A Global Girl Boss



A Global Girl BossA Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of theRequirements of the Renée Crown University Honors Program atSyracuse UniversitySamantha Rose WaltersCandidate for Bachelor of Accounting and Marketing Management B.S.and Renée Crown University HonorsSpring 2020Honors Thesis in Marketing ManagementThesis Advisor: _______________________ MaryAnn Monforte, Professor of Accounting PracticeThesis Reader: _______________________ Liangbin Yang, Professor of MarketingHonors Director: _______________________ Dr. Danielle Smith, Director I. AbstractIn 2020, the world has never been more dynamic or connected. Due to this, businesses around the world must work together regardless of how different cultures may be. As a twenty-one year old woman that is about to enter the business world, I have had the opportunity to experience business in a variety of forms. I spent my spring semester in 2019 studying in Madrid, Spain where I was able to experience what the Spanish business culture. In the summer of 2019, I interned with Ernst and Young, LLP. in the assurance and audit field in New York City. Both of these experiences exposed me to the modern business world.Besides cultures and business being different around the world, the role of women differs around the globe as well. In terms of rights, women have consistently been one step behind men in both the United States and Spain. Women from around the world have to consistently faced sexual harassment, the pay gap and other forms of inequality. This is not a new problem. Women have been experiencing these conditions for years. Throughout time, women have gained more rights and these problems have been lessened slightly. Regardless, there is still a sufficient amount of change that needs to occur, so that one day women truly can be equal to men. The focus of this thesis is to compare and contrast the role of women in the business world in both the United States and Spain. This will be a discussion of the cultural backgrounds of each country, and how culture influences the way women are treated in each culture. The main problems that will be examined are sexual harassment, stereotypes, lowered expectations of women and the pay gap. I conducted both primary and secondary research to learn more about these topics. I interviewed my host family in Spain, which consisted of my two host siblings; Carlotta, who was 36 and Luis, who was 35. They both are currently lawyers but have experience in the Spanish business world. I interviewed them, their parents and some of their friends to learn more about the culture of Spain and the role of women in Spain’s business world. Additionally, I interviewed some of my co-workers that worked at Ernst and Young with me over the summer. I made sure to speak with both men and women from a variety of ages to make sure that I gathered a breadth of perspectives. By discussing these topics firsthand with people, I was able to grasp a fuller image of these problems. On top of primary research, I conducted secondary research as well. I read the novel, Lean In, which was written by Sheryl Sandberg, who is currently the COO of Facebook. I also utilized Syracuse University Library Databases and several articles from sources listed at the end of this paper. By conducting research, I was able to understand more about these complex problems.Through these research methods, evidence concluded that there are several problems and barriers that women face in the business world. Based on this evidence, potential solutions were concluded to solve these problems. Some of these solutions include more awareness, legislation and women taking a stance. Due to cultural differences, the methods to address these problems are different in Spain and the United States. These solutions are described in great detail later on. As a young woman, in business, I try my best to remain unbiased in the way I present this information. However, I am passionate about this topic and believe that change needs to occur. At the end of the day, the goal of this thesis is to bring awareness to the gender inequality that business women face around the world and provide potential solutions to these problems.II. Executive SummaryTwenty-one cents. As a twenty-one year old, whom is about to graduate from college and enter the work force, I will make on average twenty-one cents less per a dollar than my male counterparts. No matter how hard I work, no matter what college I attend, no matter what my GPA is, or if I graduate with honors, no matter what, nothing I do will matter. No matter how hard I work, being a woman results in me making twenty-one cents less per a dollar than my male counterparts. What if I told you that this would be the easiest part about being an American woman in the work world? Imagine walking to work in a dress, or skirt, and men constantly hollering or cat calling you. Or perhaps your boss is making sexual passes at you, which makes you question your morals because you want a promotion. Imagine growing up in a country where 1 in 6 women are a victim of rape or attempted rape, but you are expected to keep your mouth shut, because that is what society has taught you. I was born in Rochester, NY, in 1998. I had never left the country, besides Canada, until the spring of 2019. During my twenty years growing up in the United States, I was constantly exposed to the gender inequality that is evident in American culture. For the longest time, I believed that this was only a problem in the United States. After spending five months studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, I learned that women face many similar problems in their country as well. When deciding what to write this thesis about, I put in a lot of thought into what was meaningful to me and what has the potential for real change. There are so many young girls that are discouraged from entering fields such as business and technology because these have been typically male dominated fields. These girls know that they will have to face problems such as sexual harassment, if they wish to enter the business world. In this paper, I discuss the cultural backgrounds of Spain and the United States which later evolves into the differences and similarities between women in business in these two countries. I conducted my research through a variety of methods. I read a novel from the female COO of Facebook, conducted primary interviews with people from around the world, and conducted secondary research as well. Besides research, I was able to incorporate my own personal experiences into this paper. After four years at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management, a summer interning in audit at Ernst and Young in New York City, and a semester abroad in Madrid, Spain, I gained new perspectives on women in the business world. Overall, I hope that whoever reads this paper is inspired to look more into female rights movements around the world. Through the use of these research methods, potential solutions were determined to help address these problems. Some of these solutions included more women taking a stance, legislation, changes in company policies and more awareness. These solutions are not guaranteed to solve the problems, but hopefully they will help lessen them. This thesis is important because the solutions and content presented in this has the potential to raise awareness and inspire more Influential women around the world have been taking a stance for more rights in multiple aspects, but especially in the business world. A popular American rapper, Tupac, once said, “I’m not saying I’m gonna rule the world or I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee you that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” This thesis is not going to change the world, but hopefully these female movements create the positive changes needed, so that one day our daughters will not be labeled as “women in business” but rather a “person in business.” At the end of the day, I hope women gain an equal amount of recognition, compensation and respect as their male counterparts, not only in the United States and Spain, but around the world.Table of ContentsAbstract…………………………………………………………………..……………1Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………2-4Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………...5Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………...…….6Advice to Future Students……………………………………………………………..7Perceptions and Stereotypes…………………………………………………….…8-14United States of America…………………………………………………………15-25Spain………………………………………………………………...……………26-36Women in Business………………………………………………………………37-43Ideas for Change…………………………………………………………….……44-48Conclusion………………………………………...…………………………………49Sources Cited and Consulted………………………..