The Personal Is Political

Today let’s talk about a phrase that is deeply ingrained in the fabric of professionalism in the US. You’ve probably heard it many times before, especially around election season. That phrase is, “keep politics out of work.” Along with topics like salary, it’s considered to be impolite for conversation. However, the fact is that things often impact us in correlation to our identities and that means that the lines between the political and the personal are not entirely clear. Now we don’t need to be fighting in the workplace! But there are some difficult conversations that do need to be had. So here are a few reasons why it just won’t work to stay silent anymore.

Access to healthcare

A large barrier for women in the workplace is the extent of unpaid leave obligations they take on. Because women are more often expected to be caregivers at home, they take time off for obligations such as child care and sick care. However, the first national paid childcare leave law was only passed in 2020 as an emergency response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Largely, women do not have access to paid childcare leave nor do they have access to paid sick leave, and that puts them at a disadvantage monetarily and in terms of career advancement.

The wage gap

This brings us to the wage gap. Studies show that as of 2019, women overall made 81¢ to the $1.00 of a man and black women specifically made only 63¢ to the $1.00 of a white man. A large contributing factor of this gap are the unpaid obligations mentioned above. When women cannot be in the office full time, they are regulated to lower pay and to part-time jobs as well. Over time, trends in pay caused by inequity become tradition and before we know it, women are being offered lower starting salaries for the same positions as men, if they are offered the positions at all.

Access to positions/promotions

The last factor that remains is that of advancement in the workplace. Women are often confined by certain societal expectations; be kind, patient, caring, and a good team player. Rarely are women praised for being straightforward, assertive, and speaking their minds. On the personal side, this may look like a woman becoming socially isolated in the office for being “mean” or “intimidating”. But politically, this can have the effect of women being passed over for advancement either for the assumption that they don't have what it takes to move up or the feeling that they might not be the right “fit” to lead a team.

What do all of these workplace setbacks have in common? They are all political but they are also all personal. The reality is that issues like access to healthcare, the wage gap, and career advancement have very real everyday implications for us as individuals. But the answers, as evidenced by recent events, are more often found in political policy than off the clock. If we can’t have these types of conversations in the workplace, then how can we expect to find effective solutions? When you walk into the office you should feel as though you’re walking into a team of people who want to work with you and support you in the best way possible. Why then, wouldn’t we encourage discussing topics like salary, healthcare options, and promotions? Only by breaking down the barriers of communication in the workplace, can we break down the barriers of gatekeeping and add more seats to the table for women and women of color who are working hard and striving towards their goals.

*Stats taken from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/18/new-census-data-reveals-no-progress-has-been-made-closing-the-gender-pay-gap.html

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