Women have been fighting for equality in the workplace for generations now.  There are several factors that keep this from happening.  Some can be overcome.  Others are just a fact of life, because they have more to do with biology than unfair treatment of women or men.  Until people start to understand that no amount of equal treatment will change biology, true equality will remain elusive.

One of the issues that women run into with equality in the workplace is the ability to be mothers.  Whether or not they choose to become mothers, that potential is always at the back of any employers mind.  Women who want to get ahead in their careers are not encouraged to have children, and are often actually penalized for having children.  They are not directly penalized, as that is discrimination and therefore illegal.  However, a pregnant woman will often be expected to perform to the same levels as a woman who is not pregnant.  For some women, this results in premature births and problems for their babies.  A mother with small children will not be cut any slack when her children get sick and she cannot put them in daycare for the day.  This is under the guise of not giving them “special” treatment, but results in them not even getting fair treatment.

As for women who choose not to be mothers, they are often hit with questions about their marital and family status.  They may be asked about their biological clocks ticking away, and so on.  They become resentful of the women who are mothers because they feel like those people are getting special treatment, which ultimately causes unfair treatment to both parties.  Even if they do not become resentful or cause unfair treatment of others, they are still looked at as cold or unfeeling because of their choices not to have children.

True equality will never really be possible until it is fully accepted that women are not men.  Women can do many of the things that men can do, but biologically, they just are not men.  Women can and do have children, and need to be allowed the privilege to do so without it hurting their careers.  Women also need to be able to choose not to have children without being looked upon as being cold or unfeeling.  Until the differences between men and women are accepted, there will never be full equality in the workplace.