……………………………50-53IV. AcknowledgementsI would like to thank my thesis advisors, Professor MaryAnn Monforte and Professor Liangbin Yang for guiding me through the process of creating this thesis. Thank you to my honors advisor, Karen Hall, for making sure that I was staying on track with my thesis for the last two years. Thank you to the SU Madrid staff, my Spanish host family, and my EY co-workers for helping me complete research. Lastly, thank you to my parents, family, and friends for supporting me along the way. I would have never accomplished all of this without everyone’s love and support.V. Advice to Future StudentsAfter spending approximately two years working on this thesis, I am proud of the work that I have completed and the lessons that I have learned. My best advice for future students is to start as early as possible and to make sure to start writing your thesis as far in advance as possible. For example, I started writing my thesis in the spring of my junior year and I found that to be very helpful. This allowed me to be less stressed during the spring of my senior year which was important, especially because of the state of the world during this spring. I also would advise students to choose a topic they are passionate about and one they will actually enjoy researching. I was really passionate about my topic, so it did not feel like a chore whenever I had to sit down to write or research. Lastly, do not give up! This task may seem daunting at first but everyone has the capabilities to complete this thesis as long as they put in the time and effort. You got this!VI. Perceptions and StereotypesTypical American Stereotypes“What are the first three words that come to mind when you think of America?” I asked many people for their opinions on this question. Some people gave sincere, thoughtful responses, while others blurted out the first thing that came to mind. The majority of people gave the same responses: fat, white, McDonalds, and Donald Trump. This was true for both Americans and non-Americans. From there, I further investigated additional stereotypes and perceptions, specifically with regard to American life and work life.When asking about perceptions on life in America, one man summed it up perfectly by describing what he considered to be a typical American family. It’s 8am and the alarm is buzzing on this nice Saturday morning. Brad gets out of bed and his wife, Ashley, goes and wakes up the kids. They are in a rush to their daughter’s soccer game, so they all pile into their BMW. They drive away from their massive Westchester home, with their Golden Retriever, Buddy, in the window. Brad is the coach, and Ashley sits with the other moms while wearing her Lululemon leggings and sipping her Starbucks. Jack, their youngest son is playing in the grass. Although some may believe this to be a hyperbole on American life culture, it is a pretty accurate stereotype. In terms of life, many people believe Americans to be materialistic, and concerned with having the nicest brands in all aspects of life. Additionally, many believe Americans to be competitive and concerned with grooming their children to be the smartest, most athletic or most talented people ever. Many parents send their kids to soccer camps when they are five years old, and they expect them to become the next Megan Rapinoe. Additionally, many people think that Americans tend to be extremely busy or extremely lazy, with not a lot of room in between. Besides these specific stereotypes about the life of Americans, there are also several perceptions about work in America as well. Rather than being considered lazy workers, many people believe that Americans overwork themselves. Many people outside of the US believe that Americans overwork themselves and spend most of their energy focusing on their careers. As a result of this, people tend to think that Americans are usually tired due to lack of sleep. Additionally, people believe that Americans are extremely stressed out because of their careers which makes them live for the weekends. This may be the reason Americans tend to have a drunk, partying stereotype as well, because the weekends are their way to escape from their hectic realities. Lastly, many believe that Americans are addicted to coffee and need it in order to survive. Through these ideas, the main idea behind the American work-life stereotype is that Americans are workaholics. Based on an analysis of thoughts and ideas from a variety of people, the most common American stereotypes with regard to life and the work place should be quite easy to understand. By understanding this idea, it gives Americans a better grasp on how people from different countries view them.Typical Spanish StereotypesNow that there is a clear establishment of the stereotypes of America, one of the most powerful countries in the New World, it is time to fly across the ocean to take a look at perceptions of the Old World. Specifically, the goal is to analyze typical Spanish stereotypes and perceptions. As an American who had never traveled to Europe since before January of 2019, I had my fair share of perceptions and assumptions about Spain. Although I asked several people what three words they first thought of when they thought of Spain, I decided that my own, personal perceptions summed up my responses. The words I thought of before I traveled abroad were bull fighting, siestas and relaxed. After investigating the thoughts of many, I was able to determine what the most common perceptions and stereotypes of Spanish culture were.In terms of life, there were a variety of ideas about Spain, most of them were quite interesting. To begin, many people though that Spaniards are very lazy due to their long lunches and siestas in the middle of the day. Many Americans did not understand how people had the time to come home during the day and eat a huge lunch, followed by a long nap. Due to this, they eat dinner late and tend to go to bed late, so they sleep in. This was another reason why people believed Spaniards were lazy due to this laid-back cultural lifestyle. Besides these ideas about their life schedules, on average, many people believed Spaniards are attractive, skinny people who eat healthy food. The Spanish were also perceived to maintain strong cultural beliefs while enjoying bull fights, flamenco and the color red. Lastly, many people believe that Spaniards place a great emphasis on family because they usually all live together. Overall, laziness, attractive and the importance of family are just some of the most common aspects that are noted with regard to Spanish stereotypes.As for Spanish work life, many of the perceptions were quite similar to the perceptions about Spanish lifestyles. For example, many believed that Spaniards were not hard workers because they start their work day later and they have naps in the middle of the day. Many assumed that Spaniards are not stressed about deadlines and do not mind if anything or anyone is late. They also believed that one’s career is not the primary focus of life in Spain. When determining the perceptions of work life in Spain, I interviewed some of my co-workers during my summer internship. During my internship, the client I was working for, acquired a Spanish company, so my EY team in New York had to work with the EY Spain team frequently, especially to complete the year-end audit. Many times, there was miscommunication and struggles between the two teams. I believe that these issues arose due to the negative perceptions that Americans had about the Spanish. One time we had a skype meeting, and the EY Spain team was late to the call because their Spanish lunch ran later than expected, even though it was 4pm their time. As a result, my team was frustrated. Due to my team’s perceptions, along with input from others, it was relatively straight forward to gain a solid understanding of what people believe to be the typical Spanish worker.Hopefully, after interpreting ideas from a variety of people, it is easy to see what people think are the typical stereotypes and perceptions of the Spanish lifestyle and the Spanish working life.Hofstede’s Cultural Measurements (United States vs. Spain)As presented, it is evident that there are a variety of stereotypes and perceptions with regard to both the United States and Spain. Since now there is a better understanding about these stereotypes and ideas, the next step is to look at data and facts to determine where some of these preconceived ideas come from. Hofstede’s Cultural Measurements are a great starting point in establishing what the real culture of these two countries is. To begin, what are Hofstede’s Cultural Measurements? They are six different areas that make up some of the main components of culture; countries can have either high or low measurements in these different areas. By examining the ratings of these six different areas, it becomes much easier to establish what different cultures value and how they work.The first pillar is power distance. If a country has a high rating in this area, that means they embrace hierarchy. If a country has a low rating, that means they have more of an egalitarian culture. When comparing Spain and the United States, their ratings in this area are very similar. The United States scored a 40 and Spain scored a 57. Basically, this means that the United States is more willing to challenge hierarchy