Dr. Reeve Talks Pursuing Gender Equity in Business
Dr. Reeve gives her talk, “Pursuing Gender Equity in Business: Aimless Goals or Worthy Ambitions” to faculty and students on November 21. I I Photo credit to Gabriela Kressley
Last Thursday, Dr. Kimberly Reeve spoke on gender equality and the difficulties women face in business. Sponsored by The King’s Debate Society, this lunch-time event addressed the gender gap, its causes, and ways to support women when dealing with these issues.
Reeve has had tenure at King’s since 2016; her current roles include working as an Associate Professor of Business and a Lead Faculty member in the business and finance department. Outside of the college, she serves on the board at the Jeannette Rankin Scholarship Foundation and is chair of the Diversity and Inclusion committee at ISM, a global graduate business school.
King’s Debate Society President, Megan Waardenburg said that Reeve’s discussion was important to her as a debater. Waardenburg sees problems in the way women are perceived in professional environments, especially when sharing their ideas.
“As debaters, we see and experience issues related to the way women are perceived and treated in professional environments in regards to the way they speak or the way their ideas may be discounted,” Waardenburg wrote in an email to EST. “Professor Reeve reached out about giving a talk on the topic, and it seemed fitting to have the discussion in light of the conclusion of our winter tournament season to process biases we’ve seen and prepare for our upcoming season.”
From left to right, King’s Debate Society student attendees include: Noah Hines, Megan Waardenburg, and Geeta Lalvani. I Photo credit to Gabriela Kressley
Reeve said that she is “passionate about research on gender equity.” She saw many women entering business programs, but not graduating at the same rate as their male counterparts.
Reeve explained on Thursday that there are two main arguments regarding gender inequality in the workplace. First, Reeve said, women may take more time off to tend to other obligations such as their children. In her second point, she spoke about the implicit bias that influences workplace matters. Both arguments pertain to monetary inequality and representation.
Women in every country can earn between 4 - 40 percent less than their male counterparts, according to the most recent World Economic Forum. This study utilizes 2016 data from the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Reeve said many economists agree that the wage gap exists. However, economists dispute whether or not the gap is tied to gender inequality, meaning intentionally not hiring or promoting someone based on their gender.
In her presentation, Reeve cited The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) which stated that, “In 2018, female full-time, year-round workers made only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 18%.”
Reeve acknowledged that higher and lower ratios of earnings between men and women in the workforce have been brought up in conversation. However, the statistic she used from IWPR is based upon earnings data of full-time, year-round workers.
Reeve said that IWPR’s data is either aggregated or is focused on white women in the workforce. She added that the Black and Hispanic community has a wider wage gap whereas the Asian wage gap is smaller at 94 percent, or 94 cents for every dollar a white male earns.
Median Weekly Earnings and Gender Earnings Ratio for Full-Time Workers, 16 Years and Older by Race/Ethic Background, 2017 and 2018. I I Graphic made by Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Waardenburg believes that Reeve’s presentation will help her to identify issues she and other colleagues may have to face in their careers.
“It’s also important to have the information moving forward in life to recognize problems women may encounter and prepare to confront them for ourselves or for our colleagues in the future,” Waardenburg wrote.
EST reached out to other students who attended the event, but did not receive a response.