The Kirwan Institute’s latest report on women in the workplace outlines how organizations can broaden recruitment networks and implement other strategies to increase gender equity.
The pay gap is one of the most persistent barriers to workforce equity women face. Last year, women’s median annual income was $41,977 compared to $52,146 for men. The gap is even more pronounced for Black and Latina women, who earned only 60.8% and 53% of White men’s income, respectively. Institutional gender and racial biases are interconnected, and we have to address the intersectional nature of how inequities operate if we are truly committed to supporting ALL women.
As part of this commitment to equity, the Kirwan Institute is excited to release their newest report A Workforce for the Modern Woman: Strategic Planning for a Fair and Equitable Future. This report is meant to serve as a guidepost for organizations that want to create a more equitable workforce for all women and are looking for concrete and research-based solutions to implement.
A study conducted by the Harvard Business Review concluded that, “If there is only one woman in your candidate pool, there’s statistically no chance she will be hired.” Kirwan's report outlines how organizations can broaden recruitment networks and implement other strategies to increase gender equity.
For almost 100,000 women workers, Black women filed sexual harassment charges with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) at almost three times the rate of White, non-Hispanic women. Proactively preventing sexual harassment and violence against women is a priorty for achieving true #genderequity in the workplace. Read about this and other organizational strategies in Kirwan’s report.
The Kirwan Institute acknowledges the importance of local and national partnerships in this work to help guide implementation recommendations and share best practices. They have a strong network of partners in Central Ohio that are dedicated to improving and advancing opportunities for women:
- The Columbus Women’s Commission
- The Women's Fund of Central Ohio
- The Women’s Place at Ohio State University
- The Association of Staff and Faculty Women
To create an environment in which women can advance, we must share an awareness of the barriers that make it difficult for women to reach their full potential as leaders in the workforce and in their communities.
Learn more by downloading a free copy of the report.
