Login
by Vanessa Montañez
Does the Glass Ceiling exist in today’s world of equality? What do you think? I think the facts speak for themselves.
We all know women earn less than men. Women who worked full-time, year-round in 2014 earned, on average, 79 percent of men’s median annual earnings, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Over the years the gender wage gap has lessened but we are still too slow in our progress.
This past presidential election showed that we are still not ready for the first female President of the United States of America. Of the 195 independent countries in the world, only 17 are led by women, according to the U.S. State Department. “I can’t believe we just put the biggest crack in the glass ceiling yet,” stated Hillary Clinton at the 2016 Democratic National Convention (DNC). Are we one step closer?
The National Association of Women in Real Estate Business (NAWRB) Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council (NDLIC) brings women’s diversity and inclusion to the forefront of the housing ecosystem with accountability and results by raising the number of women in the housing finance industry. The numbers look promising for women looking for a career in real estate, as 62 percent of all Realtors® are female, according to the 2016 National Association of Realtors® Member Profile.
On the C-suite level the numbers are inadequate. The 2015 Catalyst Census reveals that men held 80.1 percent of S&P 500 board seats, while women only held 19.9 percent and men held 73.1 percent of S&P 500 new directorships, while women only held 26.9 percent. The Census also found that: 2.8 percent of S&P 500 companies had zero women directors; 24.6 percent had one woman; and only 14.2 percent of companies had 30 percent or more women on their boards. Within S&P 500 companies, women held: 4.2 percent of CEO positions, 9.5 percent of top earner positions, 25.1 percent of executive/senior-level officials and managers positions, 36.4 percent of first/mid-level officials and managers positions; additionally, 44.3 percent of total employees were women.
Women need to achieve higher educational attainment with advanced degrees in their respective fields. The more education once receives the more income one earns. Women also need to study fields where men have predominantly dominated. Examples would start with STEMF, a term I altered to include science, technology, engineering, mathematics and finance.
Take risks in your career. Apply for the position you want but may not feel qualified for because you do not meet every qualification of the job. Women need to break the glass ceiling at every level. Whether you are starting your career or making a change in your career. It all starts with you.