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It’s no secret that women are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to business endeavors. In recent years, women have been the talk of business and politics. But even with this new conversation being had, there are still many struggles for women in the business world. 

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2017, the wage gap was 80 cents on the dollar, meaning women made, on average, 20 cents less than men doing the exact same work. Women’s participation in the workforce was 56.8 percent in 2016, but only 27 percent of chief executive positions were held by women. 

Before we can fully understand America’s current situation and solve the problem, we need to look at U.S. history and determine how we can continue to grow as a country. 

In the Netflix series “Explained,” Veronique de Rugy, economics researcher, said that the wage gap is an actual number that tells almost nothing about the real disparity between men and women.

In 1960, the pay gap was slightly over 60 cents on the dollar. Experts attribute this to factors such as female education rates, “feminine” jobs and discrimination. However, cultural norms about gender roles played more of a factor than any of these. Women were seen as powerless and less intelligent. More than anything, women were confined to roles as homemakers and mothers.

Many of the causes for the pay gap in the ’60s have diminished, except for motherhood. Because women bear children, many in society expect them to be the primary caregiver.  

Pew Research Center found that in 2013, a full-time employee and mother works nine more hours a week on childcare and household activities than an average father. This promotes the idea that if a woman has children, she has to turn down work assignments. While a woman is turning down work for her child, a male is more than likely getting promoted. Because the female may have to work part time or more flexibly, the separation between the male and female earning potential just keeps growing. But this isn’t always the case. 

Emily Abbas, senior vice president and chief marketing communications officer at Bankers Trust, is also a wife and mother of two. 

“As a mother, I am someone who didn’t pull back and do less when I had kids, and that was just my choice,” Abbas said. “I’ve got a great support network with my husband, and we’ve got a lot of parents in town, too.”  

She explained that the thought of cutting back at work never really crossed her mind. Instead, she continued to be just as involved at work and on several boards all throughout her career with kids. 

Fajen Consulting founder Micholyn Fajen is a mother of three. Fajen said that right at the peak of her career, she and her husband decided to expand their family. She said that six months into the pregnancy, they discovered they were having twins. 

“That was (a) complete shock because I had this career path planned,” Fajen said. 

Fajen wanted to work up the ladder at the company she worked for, but instead she made a difficult decision. Fajen decided to stay home with her kids after having the twins. 

“I was fortunate enough to be able to consult or contract with ITIA group, so when projects came up, they would bring me in, and that helped me retain a professional foot in my career, so I didn’t feel like I was losing anything by being home,” Fajen said. 

Liz Cox, director of Prevent Child Abuse Iowa, also holds a leadership role where she influences others every day. 

“I supervise 10 people, but how well we do here has a much broader impact,” Cox said. 

Cox is responsible for 76 child abuse prevention councils all across the state of Iowa.  

 “It feels like in our community that it’s OK for women to be executive directors of nonprofits, but we’re not quite sure if they should be executive directors of businesses,” Cox said. 

How do we fix this problem? Abbas, Fajen and Cox said we need to let women have a seat at the table and encourage men to join the conversation.

Abbas advises women that if they do attain a seat at the table, they need to be sure and speak up. 

“Even when I was 22 at Guideone Insurance, I was on the CEO’s speed dial, and he brought me in meetings to keep me up to speed on things,” Abbas said. “He asked for my opinion and my recommendations. I think part of that is because I’ve always been willing to make recommendations, and if I’m in the room, if I’m going to have a seat at the table, I’m going make sure I’m contributing and make sure I have a voice and that I am valued.”

Fajen said that she feels like she needs to prove herself as a woman in these types of situations as well. She said every time she has an interaction with a male client, she comes even more prepared. Fajen has also seen some gender discrimination when she meets with clients. 

“I come in and see from outside windows what is happening, and I have a different visual than someone internally might see,” Fajen said. “That’s where I see, gender-wise, a dismissal of ideas. And sometimes you see confidence slip and the trickle effect that has on a person’s confidence in sharing ideas in the future.” 

CEO and President of the Wellmark YMCA in Des Moines Leisha Barcus said she has been building to the position she holds now. As the first female CEO at the YMCA, Barcus considers herself a Chief Inspiration Officer as well.

