The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
During the Second World War, women proved they could do “men’s” work and do it well. With men away to serve in the military and demands for war materials increasing, manufacturing jobs opened up to women and upped their earning power. Yet, women’s employment was only encouraged as long as the war was on. Once the war was over, federal and civilian policies replaced women workers with men.
However, the second-wave feminist movement of the 1960s began to draw women back into the workforce. “The only way for a woman [sic] to find herself, to know herself as a person,” Betty Friedan asserted in The Feminine Mystique,” is by creative work of her own. There is no other way.” Women’s sense of identity was to come from their participation in the labor force. Careers would provide “a new life plan for women.” Confidently and optimistically, feminists set out to expand occupational choices: Women would enter the labor force, and their talents and energies would quickly break down traditional barriers.
The 60s, glamorous and controversial, were a time of tremendous change. At the beginning of the decade, women could not have a bank account, serve on a jury, or practice law. It was commonly understood that if a woman became pregnant, she would stop working. Sexual harassment was rampant and blatant. Male bosses dismissed both sexual harassment and sexual predation as trivial and harmless. It was not until 1991, when Anita Hill testified against US Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas that the public began to engage in a discussion about sexual harassment.
Period dramas, such as Mad Men, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Lessons in Chemistry, accurately portray women’s challenges when they broke into the workforce in the 1960s. Joan and Peggy, arguably the smartest characters on Mad Men, are relegated to secretarial roles and must fight constant sexism to advance their careers. Midge Maisel is denied bookings as a stand-up comedian on stages run by men and is paid less than her male peers. Elizabeth Zott works as a lab technician despite holding a master’s degree in chemistry. All of these women characters deal with astounding levels of sexism, discrimination, and misogyny.
Yet, some 50 years later, the global lack of equity for women is a crisis. As gender parity declines worldwide, the World Economic Forum predicts it will take approximately 132 years to close the gap. Although women comprise more than 50% of the workforce, a dearth of women in leadership positions persists. Within the US labor force, college-educated women outnumber college-educated men, yet the more education they obtain, the greater the pay disparity between them and their male counterparts. And, while the shift to hybrid and flexible working practices has given women greater access to work, especially working mothers, equity does not necessarily follow.
In one especially well-acted scene from Lessons in Chemistry, our protagonist is advised by her male boss to be sure to smile. She quickly retorts and asks him if a surgeon performing an appendectomy needs to smile to do his job. He is momentarily humble. Just this week, I spoke with a client who recently had her annual performance review. One of the pieces of advice that her male boss gave her was to smile more because people sometimes think she is unfriendly. This feedback has nothing to do with her performance and is a piece of advice, as Elizabeth from Lessons in Chemistry points out, and is not something that men hear.
Despite strides made, the journey towards true gender equity remains arduous and essential. The resilience and tenacity shown by women in the past must continue to inspire current and future generations in the relentless pursuit of equality. The progress made is undeniable, but the path ahead is still long and winding.