while Spain is more obedient to hierarchy.The next pillar is collectivism vs. individualism. With a high ranking in this category, that means they are more of an individualist country, while a low ranking means that they are more of a collectivist country. In this category, the United States had a very high score of 91 while Spain has a score of 51. This should not be too surprising since the United States was founded in 1776 with a focus on freedom and individuality. Spain recently got out of the fascist dictatorship of Francisco Franco, so in terms of history, it has been much more difficult for their country to be individualistic. The third measurement in Hofstede’s Cultural Measurements is the uncertainty avoidance index. This is with regard to how much a culture tries to avoid uncertain situations. In this category, a high measurement means a country is uncomfortable with uncertainty while a low measurement indicates that a culture is comfortable with uncertainty. In this category, Spain had a high rating of 86 while the United States had an average ranking of 46. Once again, Franco’s dictatorship would be one of the primary reasons why Spaniards are worried about uncertain situations. Especially right now in their political climate, there has been uncertainty with their current president, Pedro Sanchez, which has caused many of them to worry about uncertain situations.From there, the fourth dimension is femininity vs. masculinity. No, this does not have anything to actually do with gender, just stereotypical attitudes. A high ranking means a culture believes power is important, while a low ranking means that nurture is important. The United States has a slightly higher ranking in this category with a score of 62, while Spain has a score of 42. This means that in American culture, it is more common to be assertive and slightly aggressive while Spain typically has a more nurturing culture.The fifth dimension that we are going to examine is short-term vs. long-term orientation. A high score in this category indicates that a culture is more futuristic and thinks in the long-term, while a low score means a culture is more traditional and thinks in the short-term. Spain had an average score of 48 in this category while the United States had a low score of 26. A low score indicates that the United States is not as focused on the long-term. For example, they may tend to spend most of their paychecks rather than saving some for the future.Lastly, the sixth dimension of Hofstede’s Cultural Measurements is restraint vs. indulgence. A high score in this category indicates that satisfaction is good, while a low score indicates that normative repression is common in this culture. In this category, the United States scored a 68 while Spain scored a 44. Basically, this means that the Americans are more willing to indulge, while Spaniards are more willing to resist. For example, if there are two people in a Starbucks store, one is American and one is Spanish, then the American is the one who is more likely to make a purchase.Overall, Hofstede’s six cultural dimensions are a great way to establish similarities and differences between countries to help differentiate our perceptions from the realities of these cultures. By examining power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, long-term orientation and indulgence, it should be much easier to establish the realities of the cultures of these two countries (“Compare Countries”). VII. United States of AmericaAmerican Culture BackgroundAs established in an analysis of America in terms of Hofstede’s Cultural Measurements, there is a clear understanding of some of the major components are of American culture. However, there is more to a country’s culture than what data and research shows. After reflecting on my own experiences, since I have lived in the United States for twenty-one years, and after interviewing others, it became easier to establish some of the most important characteristics of the American culture.In order to determine what American culture typically is, it is important to break it down piece by piece. America has generally been given the name of the “melting pot”, however, the country still tends to be pretty homogeneous. According to the CIA World Factbook, “72.4% of people are white, 12.6% are black, 4.8% are Asian and 0.9% are native” (“The World Factbook: United States”). However, each year this number of white people in the United States has been going down because more people are engaging in interracial marriages. As for languages, “78.2% of people speak English”, and for religion, “67.3% of people are Christian, and 22.8% of people are unaffiliated.” Although these numbers once again show that there is a large population of white, Christian people, individualism is still important because of the large percentage of people that are unaffiliated with a religion. Overall, this gives a good background on the demographic makeup of the United States.As for family, the average family size in the United States is relatively small. To be exact, American families average to be 3.14 persons large (Duffin). Although there are some oddballs, such as my family of seven, I would agree that this statistic is accurate. For many, family is important, however, a lot of people spend more time focusing on their career and becoming successful in the workplace. Due to this, less men and women are taking maternity leave, and focusing on work instead. Americans tend to work long hours with packed schedules so the idea of raising a child is exhausting to some. Another important aspect of family in the United States is that family usually consists of just the nuclear family. In some cases, grandparents and other relatives live in the household, but that is not too common.One of the main concepts of American culture is this idea of the “American Dream”. This derives from the idea that anyone can make it in America and work hard to make their dreams become a reality. The United States is a democracy where the citizens are able to vote for candidates to represent them in the government. The electoral college is also used for voting where there are representatives voting for each state based on what the people voted for. The country is divided into 50 states with each state containing their own state and local governments. Additionally, there is one federal government that oversees the entire country. This is made up of three branches which are the judicial, legislative and executive branches. The country is led by the executive branch with the President of the United States. Within the legislative branch there is the Senate and House of Representatives which makes laws and amends laws. Lastly, there is the judicial branch which is ran by the Supreme Court. These three branches work together and use checks and balances to keep one another in line. This style of government helps create this independent and individual spirit in Americans.Besides examining the ethnic, political and family size of Americans, it is important to examine other characteristics that make up the culture of the United States. One big part of American culture is sports. For example, the Super Bowl this past year, had a total of 148.5 million viewers (Breech). This shows how American football is for the majority of the country. Besides football, other sports such as baseball are extremely relevant in American culture. Baseball has commonly been cited as “America’s favorite past time”. This phrase began in the 1850s, when John Thorn coined the term in his novel “Total Baseball” (Curtis). In a New York Times article, there is discussion regarding whether baseball, football or basketball is America’s true past time. The article concluded that baseball has about 43.2 million fans walking through their stadium doors each year, while the NFL has regular season attendance of a little over 17 million. As for the NBA, they had more that “22 million fans attending an NBA game this past season” (Golden). Regardless of what sport it is, fans are just excited to see the end results on the scoreboard. Based on what region of the United States a person is from typically represents what sports team they are rooting for. For example, I attend Syracuse University, and we have the common catch phrase of “we bleed orange”. We will have big rivalries against other schools such as Georgetown and Duke. This represents the pride associated with sports. In 2012, “the United States Sports Market was worth $69 billion, which is 50% larger than the sports market of Europe, the Middle East and Africa combined” (“How the U.S. Became a Sporting Culture”). This statistic represents how important sports are in American culture. One more aspect to note is that there are several aspects of American culture besides sports. For example, the Oscars is a popular award show in the United States which focuses on praising movies and films from around the world. This past year, the Oscars had 23.6 million viewers (Throne). Another awards show people care about are the Grammys. The Grammys averaged around 16.54 