48% of American women believe they should work twice as hard to earn half the salary of their male colleagues
Workaholism is the same addiction that develops over time and has many causes. Unlike a passion for, say, drugs and alcohol, excessive attachment to work does not pull a person to the social bottom, even on the contrary, contributes to the growth of his well-being, but it also has disadvantages much more than advantages.
Why does a woman go to work with her head? The most common reason is clearly demonstrated by the heroine of Alice Freundlich from the “Office Romance”: for her it is, first of all, an affordable way to fill the inner emptiness, cope with longing. A considerable influence on the development of addiction has the so-called perfectionism, laid down in childhood, it does not disappear with age, but acquires new forms. Scientists at the University of Michigan are sure that workaholism is mainly affected by people with low self-esteem - individuals who endlessly doubt their own competence need constant recognition from others. Who among the perfectionists did not immerse themselves in work with their heads, hiding from personal problems?
And even if, after hard work, she gets the wealth she originally aspired to, a woman can no longer stop. Because as opportunities grow, so do needs, and to meet them requires a lot of money, a new position and the next step in your career — and so on indefinitely. If for men, material wealth is primarily a means of personal self-affirmation, then a woman perceives everything through the prism of the family: income-generating work is a guarantee of the well-being of her children, even if children are still only in plans.
Working twice as much to earn half as much
It is still more difficult for women to make their way to the top positions and claim a high salary. At HSBC, for example, the income gap between male and female employees is 59%. Not in favor of the latter, of course. The investment bank Goldman Sachs has 56%, and the cosmetics company L’Oreal, which was run by a woman for many years, has 55.5%. The Ellevest Organization, which research On gender in the U.S., 48% of American women believe they must work twice as hard to earn at least half of their salaries.
I agree. report According to the Global Gender Gap Report, the lowest wage gap is observed in Northern Europe, where women receive an average of 80-90% of the money paid to their male counterparts. In terms of inequality between men and women, Russia ranks 75th out of 144. Its coefficient is 0.691. In Germany - 0.766, in the UK - 0.752. Of the European countries below us in the ranking of Romania (0.69), Czech Republic (0.69), Bosnia and Herzegovina (0.685), Cyprus (0.684). Well, things are very bad in Montenegro (0.681), Greece (0.68), Slovakia (0.679) and Hungary (0.669).
Sacrifice everything?
Even if a woman climbed to the top of the career ladder, she, mindful of all the turns on the professional path, will constantly look for competitors in the surroundings and worry about strengthening the position, protecting herself and loved ones from falling living standards. It is especially difficult for businesswomen to develop relationships in the family: husbands either feel like losers next to strong ladies, or are forced to compete with them forever, which does not contribute to strengthening marriage ties. There are exceptions, for example, the wife of the late Apple founder Lauren Jobs became one of the most influential and richest women in the world due to her own business acumen.
The creator of the iconic Barbie doll Ruth Handler survived a difficult divorce, and a serious conflict with her daughter, and cancer. However, the disease, cynical as it may sound, brought a multimillionaire dividend – she seriously replenished her bank account, establishing the production of prostheses for those who underwent mastectomy. Helena Rubinstein, the founder of the cosmetic giant of the same name, also succeeded in business more than in love. "You can kill me, but I won't let you rob me," a single 94-year-old woman told her penthouse burglars. “In business, you have to work 24 hours a day and live 300 years,” Rubinstein said. Where do you find time to rest and sleep, not to mention more?
Perfectly built business, high social status, multimillion-dollar income - for all this a woman pays twice as much as a man. The reason lies in the fact that a woman is obliged to be the “guardian of the hearth”. No matter how things go at work, she should try to be a model mother and wife. But in fact, it turns out differently - neglected children, a husband who left his family for another woman, next to which he will feel himself a strong man and not feel a constant sense of guilt. All this negatively affects well-being - constant tension, irritation and outbursts of anger, dictated by problems in family life, develop into depression and a variety of mental disorders. As a result, work suffers.
Time to stop
It is impossible to get rid of the guilt complex, while still remaining a person obsessed with work. People like this usually have problems with trust and delegation. “If you want to do something well, do it yourself,” they repeat as a mantra. In fact, that's not true. A true professional should be confident in his team, in the people who work for the benefit of his work. And learn how to allocate tasks so as not to take on 70% of the work. And not even 25%, especially when it comes to an established business.
If you stop controlling every step of subordinates and take on routine and small issues that do not require the intervention of the head, “suddenly” in the daily schedule will find several free hours. What do you spend it on? First of all, on myself. To remember: “I am a woman, I am beautiful and loved, I have friends, hobbies and interests that are not related to work.” Going out with your husband in the evening on a date or in SPA, going with your child on horseback riding or doing yoga, instead of finishing the next report. Psychologists advise that at least one activity is associated with communication in the family or with friends. Try to break away from your colleagues and do not move away from the interests of the family.
Stop snacking without leaving the computer, preferably dine outside the office so that you can switch. Distinguish weekdays and weekends: at least one day a week a woman should spend exclusively with loved ones, arrange family dinners and small holidays, even without reason. Unfortunately, an argument of the level “I earn you a solid inheritance” will never override the joy of current communication with the mother. And a man wants to see next to him, first of all, a radiant and loving wife, and not always frowning machine for making money.
Source: Forbes
