23rd Annual Session of the Seoul Model United Nations ​ Forum: Human Rights Council (HRC) ​ Question of: Devising methods to combat gender inequality in the ​ workplace Student Officer: Emily Sung, Deputy Assistant President ​ ​ Introduction In 1963, the Kennedy administration ratified the Equal Pay Act1, abolishing wage disparity based on gender in the United States. A year from then, the United States Supreme Court passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which included Title VII, an act that outlawed all forms of discrimination in the workplace2. Nearly sixty years have passed, but the gender pay gap is still an ongoing issue: a woman still earns 81 cents for every dollar earned by a man, and an average man working for a lifetime in the same workplace would receive about $900,000 more than an average woman3. This disparity extends to other areas over the globe, including Spain, in which half of the working female population disagreed to the question asking if wages were paid regardless of their gender4, Japan, where a woman earns 73% of a man’s regular wage, and Denmark, with a 15% wage gap5. It is, however, not only in wage where discrimination exists, but rather in the workplace as a whole where women are degraded solely due to their gender. Men are significantly more likely to climb up the career ladder and end up with an executive role such as directors or managers than women are: in 2015, only 27 women were promoted for every 100 men, a statistic that remained nearly unchanged since then6. This opportunity gap is also visible in the gender composition of certain occupations with drastically different amounts of pay— higher paying jobs including financial managers or lawyers are nearly always filled with male employees, whereas lower paying jobs such as childcare workers or dishwashers are nearly always female7. 1 “The Equal Pay Act of 1963.” U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, www.eeoc.gov/statutes/equal-pay-act-1963. 2 “Title VII,Civil Rights Act of 1964, as Amended.” U.S. Department of Labor Seal, www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/civil-rights-center/statutes/title-vii-civil-rights-act-of-1964. 3 “Gender Pay Gap Statistics for 2020.” PayScale, www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap. 4 Ibid. 5 Kliff, Sarah. “A Stunning Chart Shows the True Cause of the Gender Wage Gap.” Vox, Vox, 19 Feb. 2018, www.vox.com/2018/2/19/17018380/gender-wage-gap-childcare-penalty. 6 Fuhrmans, Vanessa. “Where Women Fall Behind at Work: The First Step Into Management.” The Wall Street ​ Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 15 Oct. 2019, ​ www.wsj.com/articles/where-women-fall-behind-at-work-the-first-step-into-management-11571112361. 7 “Fact Sheet: Occupational Segregation in the United States.” Equitable Growth, 23 Apr. 2019, equitablegrowth.org/fact-sheet-occupational-segregation-in-the-united-states/. SEOMUN XXIII Research Report • 1 ​ ​ 23rd Annual Session of the Seoul Model United Nations ​ Other prominent types of discrimination range from being treated as incompetent solely due to one’s gender to being held to different standards depending on gender and more, all of which are commonly experienced by female employees. According to the Pew Research Center, twice as many women than men responded that they have faced the aforementioned types of discrimination in their workplace8. The long history of workplace sexism traces back to the mid-twentieth century when women first started to take on jobs outside of their domestic, household chores9. Continuously mistreated and deprioritized, women were held to much higher standards and given significantly lesser pay. This led to the passing of the aforementioned Equal Pay Act of 1963 which includes giving wages based on skill and effort, along with protection for workers to complain or sue their employers to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission10, and the Civil Rights Act of ​ ​ 1964 containing Title VII which prohibits discrimination as a whole in the workplace, and can result in a maxium of a $300,000 fine if violated11. Workplace sexism still persists, and although the direct cause is questionable, many factors certainly play a role in the mistreatment of female employees. The first and most obvious one would be the unconscious internal discrimination hardwired into the employers’ minds12. Stereotypes exist regarding the jobs that women are more suited for versus the jobs women are less talented at, which commonly includes CEOs or directors13. Thus, claims are made that women are unknowingly discriminated against in white collar workplaces due to the internal bias. Another potential cause is the motherhood, or the childbearing penalty14. People believe that even after taking maternity leave, women tend to lean more towards nurturing their child and 8 Parker, Kim, and Cary Funk. “42% Of US Working Women Have Faced Gender Discrimination on the Job.” Pew ​ ​ Research Center, Pew Research Center, 30 May 2020, ​ www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/12/14/gender-discrimination-comes-in-many-forms-for-todays-working-wom en/. 