Even though Barcus was flowered with congratulations upon being hired, she said the staff had some learning and growing to do when she took on her new role. Her team had to adapt to having a woman as a boss. 

“It’s a way that oftentimes men interact with you; you can tell that this is a different role that they’re not used to in an organization,” Barcus said. “But that’s OK, and it’s all been really positive. We’re just entering new territory. Everyone’s learning and growing.”

When it comes to power, Barcus said it takes certain traits to really thrive in a powerful position. She said confidence is key because you need to instill confidence in others that you can handle the job. Barcus said that trust builds power, so she needs people to trust her. 

“Empowerment, I believe drives power,” Barcus said. “So, if I empower those around me to live up to their full potential and I give them trust, then I feel like I have more power than ever imaginable because we work as a team, and great things can be accomplished with that.”

Abbas also mentioned confidence as an important trait. She said having confidence and being result-oriented is important in her role. 

“Making a difference, contributing, being confident, being willing to kind of put yourself out there, but also being results focused, showing what you’re doing and how it adds to the bottom line,” Abbas said. 

Cox said she got to her position by simply saying “yes.” She said that she tries to take opportunities that are beneficial for someone, not just herself. 

“It may not always be beneficial for me at the time, but if it seems like it’s going to be fun, if it is in the best interest of our community, those are sort of my top priorities,” Cox said.

Believing strongly in empowerment of herself and other people is another priority for Cox. She said sometimes people need knowledge, access, a friend, an expert or someone to just help for a little bit. She looks for ways to say yes and uses those ideas as a filter to get her to where she is now. 

There can be obstacles that women face when holding a powerful position. While looking for business opportunities and partnerships in the community, Cox said, women need to understand how everyone involved thinks and how to build a respectful relationship. 

“We have to be able to understand how men think, how business leaders think, what drives their decisions and how to build relationships with them in a safe way so there’s enough respect on both sides of the decision-making team,” Cox said. 

Cox said she also sees a problem between women in powerful positions. She said sometimes women in powerful positions are not collaborative with other women in powerful positions. How do we get women to work with other women? 

Starting a group for women in power to collaborate is a great way for women to support each other and work together as business partners. Cox suggested a breakfast club for women to attend on the weekends, and Barcus suggested joining a group like the Nexus Executive Women’s Business Alliance in Des Moines. 

“It’s a group of women in powerful positions in the community, and I have just got tremendous support from them,” Barcus said. “We use each other as business consultants. We let our hair down with each other. We just spend time together and talk about different issues and conquer different things. I need my women support network in order to be successful. It’s very helpful to all of us.”

Both Cox and Barcus said that these groups would help them better themselves, and in return, helps them with their employee’s growth. 

“I always want to keep pushing for the next thing, and I want them to feel like they are growing professionally at the same time we are growing the business,” Barcus said. “I want an environment where people come in every day and say, ‘What am I going to accomplish today that moves the organization forward?’ And to feel creative, to feel needed, to have a place that you’re missed if you don’t come to work. That’s the kind of place I want this to be.” 

Cox also offers her employees “brain-breaks” at Prevent Child Abuse Iowa. Brain breaks can be anything from a walk around the office building to a few minutes on social media or even meditating. These small breaks help refuel employees to continue their workday even more focused and alert. 

Women in power also refuel and succeed with the support of their partners. Abbas said her husband is her No. 1 supporter and turns down opportunities so that Abbas can continue her career. 

“He’s the one that goes into work super early so he can leave work super early so he can get kids picked up and taken to where they need to be so they can be home changed, eaten dinner, and gone to soccer and gotten home before I’ve even gotten home,” Abbas said. 

Barcus said that behind great women are great men. Her husband is her top supporter and is always there for her when she needs it. 

As women start to take on leadership roles and welcome more women into the business community, there are more opportunities for them to have a seat at the table to make change.

Barcus keeps a magnet in her office with the quote “Proceed as if success is inevitable” on it. She said that if she had one piece of advice for young women, it would be that they should pursue all their endeavors as if success is inevitable. 

“When you get into a powerful position, you can look at those things and make the change that needs to happen,” Barcus said. “We have to have a seat at the table in order to influence those things so we can promote women, and make sure they’re paid equally, and fix what’s broken.”