million viewers during their most recent award show on January 26, 2020 (Fitzgerald). This awards show focuses on honoring all of the musical talent for the most recent year. Besides these two awards shows, there are other shows such as the Emmys and Golden Globes. However, I wanted to highlight these two to show the importance of music and film in the United States. One thing to note is that these are international award shows that are held in the United States. For example, this year at the Oscars, the foreign film, Parasite, won Best Film, even though it was not made in the United States. By hosting these shows in the United States, it shows the importance of the United States as an epicenter of culture for film and music. As seen in the number of viewers, it is evident that sports are the most predominant in American culture, however, music, film and the arts are also important aspects to shape the culture of the United States. Honestly, it comes down to each, individual person and what they enjoy participating in during their free time. Although these ideas are only scratching the surface of the aspects that make up the American culture, they do establish a solid foundation to build upon. By understanding the demographics, politics, religion and social aspects of America, it will become easier to understand the culture of the United States. Being a woman in AmericaBeing a woman in the United States is quite an interesting experience. Compared to some countries, women in the United States have more rights, and when compared to others, they have less rights. In order to understand what it is like to be a woman in the United States, it is best to hear from American women on their own, personal experiences. Every woman has had their own, unique experience as a woman, therefore, making it slightly difficult to establish what every woman experiences in the United States.Throughout history, women in the United States have been consistently discriminated against and treated like less than a man. However, in 1972, Title IX was passed to try and end discrimination against women in schools and sports. In this law, it is stated that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (“Title IX and Sex Discrimination”). This law was important especially at colleges, because it forced universities to establish more sports teams for women to be involved in, so they could receive the same opportunities as men at these universities. When this law was passed, this was a turning point for American women, because the government was starting to realize that there needed to be more laws put in place to help close the gap between the opportunities for men vs. women. One aspect to note is that women gaining rights in the United States is a relatively newer idea. In 1920, approximately one-hundred years ago, women gained the right to vote (“19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote”). In 1776, white men in America were given the right to vote and in 1868, black men were given the right to vote (“History of Voting Timeline in America”). The fact that women were given the right to vote relatively recently, shows how much time is needed to allow women to become “equals” to men. The only group of people that were given the right to vote after women, were Native Americans, who received the right to vote in 1924. That fact alone demonstrates how white men in power are able to dominate and control groups whom they consider to be less than them. Regardless, by examining the roots of voting in the United States, the dark side of this country’s history of racism and misogyny is exposed. Although the history is quite dark, during the last 100 years, there have been laws and several milestones for women in the United States. In 1981, “the high court overturned state laws designating a husband “head and master” with unilateral control of property owned jointly with his wife” (“Timeline of Women’s Rights Movement”). Also, in that year, “Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court.” In 1994, the Violence Against Women Act was passed which provides monetary services to victims of rape and other gender-related acts of violence. The situation for women has continued to improve with 104 female House members and 21 female Senators in the United States’ federal government. Additionally, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to secure a nomination of a major political party in 2016. As seen through all of these milestones, women have made a lot of progress, considering where they started. Regardless, there have still been some setbacks demonstrating how much more needs to change. For example, in 2016 “the Supreme Court strikes down onerous abortion clinic regulations what were forcing women’s clinics to close” (“Timeline of Women’s Rights Movement”). Still today in 2020, there is an ongoing debate about birth control and a woman’s right to abortion. This represents how a government composed of mostly men, are making decisions about what a woman is allowed to do with her body. Another example of a problem in American society for women is the pay gap. This refers to comparing the median salaries of men and women in the same jobs. In 2018, the earnings ratio compared a women’s median earnings over a men’s median earnings. The ratio resulted in 82% (“The Simple Truth about the Pay Gap”). To many, this may seem like a small number, but in reality, it demonstrates how in the work world a lot of progress still needs to be made in order for women to be considered “equal”. Besides the laws and facts in writing about how women are still considered unequal, there are several more qualitative factors to consider when describing what life is like as a woman in the United States. There is an article from a UK woman who moved to Brooklyn in the United States and she published this to discuss her own accounts of sexism in America. She wrote “Yes, sexism clearly exists in the UK. But, the men I’ve encountered there-again, my experience is not everyone’s experience- have not had the same tone, aggression and persistence that I experience in New York on an almost daily basis” (George). Throughout this article, she cites a variety of women and their experiences with sexual harassment in the United States. There is a video that went viral from Jessica Williams, where a camera follows a woman around NYC for 10 hours. This video went viral because of how much sexual harassment women face daily, just by walking down the street. In the last few years, American women have begun to stand up more to sexual assault and harassment. However, the Court has not been working in their favor. “Out of every 1000 sexual assaults, 995 perpetrators will walk free” (“The Criminal Justice System: Statistics”). This shows how accepted sexual assault is at a government level, and why so many women choose not to report being sexually assaulted. According to Rainn, which is an organization dedicated to raising awareness, and preventing sexual assault, “every 73 seconds another American is sexually assaulted.” Additionally, since 1998, “17.7 million American women have been raped and 9 out of 10 victims of rape are female.” This represents how large the problem is for American females. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are two of the most evident examples of why women are not equal to men in the United States. Besides examining the rights, laws, and inequalities of women in the United States. It is important to also look at how women occupy their lives in the United States. Today, women make up approximately 47% of the American work-force which shows the shift of women from stay at home moms in the late 20th century, to working women in 2020 (Young). A majority of women tend to have careers as teachers or dental hygienists. However, an interesting statistic is that “women are more likely to have earned a bachelor’s degree by age 29” (Young). This is a major win for women. Luckily, in America, there is an encouraging culture for women to attend college and pursue a career. Obviously, they are still expected to get married and raise a family down the road but this represents a large shift in American society, which allows women to pursue what they wish to pursue, rather than being subordinate to their husband or a man.Currently, life as an American woman is a complex topic due to everyone’s varying experiences. Although there has been a dark past, there have been several major legislative steps towards female equality in the last 100 years. Additionally, more women have been attending college and pursuing their own careers. There are still issues to work through such as the pay gap, abortion debate and sexual assault/ harassment, but people are fighting hard to make sure these issues are known so change can occur. Life as an American woman has changed dramatically in the last century, so it will be interesting to see what life as an American woman is in the next 100 years. Business Culture in AmericaPicture this. It is 8:30am, and you are in the street of New York City. People are rushing to work all dressed