9 Kranzberg, Melvin, and Michael T. Hannan. “Women in the Workforce.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia ​ ​ Britannica, Inc., 2 June 2017, www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-work-organization-648000/Women-in-the-workforce. 10 History.com Editors. “Equal Pay Act.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 30 Nov. 2017, ​ ​ www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/equal-pay-act. 11 Shrm. “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” SHRM, SHRM, 19 May 2017, www.shrm.org/hr-today/public-policy/hr-public-policy-issues/pages/titleviiofthecivilrightsactof1964.aspx. 12 Pavlou, Christina. “Gender Inequality in the Workplace: A Lack of Women in Leadership: Workable.” Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better, 27 Feb. 2020, resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/gender-inequality-in-the-workplace. 13 Gillett, Rachel. “Gender Bias Could Make It Harder for Women to Become CEO, According to a Recent Study.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 17 Apr. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/why-women-almost-never-become-ceo-2016-9. 14 Correll, Shelley J., et al. “Getting a Job: Is There a Motherhood Penalty?” American Journal of Sociology, vol. ​ ​ ​ 112, no. 5, 2007, pp. 1297–1338. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/511799. Accessed 10 July 2020. ​ ​ SEOMUN XXIII Research Report • 2 ​ ​ 23rd Annual Session of the Seoul Model United Nations ​ become physically incapable to maintain a stable career15. Discrimination based on pregnancy is illegal after the passing of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 197816, but according to a study done in 2018, nearly half of the employed American population believe that working moms are less devoted to their job, and more than one third dislike them for wanting a more flexible working schedule17. Therefore, employers purposefully avoid treating female employees better in the first place as they are viewed as a non-permanent workforce. Workplace discrimination is a blatant violation of human rights, the most basic being the right to equality, as it refuses to take into account skill levels or effort but instead judges a person based on their unchangeable demographics. Other rights that are violated when workplace discrimination occurs include the right to work regardless of pregnancy, the right to equal opportunities for hiring and promotions, the right to work in a safe environment, and much more 18. This also leaves a considerable effect on a woman’s psychological and emotional health, as it results in low self-esteem, isolation, and feelings of discomfort or fear around the perpetrators of discrimination19. Advancing equality in the workplace is not only a moral benefit, but it also helps profit the world as a whole. According to a study done in 2015, if women take up an identical part of the workforce as that of men, also called the “full potential” scenario, $28 million could potentially be added to global annual GDP by 202520. This is generally because more qualified women are being declined and cut solely due to gender, thus making companies unable to bring up their productivity to their fullest extent. Especially in a decade of innovation, technology is developing daily with more workers being on the verge of being replaced and women, who are the most vulnerable, must be protected. With collective efforts to combat gender inequality in the workplace, women would finally be able to contribute to their fullest potential. 15 Kliff, “A Stunning Chart Shows the True Cause of the Gender Wage Gap”. 16 “Pregnancy Discrimination.” U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, www.eeoc.gov/pregnancy-discrimination. 17 “MODERN FAMILY INDEX 2018.” Bright Horizons, 2018. 18 “How Gender Discrimination Affects Women In The Workplace.” Florin Roebig // Trial Attorneys, 5 July 2020, florinroebig.com/workplace-discrimination-women/. 19 Ibid. 20 Woetzel, Jonathan, et al. “How Advancing Women's Equality Can Add $12 Trillion to Global Growth.” McKinsey & Company, 1 Sept. 2015, www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/employment-and-growth/how-advancing-womens-equality-can-add-12-trillio n-to-global-growth. SEOMUN XXIII Research Report • 3 ​ ​ 23rd Annual Session of the Seoul Model United Nations ​ Definition of Key Terms Workplace Discrimination Workplace discrimination covers all forms of mistreament and unfair disadvantages an individual is subject to due to attributes such as gender, race, or sexual orientation. Examples include being denied a promotion or a job despite having all the necessary qualifications, being dismissed without a valid reason, being paid less even after putting in the same effort, and more. Although outlawed by a number of acts, the workplace still continues to be one of the largest areas of discrimination in the status quo. Wage Gap One of the most prominent examples of workplace discrimination is the wage gap, which is a term specifically concerning workplace sexism, as it is also referred to as the gender pay gap.