Lip Service Feminism in the Workplace

In the 20^th century, women in the West made significant strides under the impetus of the World Wars. To meet the demands of wartime industries and the conscription of men into military service, women entered spheres traditionally dominated by men. In 1920, American women gained the right to vote, marking a historic victory. However, when the war ended and men returned home, women were expected to relinquish their jobs to make room for men. Similarly, in the latter half of the 20^th century, women were invited into the workforce, but once again, they were met with empty promises in the wind. What, in the end, have women—and men—really gained from these changes?

While it is undeniably a significant feat for Western women to be able to pursue careers of their choosing and study alongside their male counterparts, one must ask: who truly benefits from this progress? The greatest victory ultimately belongs to the government, which has nearly doubled its tax base through the increased participation of women in the workforce. Meanwhile, when examining the broader context, neither women nor men have truly benefited from this.

The eight-hour workday, now standard for most people in the West, was first envisioned by Welsh textile mill owner Robert Owen, who called for “eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, and eight hours rest.” His industrial dream was to replace the grueling hours faced by factory workers. The Ford Motor Company famously adopted the eight-hour-a-day and five-day workweek, and it became a norm for much of the industrial workforce. However, this schedule was designed for men in a time where many men had stay-at-home wives who could tend to the household.

In today’s society, where both men and women work side-by-side from 9-to-5, this is no longer the norm. With both parents in the workforce, the private sphere—the home—is often neglected.  For women who choose to have children, this creates an added challenge. Many women come to a time in their lives when they face an impossible choice between having children or advancing their careers. In a growing number of cases, women have no choice but to stay in the workforce out of financial necessity. Perhaps the biggest trap of this modern-day promise is that in the past, it was realistic for a man to be the sole breadwinner and provide for his family. Nowadays, even households with two working parents struggle to survive with increasing costs and taxes at all levels. Even when it is financially feasible for women to stay home after having children, this often comes at the cost of their careers, which they have worked years to build. It is hardly fair to promise women equality and encourage them to enter careers with the illusion that they will be able to have both a successful career and family, if they choose, when the current work schedule is not adapted to families with two working parents.

This by no means suggests that it is impossible for women to have both a successful career and a family. There are women who have successful careers and families. However, statistics consistently show that fewer women in Western countries are having kids.[1] For example, in Canada, the fertility rate reached a record low of 1.26 children per woman in 2023. The average age at which women are having children has steadily increased over the past few decades—31.6 years in 2022 compared to 26.8 years in 1977. The average age of fathers has also risen, from 30.1 years in 1977 to 34.4 years in 2022. While other factors contribute to this steady decline, it is clear that there is a correlation between the steady increase in women’s workforce participation and the steady decline in the birth rate. In 1977, when fertility rates began to fall, the labor force participation rate for women had surpassed 50%, reaching 53.3%.[2]

If the government welcomed women into the workforce, using them to increase tax revenue, it also bears a responsibility to create policies that allow women to strike a balance between work and family. This could be done by adapting the workweek to include flexible hours, allowing women to take some days off to care for children, or offering remote work options to stay available at home when needed. If women can meet their work expectations, there is no reason they should have to choose between being in the office five days a week for eight hours or staying at home full-time.

Change always comes at a cost, but it is essential that the system adapts to modern needs, especially when failing to do so can have such dire consequences on our existence. Women can no longer afford to tolerate these false feminists.

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[1] See the following statistics from the Government of Canada’s own website: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91f0015m/91f0015m2024001-eng.htm

[2] See the following statistic from the Government of Canada: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2016001/article/14651-eng.htm