up in their business casual attire. The subways are cramped, people are sleepy and every coffee shop has a line out the door. Or perhaps you are from a smaller city? Maybe you live in a small suburb outside of Rochester, NY. You have to leave your hour home around 8am to get to work to beat the busy traffic on the thruway as everyone is bustling to work. Just in these two scenarios, the emphasis on working is quite evident in America.As of January 2020, there are approximately 129.38 million people working in the United States (Duffin). Even further, there are around 32.5 million businesses in the United States (“Number of Businesses in the United States”). From both of these statistics, it is quite evident that working and business are two very important aspects of American society. Although business culture in the United States is different when compared to other countries, through in-depth research and my own personal experience, we can establish a solid background of what the business world is like in America.In American business culture, there is this stereotype of this aggressive, competitive environment which is similar to the images portrayed in the movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street”. In this movie, Leonardo DiCaprio acts as Jordan Belfort, a business man who works his way up to the top but faces several moral and ethical decisions on the way to the top. One of the most famous quotes from the movie encompasses the competitive American culture which is “I’ve been a rich man and I’ve been a poor man. And I choose rich every time” (Rampton). Although everyone has their own individual values, typically most Americans in the capitalist business world have this conniving thirst for cash. This may not be true for all professions, such as teachers, like my mother, who choose to teach to give back to the community, regardless of how much they are paid. However, this usually is not the case in the business world. Typically, business persons value their individualism and money in the business world. In terms of the basic etiquette and culture in the American business world, there tends to be this emphasis on the idea that “time is money” and getting right to the point. When interacting with American business persons, they usually use informal greetings and are quite friendly. However, they prefer nothing more than a handshake and refrain from physical contact. During meetings, people tend to be right to the point and are not afraid to speak, by using this “direct approach” (Zachwieja). Sometimes Americans tend to use an assertive tone during meetings, so people from other countries are sometimes offended by this sometimes-brash tone. Lastly, make sure to be on time to work or a meeting when in the United States because punctuality is very important. “If you are late, it will reflect poorly on you and you will be considered rude and disrespectful” (Zachwieja). Overall, these basic etiquette tips are some good guidelines surrounding business culture in America. After a summer interning in New York City, I learned a lot about the business culture in the United States in one of America’s largest cities. I had the opportunity to work in two different office environments. I worked in the EY office in Times Square and also in my client’s office which was located in the World Trade Center in the heart of the Financial District. I spent most of my summer in the Financial District where I was surrounded by some of the most intense business people in the country. Every morning, I would ride the crowded subway to work then get off at the World Trade Center subway stop. From there, I would walk through Brookfield Place to my office. There would be thousands of business people on their way to work in their business casual apparel. This is what the New York business world looks like at face value.Since the business world was new to me, I learned a lot about business etiquette and expectations. Everything that I learned was quite similar to the results of the research that I conducted. I still remember sitting in my first meeting, I was absolutely terrified. I made sure to show up extra early and ended up being the first one there, however, majority of people arrived approximately five minutes early. During the actual meeting, the partners at the firm spoke more than most and were not afraid to interrupt one another, however, they made sure to still remain respectful of one another. I remember when I first interacted with the head partner of the engagement team, I was so nervous to even shake his hand. By the end of the internship, he became a mentor and someone to use as a reference in the future. This showcases the idea of “it is not what you know, but who you know” in the business world which is a phrase commonly cited in the United States. Honestly, it all comes down to respecting your co-workers and the hierarchy of the business world.All in all, the business world in America is not that complicated at the core. There are expectations such as being on time to meetings, handshakes instead of hugs, respect, and speaking your mind. Most of these ideas are common knowledge that has been re-confirmed by research and through my own personal experience. Although these ideas seem harmless, at the end of the day, it is just a competition to see who can make the most money. VIII. SpainSpanish Culture BackgroundWhen I first traveled to Spain, I really did not know what to expect. Perhaps, my ignorant, American self was foolish to believe that every country is just like the United States. I learned really quickly that I was quite wrong. Since I was studying abroad in Spain, I had the opportunity to spend the first ten days traveling around Northern Spain in my Spanish Identities Seminar which was taught in strictly Spanish. During this seminar, I learned a lot about the history and culture of Spain.In establishing background information regarding Spain, it is important to begin with their history. In the last 100 years, Spain has been through several different events which have now transformed the nation. During World War I and II, Spain attempted to remain relatively neutral. However, this was because they were facing their own Spanish Civil War during the years of 1936 to 1939 (“The World Factbook: Spain”). One of the main reasons for the war was the “polarization of Spanish life and politics that had developed over previous decades” (“Spanish Civil War”). At the end of the war, Francisco Franco took power as Spain’s dictator, after leading the Nationalists forces as a general. Many Spaniards adored Franco because of his achievements during the war, but Spain quickly became transformed to a fascist regime.Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1936 to 1975. During this time “his pragmatic goal was to maintain power in order to keep what he termed the “anti-Spain” forces from gaining ascendancy” (“Spain: The Franco Years”). This idea appealed to the Nationalists in Spain during the time. Still today in 2020, when you visit Spain, there are Spanish flags everywhere, and the Spaniards have an extreme passion for nationalism. During his regime, Franco created strict guidelines to re-enforce his fascist ideals. For example, “Franco himself admitted in the mid-1940s that he has 26,000 political prisoners under lock and key” (“Francisco Franco”). He acted to make sure Catholicism was the only tolerated religion in Spain, and he banned the Catalan and Basque languages. These were all ways for him to promote “Spanish nationalism”, where in reality, he was oppressing most of the country. He even went as far as to spy on citizens. Franco truly believed that this fascist form of government would continue even after he passed away, by choosing Prince Juan Carlos to succeed him. While Franco was alive, Carlos always supported Franco and his regime in public but as soon as he took power “he pressed for change immediately upon taking the throne, including the legalization of political parties” (“Francisco Franco”). Since then, Spain has remained democratic.In the last 35 years since Franco’s dictatorship, the country has been working to become more democratic, however, the ghost of Franco still haunts the country. More recently, Spain has begun to experience some more political divide. Some of this is due to political parties with strong, differing views. Currently, the prime minister of Spain is Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whom is a part of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party. This past October, Sánchez carried out the actions to move “the remains of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco from a vast mausoleum to a low-key grave, 44 years after his elaborate funeral” (Hedgecoe). Originally, Franco was buried in the Basilica of the Valley of the Fallen which is right outside of Madrid. This basilica’s purpose was to honor the more than 30,000 people who passed away from both sides of the war. The reason for moving the remains of Franco was because the socialist government believed that “Spain should not continue