Women at work

The day traditionally set aside to consider labor issues — from the length of the work day to safety practices — takes on new importance and vitality as women, who are expected to outnumber men in the workplace by a significant margin in just a few years, bring new issues to the table. Glass ceilings, fetal-protection policies, old-boy networks and sexual harassment are just a few of the concerns women encounter on the job.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that women now constitute about two-thirds of new entrants to the work force, with nearly 60 million women currently employed. The sheer size of this labor pool should persuade management to consider seriously issues that women say prevent them from doing their jobs as well as possible.

In some instances, management has. The glass ceilings that keep women from reaching the top levels of corporations has been broken in places. In 1973, for instance, 11 percent of Fortune 1,000 companies had women on their boards of directors; last year, 59 percent of those companies did. Those women should draw other women into the upper levels of management. The ceiling, of course, remains intact in many areas, which not only hurts women’s careers but cuts off a company from a tremendous source of talent.

Sexual discrimination and harassment, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, have taken a more subtle route in the last decade, since many labor groups and companies themselves have vigorously worked to force them out of the workplace. The EEOC defines sexual harassment as an unsolicited, non-reciprocal behaviour that interferes with a person’s job, ranging from sexist remarks about a person’s clothes to demanding sexual favors accompanied by threats concerning future employment.

Though company policies are less often the source of discrimination, individuals within a company have taken up the slack, according to EEOC, which has noted an increased number of complaints of sexual innuendos and comments designed to embarass women.

It is more difficult to rid a company of the attitudes that produce these low-life remarks than it is to change a company policy, but employers must take responsibility for providing a work environment free of harassment. As people, we deserve no less.

Besides, companies that have removed unfair barriers for women have been rewarded by offices with lower levels of tension and animosity, yielding more loyal, more productive employees. In a time of increasing competition both nationally and globally, an improved atmosphere within a company can make the difference between success and failure.