THE INCOMPLETE TRUTH OF EFFORT. by Renata Espinosa Gonzalez

“The key to success is effort. The bigger the goal, the greater the effort” (Michael  Josephson). To what extent has the society idealized the idea that with effort the impossible  becomes possible? Is effort truly all that is needed to thrive in our societies? 

A woman with the same level of experience as a man, wins only 66% of the salary of her  counterpart (Ortega, 2018). Only one out of 10 members of each executive committee is a woman  (OIT, 2012). Only the 37% of the total entry-level charges within companies in Mexico belong to  women (Bolio et al, 2019). The list of statistics continues, and the trend remains the same: women  in Mexico do not have the same presence in the working sector as men. Is lack of effort the  explanation to this phenomenon? 

Nowadays, women in Mexico represent 53% of the total graduated students from  universities, a higher percentage than men (Ortega, 2018). In terms of ambition, 89% of women  aspire to occupy an executive position (Bolio et al, 2019). In 2016, 31% of the GDP of Mexico  was generated by businesswomen who own only 30% of all the national companies (Gonzalez,  2016). The data indicates women are prepared and skilled enough to aspire and get to high ranking  positions inside their fields of work; however, as the hierarchical positions level up, the number of  men outnumber women, and the difference between salaries between men and women also has a  substantial increase. If there is a significant input of effort and dedication from the feminine sector  to be included as active economic members of the society, why are they not present in the higher  sectors of the hierarchical pyramids, considering they are equally prepared and interested as their  opposite sex? 

Gender roles have an important influence over the Mexican society, in fact, they are the  main limiting factor in the life of every woman in Mexico. For instance, women are expected to  do double, unpaid working shifts as they are considered responsible for domestic tasks and other  family responsibilities. The social ideologies that include, but are not limited to, the belief that  women should not win more than her male partner to avoid “conflict”; that men should be the  priority in the working sector when there are scarce opportunities; that men are more successful  leaders as they are associated with qualities of determination, productivity, and logical reasoning  while women are just individuals with emotional qualities which hinder their professional  performance. 

All these beliefs impregnated consciously and unconsciously among the population, seem  to act as invisible forces oppressing women and making it more difficult and even impossible for  them to begin their professional life and continue growing. These forces have a name: crystal  ceilings (limitations based on prejudices against women) and sticky floors (activities categorized  as women responsibilities). 

Crystal ceilings and sticky floors are the most accurate representation of inequality in  Mexico. Despite the inclusion of women in other sectors such as education, because of crystal  ceilings and sticky floors, women remain excluded from hierarchical positions of power which  would promote economic equality. Economic equality would overthrow the power dynamic  between women and men and thus, solve other conflicts such as domestic violence, by encouraging  women to see their true strength and feel forceful enough to stand up against injustice. 

There are three main actions that must be taken to break the crystal ceilings and sticky  floors; nonetheless, without the recognition that the present equality challenges are a result of the  nation’s culture, the root of the issue will not be tackled. This starts with a change in our educational systems to teach the younger generations how to identify behaviors associated with  toxic masculinity and thus, break the chain of repetition of those behaviors. Subsequently, the  government’s intervention is required to ensure firms recognize the challenges and other external  factors, which conforms the context under which women work, by implementing policies with  measurable results that balance the opportunities between both sexes. In addition, the legislation  over the media to eradicate the promotion of stereotypes regarding the qualities and behaviors each  gender should have, would have a tremendous impact on fomenting inclusive spaces. 

Despite the infinite efforts and potential Mexican women have, there are externalities  which continue to restrain them from being equally valued by the state, and therefore the whole  population. In other words, effort is not enough; however, this does not mean their success is  impossible. The key relies on effort, but the effort of the nation to change and recognize women  rights.