to glorify a fascist who ruled the country for nearly four decades” (Hedgecoe). When I was studying abroad, my host siblings brought me to see the basilica which was absolutely remarkable. There is a large cross outside of it that people can view while driving on the nearby highway. Sánchez’s decision to move Franco’s remains is something quite significant in Spanish history and represents how much the country has changed. The best way to sum up the Franco era in Spain is in Pedro Sánchez’s quote where he said “modern Spain is the product of forgiveness, but it can’t be the product of forgetfulness” (Hedgecoe). Now in 2020, modern Spain is different from Franco’s Spain but there still are aspects of Franco in Spanish society. To begin, there are still political parties in Spain that support the ideas that Franco stood for. One of these political parties is Vox. Although this party was founded in 2014, it holds many of the ideals of Franco with it being known as the political party that is “as far-right and populist, anti-immigrant and anti-Islam” (Hedgecoe). While I was abroad in Spain, my host parents were a part of this political party and it was interesting to hear them talk about Spain, and their views. They always talked about Franco in a positive manner and emphasized Spanish nationalism. This re-emergence of Francoism ideas is due to conservative views with regard to immigration, abortion and same-sex marriage. The current president, Pedro Sánchez, is on the complete opposite side of the political spectrum and is currently working to transition modernize Spanish society. He is doing this by giving more rights to minorities based on race, gender and sexuality. Overall, Sánchez’s goals for his presidency represent how evident Franco’s legacy is in Spanish society. Besides the politics of Francisco Franco and Pedro Sánchez, there are a few other things to know about the Spanish political system. Currently, there is still a monarchy in Spain, however, they do not have much power anymore, and are more of a figurehead. The current king is King Felipe VI and the queen is his wife, Queen Letizia. They do live in Madrid, Spain, however, they no longer live in the Royal Palace of Madrid, but in a nearby home. “El Palacio Real” (the Royal Palace) is now a museum which brings in thousands of visitors every day. I had the opportunity to tour there twice. Currently, some say that “the monarchy is no longer a symbol of unity and harmony” (Gómez). This is due to several political arguments within Spain, with Catalonia independence being at the forefront. Known as “Basque Country” in northern Spain, this area of the country wants to succeed from Spain. Catalonia has their own language and was severely oppressed during Franco’s era. Overall, the biggest political discussions in Spain are currently Catalonian independence, Pedro Sánchez, immigration, abortion, the European Union and rights for minorities. Since the monarchy is mostly a figure head, Spaniards are still able to vote and showcase their beliefs in these political debates. Now that there is a clear understanding on the politics and most recent history of Spain, there are some cultural aspects to consider as well. To begin, similarly to the United States, sports are very important in Spain. More specifically, “fútbol”, which in English means soccer. In Spain, the two largest Football teams are Madrid and Barcelona, and they are huge rivals. Real Madrid has had a history of being one of the most successful soccer teams in all of Europe (Perry-Macelod) and they were sponsored by General Francisco Franco for some time. In Madrid, Real Madrid’s stadium, which is the Bernabeu Stadium is huge and right near the center of the city. During game days, it is obvious how dedicated the Real Madrid fans are to their teams. In Barcelona, they also have their Nou Camp stadium which is for Barcelona’s soccer team. They also have the Olympic stadium there as well. This is because Barcelona hosted the Olympic games in 1992. In both of these cities, and across the country, the importance of sports, is evident. Besides sports, art is also very important to Spanish society. Throughout history, art has always influenced Spain. Spain has been home to several famous artists such as El Greco, Diego Velázquez and Pablo Picasso. These are some of history’s most famous artists and they are on display in Spanish art museums today. In Madrid, Spain’s capital, they have three art museums which they call the “Golden Triangle of Art” (Zimmerman). These museums are the Prado, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. Throughout the rest of the country there are several other museums such as Malaga’s Picasso Birthplace Museum, Barcelona’s Picasso Museum, Sevilla’s Ceramic Center, and many more. Additionally, right next to the Syracuse University Center in Madrid, there is the Sorolla museum which honors Joaquín Sorolla. Sometimes I would spend my lunches in the courtyard of this small museum which was gorgeous. All in all, art is evident in several of the everyday aspects of Spanish society.Spain has a unique culture, especially when compared to the United States. However, their recent history, current politics, love for sports and art, all show just a glimpse into Spanish culture. Being a woman in SpainMoving on from the cultural background of Spain, it is important to acknowledge what the expected place is of a woman in Spanish society. Similarly, to the United States, there are still several differences between life as a woman and life as a man.To begin, in the Spanish language, there are different conjugations when speaking about men and women. All the way until 2018, the female gender was “defined as the weaker gender in the Spanish dictionary” (Govan). Additionally, when discussing a group of people in the Spanish language, the masculine ending conjugation is typically used much more than the feminine ending. For example, if there is a group of 5 men and one woman, the Spanish language would use the masculine ending. For a group of 5 women and one man, the masculine ending would still be used. Although this is the way it has always been used throughout history, there is a debate about this grammar rule being sexist and misogynistic. Both of these ideas have been engraved as a woman’s identity in Spain throughout history. Before and during Franco’s regime, women in Spain had very few rights and were treated as ladies of the house with the jobs of cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. Originally, women gained the right to vote in 1931 due to the Second Republic occurring in Spain (“SPAIN: Women and Politics”). Although this was some serious progress, women did not have the right to vote during Franco’s dictatorship. One thing to consider is that during this time, since it was a dictatorship, no one technically was allowed to vote, but Franco emphasized how women should have no voice in political decisions. After the death of Franco in 1975, the status level of women in Spain improved quite a bit, and they regained their right to vote. In some cases, women in Spain, have more rights and representation than women in other countries of the European Union. For example, in terms of the pay gap, there is still a gap between women and men in Spain. Typically, “Spain’s female executives earn 16 percent less than their male counterparts, although this is better than the EU average salary gap of 23.4 percent” (Govan). This is an exciting step towards female equality in Spain, however, there still is a lot of progress that needs to be made. Only 37% of managerial positions in Spain are held my men, which represents how men still are Spain’s top earners. Additionally, “82% of positions were salaries are more than ten times the minimum wage is held by men” according to Spain’s finance ministry (Govan). As long as there are women working to overcome these barriers, and enter these fields, then perhaps one day the wage gap will close in Spain. Women in Spain also face the issue of sexual assault and violence, similarly to women in the United States. In the first two months of 2017, there were 17 women murdered by partners or ex-partners, additionally, in 2016, a total of 44 women were killed as a result of “gender violence” (Govan). This represents how deadly relationship violence has been in Spain. More recently, in February of 2020, the United States Embassy of Madrid released a statement regarding sexual assault in Spain. They reported that there has been “a steady increase in the number of sexual assaults nationally over the past five years” (Maestro). There have been several articles published about women, both American and Spanish, reporting sexual assault or rape, and the Spanish government ruling against the women. These reports show how much progress needs to be made with providing justice to women in the Spanish courts. When I first arrived in Spain, I was surprised by how vocal Spanish men were to women in the streets. My host sister, Carlotta, who was 36 at the time, taught me to hold my head high and ignore them as I walked by. I always