and ideas in. Often, we have a room full
of mostly male writers writing for women's voices.” In films with at least one female director or
writer, women comprised 37% of all speaking characters, but in films written and directed by
men, they represented 28% of speaking characters. Moreover, 39% of protagonists in films from
female writers and directors were women, whereas women were 4% of the lead characters in
films from male filmmakers. Chris won’t be frightened by this, she will prevail.
 • Victoria H.

Major: Political Science with a Minor

in Journalism Constitutional Studies

Dream Occupation: Freelance Writer

or Foreign Service Worker

“Take Hillary Clinton for example. The

woman has dedicated her life to public
service and rather than calling her an
experienced public servant she's often
portrayed as a calculating shrew. She
has to work twice as hard to seem
relatable and to overcome a
reputation for ambition. In men, that's
a strength. In women it's intimidating.”

Victoria has always been a badass

and most definitely won’t stop being
one. Her passion for politics and
knack for putting uninformed male
peers in their place will go a long way
in her dream professions. Although
women in politics has come a very
long way, there is still several more
big rungs on the ladder to make it
“equal”. Women make up 35% of
Foreign Service Officers and
Specialists, 40% Foreign Service
officer corps and 33% of U.S.
Ambassadors, which is most definitely
a great stride from the past few
decades.

Victoria won’t let anyone in her classes or her workplace make her feel less than what she is.
She has most certainly experienced prejudice, but it doesn’t effect her ability to show anyone
up. She says, “I once had a guy put his head down like he was napping while I was responding
to him during a seminar. 11 people in the room and he just blatantly ignored me. It sends a clear
message. Luckily, I'm not a shrinking violet. I call them on their shit because I know other girls
won't. Because we've been taught that standing up for ourselves is more work than it's worth
sometimes. I'm not inclined to agree.”
 • Liz D.

Major: Biochemistry

Dream Occupation: Biology Researcher or

Professor

“The best way to combat sexism is to appreciate

the way that has been paved by feminists before
us. They laid the groundwork for women to vote,
enter into the labor force, and achieve higher
education. Now we must go and enjoy the spoils
of the war that we have won.”

Liz dreams of researching and teaching biology

for the rest of her life and making a difference in
the environment. She has already made so
much progress in her studies, continuously
being a 4.0 student, while also working two jobs.
There is nothing Liz can’t do with a work ethic
like that.

Women make up roughly half of the doctorates

in science, but only 22% of active science
professors and earn 82% of what their male
counterparts do. According to a survey given in
2006 to chemistry doctoral students at Royal
Society of Chemistry in London, 70% of the
female students wanted to go into chemistry
research, which then turned into 57% in the end.
They concluded that this was because of the
lack of sufficient support and opportunity given
to the female students, compared to the male
students.

Liz is determined to continue with her dreams and prove male scientists that don’t take her
seriously, wrong. She won’t let anything get in her way.
 • Kha-Yen L.

Majors: Political
Science and Criminal
Justice

Dream Occupation:
Prosecutor

“If we all just noticed

how we treat, speak
to, and engage with
women, I think that
could go a long way.”

Did you know?

Kha-Yen is a force to be reckon with. She dreams of being a big-time prosecutor and has
immense experience with internships with judges and her school’s mock-trial team. She recently
graduated and got into a well-renowned law school. Unsurprisingly, 33.4% of lawyers are
female, 75% of paralegals are women and 46% of associates are women, while only 22% are
partners in a law firm. Those female partners make 10% less on average than their male
counterparts, while some are even paid 50% less.

Kha-Yen will definitely not let that frighten her. She says, “In some offices that I visited, I noticed
that women weren't taken very seriously, and it wasn't all verbal. Most of the things I noticed
were people's body language, like when a woman was speaking, no one actually looked at her,
or people would crack jokes about the one female judge and her accent (which was a super
thick Southern one), but no one ever batted an eye at the other male judges who had their own
quirks.”
 • Lillie Barnett

Major(s): Biology and

Music

Dream Occupation:
Neuroscientist
(professor and
researcher)

“ Although it is
important to speak out
against sexism, we
should also channel
our rage into
performing our best
work. In other words,
let's show less
violence and more
action, women!”

Lillie has a lot on her plate, obviously. She ultimately wants to teach neuroscience, but
immediately wants to study it when she enters graduate school. In the past, she has researched
the impact stress has on the ability to sing and is currently researching another topic with her
professor. Unfortunately, Only 20% of Neuroscience professors are women and they make, on
average, between $40,000 and $85,000, less than their male colleagues. Although Lillie is not in
this for the money, it does show the unfairness that is very relevant in the science community.

A recent Harvard study revealed that 70 percent of men and women across 34 countries view
science as more masculine than feminine. Lillie thinks this is hogwash! She says, “After all,
science is about observable evidence, not just words. By relentlessly performing our best work,
I believe that we will continue to prove to every field that people (rather than men or women) are
capable of wonders.”
 • Fatima L. S.

Major: Biomedical Engineering

Dream Occupation: Doing

research with 3D printers and
printing of human organs

Fatima is studying in a school

and profession that is heavily run
by men, which is pretty
shocking, considering how many
women are entering several
other technologically driven
sciences elsewhere. According
to an article done by New York
Times, many female engineering
students and researchers have
had death and rape threats sent
to them just for speaking up and
talking about their ideas in class
and in meetings. Fatima isn’t
necessarily phased by this,
though. She says the best way
to combat the sexism is to,
“acknowledge it and correct it.”

According to a study published by “Psychology of Women Quarterly”, women in the biomedical

engineering department had to perform 2.5 times the work of their male colleagues in order for
their work to receive the same peer review score for post doctoral fellowships. In a world geared
towards men, Fatima isn’t afraid to speak up and get her work done. Her dream of doing
research with 3D printers is not to be tampered with by sexism in her field.
 • Reka
Keleman

Major: Mechanical
Engineering

Dream Occupation:
Architect

“Have more options

for women to get
an engineering
career and for them
to shoot for higher
goals”

Reka really wants

to become an
architect, so she
design and build
fantastic and
innovative buildings
of the future. She is very qualified and has traveled all over the world, seeing the vast culture
differences in architecture. Her only worry: men rule the business. According to the Annual
RIBA statistics, women make up 11% of the architectural profession and that, "of the women
we've spoken to, there was a general feeling that if they didn't shut up, they might lose their
jobs. Men receive 28% higher pay, on average, than women for the same jobs and many female
architects have said that men frequently compare women’s bodies to pieces of architecture and
talk about their “curves” and “lumps” and “imperfections”.

Reka thinks that just poses a challenge for her to be better than those men and make even
more money than them. She will prove to them that she is not weak and she will not shut up.

Although sexism in the workplace is an issue, women are breaking through that glass every
day. With the recent nomination of Hillary Clinton for the President of the United States; one can
only imagine what young women and girls will be able to do in the future! Maybe, someday,
there will be a female President and Vice President and sexism and prejudice will be a thing of
the past. Current and future college women will have the courage and confidence to outshine
any prejudice thrown their way.