admired how confident she was whenever faced with these degrading men. No matter how busy or quiet the streets, there were always men who would holler cat calls at women, both in Spanish and English. I was grateful that I spoke the language, so that I could understand what they were saying; sometimes I wished I did not know what they were saying. Another interesting part about being a woman in Spain, is that the older men tended to be less respectful to Spanish women or girls. For example, I am an avid runner, and when I ran in Spain, older men would be the only group of people that would not want to move out of the way when I was running. I believe that the men that did this were alive during Franco’s era and old enough to actually remember life with Franco as their leader. However, there was a cutoff in age, because men that were around the age of my host dad (which would be around the late 50s), were much more respectful. Although myself, and my host sister felt disrespected in Spain, my host mother felt the complete opposite. I one time asked her what it is like to be a woman in Spain. She said “she has plenty of opportunities, she can do whatever she wants, and she feels free.” These differing opinions represent how the feelings about being a woman in Spain vary across a spectrum, and are different for every, single woman in Spain.Business Culture in SpainI will never forget my first marketing class in Spain. The class was titled “Marketing in Spain vs. the United States” and my professor was Miguel Houghton. He showed up 10 minutes late to class, and rather than apologizing, he just started class. He did this almost every class, similarly to most of my other professors while abroad. Even when we had professional events, everyone would arrive a tad bit late. This is what I soon learned to be “Spanish time”. Professor Houghton explained it once, that while living in a big city like Madrid, colleagues always expect you to be late because you may run into traffic or may be walking by foot. My other professors explained the same concept, especially my “Sports in Spain” professor, who also had a prestigious job in the Spanish sports world. In his class, we would visit different offices, golf clubs and even the Real Madrid Stadium; every time we were a few minutes late. Therefore, being late is not considered as rude in Spain, as it is in the United States. During my internship in New York over the summer, we had a skype meeting with EY Spain, and they were several minutes late to the call. I remember explaining this culture of Spanish tardiness to them, which constantly confuses Americans. Besides this acceptance of tardiness, Spain has a very unique business culture. Some of this may be due to their daily schedule of life, which is much different from the United States. For instance, I can walk you through a day in the life of my host dad. He holds a prestigious job in Spain as a lawyer for the state. He typically would wake up around 9am and have some toast and fruit for breakfast. He would not leave for work until after 10pm. He then would return back home at 2pm. At that time, my host family would have a huge lunch; everyone would come home from work for it, even my host siblings who lived in their own, nearby apartment. After he would take a brief nap. This afternoon nap is referred to as a “siesta” in the Spanish culture. One thing to note is that not everyone has this exact same schedule, but this is when people are expected to go to work and take breaks. Anyways, at around 4pm, my host dad would return back to work. He would stay at work until 7pm. After work, he would typically go to a nearby bar and grab drinks and tapas with colleagues; sometimes we would meet up with him, or we would do our own tapa crawl. Tapas are just smaller portions of food, similar to appetizers, which are very popular in Spain. Lastly, after tapas and drinks, they would have dinner at around 10pm. However, depending on the amount of tapas, some may just choose to skip dinner because the tapas fill them up. Usually my host dad would stay up until 1am and then head to bed. My host parents would always end their evenings drinking wine on the couch. This was just an average day for them.This leads to the question; how does this daily schedule impact business culture in Spain? Well, it creates a laid-back style of work. Due to the long lunch breaks, many people will grab long lunches with their colleagues and even share a drink or two. Sometimes I would run into professors grabbing a drink during the long, lunch break. In the United States, this would be unheard of expect for a special occasion, but this is quite common in Spain. These meal times and the drinking culture help to create this work environment where your co-workers really are your friends. Spain has this idea of “working to live”, while the United States runs by the idea of “living to work”. As for business meetings, developing a social bond with the other parties is key. In Spain, businesses run by the idea that “social bonds must be built first, before business can be discussed” (“Meeting Etiquette”). This idea once again reinforces the importance of social bonds in Spanish business culture. They want to conduct business with people they can trust, people they consider to be friends, and that is why the meetings usually last for long amounts of time. Additionally, in Spanish culture, they believe that meals are a “social activity and do not necessarily expect to discuss business at the table” (“Meeting Etiquette”). In the United States, it is common to have business meetings over dinner or lunch. In Spain, they will have business lunches, however, during these lunches, there is not much business discussed. Once again, reinforcing these ideals of a relaxed business culture. Another piece of Spanish business etiquette is the greeting. Typically, Spaniard greet each other by shaking hands, when it is one’s first time meeting another. However, after meeting people, it is expected to have a more intimate greeting the next time you meet them. This greeting is “kissing each other on both cheeks, which is done between people who know each other” (“Business Culture in Spain”). Although this greeting may seem a little odd to someone from outside the country, the two kisses is a common greeting, that almost everyone uses. By giving someone the two kisses, it shows a sign of respect and that you feel comfortable with the person, or that you remember meeting them in the past. Additionally, if you speak Spanish, be sure to change which verb tenses you use as you get more familiar with your colleagues, partners or clients. The first time you interact with people, make sure to use the formal conjugation of verbs, but by the second time of meeting them, make sure to use the informal conjugation. Spaniards typically get offended if the formal conjugations are used when you have already met the person. Overall, by using the informal conjugations and giving two kisses, after you have already met the person, then you should be good to go with etiquette in the Spanish business world. Similarly, to most of the other topics covered, this is only a taste of what the business culture is like in Spain. The relaxed work schedule, long lunches, and etiquette all show the basics of business culture in Spain. IX. Women in BusinessBeing a business woman in AmericaIn order to understand more complex topics, it is important to thoroughly understand all the building blocks and components that lead to these complex discussions. Now that there has been a clear establishment in the similarities and differences between Spain and the United States in terms of culture, women and business culture. To build from that, I am going to focus on women in the business world.To begin, over the years, more and more women have been able to enter the business world, however, there still is a large gap in the amount of women in the American business world when compared to males. In 2018, there were only 24 female CEOs in 2018’s Fortune 500 Companies (“Just 24 Female CEOs Lead the Companies on the 2018 Fortune 500- Fewer than Last Year”). This shows that less than 1% of these major companies are led by females. There are a variety of variables and facts that lead up to this shocking statistic. One of the most obvious reasons why there are less female CEOS than males is because there are just more men in the business sector than women. This is because at a young age, boys and girls are pushed to pursue particular career paths. When girls are younger, they are encouraged to pursue careers in teaching, nursing, art and performance. Boys are encouraged to pursue a career in engineering, business, politics and finance. In 2011, Gymboree “sold onesies proclaiming ‘Smart like Daddy’ for boys and ‘Pretty like Mommy’ for girls” (Sandberg19). These gender stereotypes are rooted in the American culture.Besides this gender gap, there are several more reasons why it is hard for women to work their way up in business or pursue a business career. In Sheryl Sandberg’s book, Lean In, she discusses barriers women face in the business world. The first thing she discusses that women are expected to be liked by everyone. Additionally, they are not supposed to show emotions or act angry, because they may be perceived as crazy or not suitable for the harsh realities of the business world. Sandberg says that “I fear that women will continue to sacrifice being liked for being successful” (Sandberg 49). Rather than speaking up, or challenging an idea, women tend to remain quiet because if they say one thing wrong or emotional, they get criticized. Another problem working, business women face in America are businesses that have policies in place that make it difficult for them to take maternity leave or care for their kids. The numbers show that inequality is evident in women’s rights in the workplace. According to Sandberg’s research, “forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off to care for a sick child. Only about half of women receive any pay during maternity leave” (Sandberg 169). When women need to take maternity leave, it causes them to put their families before work. As a result, it is harder for them to work their way up the company because they need to take time off. Men typically do not need to take as much time off when their wife has a baby since they do not have to physically give birth. However, one thing to note that in more recent years, it has become more common for men to take paternity leaves to help when a child is born. Regardless, women still have to carry most of the burden and face the most consequences in terms of balancing work and family. Lastly, another problem women face in the business world is because men view them as sex objects rather than equals. For a long time, women were expected to wear a skirt and dress for business attire while men would wear suits. Due to shifts in society and expectations, more women wear female suits or dress slacks in the business world, which helps them to appear as an equal. However, not all companies expect this. In the 2019 film, Bombshell, the story is told of three different female journalists that work for Fox news and the sexual harassment they face. The film shows how their male counterparts treat them in the business world. For example, several times throughout the film, the women are told to wear shorter dresses, and the cameras focus more on their legs, because they believe that is what the audience wants to see. The CEO of Fox in the film, Roger Ailes, makes several women “spin around” in his office so he can inspect their body to make sure they have the “looks” for Fox news. The goal of the film was to expose how evident sexual harassment is in the workplace and how the message is stronger when people can visually see what is occurring. The film writer, Jill Filipovic said that “reading about sexual harassment dulls it. Seeing it is a crucial reminder of how repulsive and destructive Ailes, and sexual harassers like he was alleged to be, can be” (Garber). Although not every company may treat women like this, sexual harassment is still evident in the business world which discourages females from entering this field.Currently in 2020 in America, women have made a lot of progress in the business world. There are still some changes to be made in terms of the amount women of in the business world, expectations of women, maternity leave, and sexual harassment in the workplace.Being a Business Woman in SpainAs mentioned previously, when compared to the rest of the European Union, the population of women working in Spain is relatively larger than the rest of the EU. Regardless, it is still smaller on a global scale, especially when compared to the size and culture of the United States. Nevertheless, there is still a strong presence of women in the business world of Spain.My host sister, Carlotta, taught me a lot about how being a business woman in Spain can be both a blessing and a curse. After conducting an interview with herself and her friend, who wished to remain anonymous, regarding their experiences as Spanish women. To begin, her friend discussed how women are constantly underestimated. Her friend, who worked for Santander Bank in Madrid, discussed how she always feels like she has to remain quiet during meetings. She described how if she says something, she feels a lot of pressure to be correct, because if she says something incorrect, the men will criticize her for being a “stupid woman” as she put it. However, when she does say something thought provoking or significant, she feels that the men do listen, but are quite surprised that she was capable of that knowledge. Regardless of the negative, she still described herself as lucky because she still has access to the same opportunities as men.When I asked Carlotta the same questions, she was much more direct in her answers. For one, Carlotta works in the business of politics, just like her brother Luis. He is one year younger than her. She discussed how he was able to climb the ladder much faster than her because he was a male, and that was “just the way things are in Spain.” She said considering they went to the same University, came from the same family, and have the same amount of experience, they should have just about the same job. However, Luis has a much more powerful job compared to Carlotta, and she makes just a fraction of his salary. I asked her if she ever gets jealous that her brother has these opportunities, and she said “I am only proud for what my brother has accomplished, but the system is broken and needs to change.” Another way she described her experiences as a Spanish business woman, is by discussing how often men would make sexual passes at her. One time during a business meeting, she described in vivid detail, that she was having a one-on-one meeting with her boss, when he would not stop looking at her breasts. She said “excuse me sir, but if you are going to speak to me, look at this set of circles (pointing to her eyes), not these ones (pointing to her breasts).” Another time she responded to another business man, by saying “all three of us agree”, since he also, would not stop looking at her breasts. Not a lot of women have the confidence to call out these men like Carlotta, but regardless there should be no sexual harassment in the first place. Needless to say, Carlotta quit her job with that particular boss, and now works in another office. She says she is treated a lot better, but she still has to face sexual harassment as a young woman. Although Carlotta and her friend are just two cases of business women in Spain, they represent the sexual harassment and treatment they receive from their male colleagues.Some of their colleagues include Teresa Rodríguez, a political leader for the far-left Podemos Party in Spain. Although she is a political leader, she has to deal with business men daily. In 2017, Manuel Mu?oz Medina, “pushed up against her and simulated kissing her on the mouth- before handing her his business card” (Minder). This represents just a mild example of sexual harassment of business women in Spain. She later describes that most business men discuss that women are just less than men. For example, one man said “of course women must earn less than men because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent” (Minder). At the end of the day, it seems that a majority of Spanish business women agree that sexual harassment is extremely evident in the Spanish business world, but it is also ingrained in the Spanish culture.On a more positive note, due to the changing political climate in Spain, especially with their president, Pedro Sánchez, women have become more involved in business. Specifically, in 2018, women are responsible for opening 22% of new businesses in Spain (Hinchliffe). This represents the growing potential and acceptance that women are capable of being entrepreneurs, when historically men have been expected to take on this role. These numbers for entrepreneurship are impressive, however, the amount of female CEOS in Spain is staggering low. Currently in Spain, only 9% of CEOs are women (Hora). As mentioned previously, factors such as maternity leave could impact these numbers, however, this gap represents that there is still room for improvement.Similarities and DifferencesAfter examining the culture of Spain and the United States, it is evident that the two countries are quite different. Most of this has to do with differences in history and politics, but these have shaped the countries to their modern states. When examining the countries with a micro lens, it becomes clear that women in business face similar conditions in both the United States and Spain.In terms of similarities, there are multiple parallels between business women in these two countries. The most obvious similarity is that business women face sexual harassment in the workplace and that there are several women that have shared their personal experiences with these issues. Another similarity that business women in both Spain and the United States, is that usually men “talk down to them”. Additionally, they expect that women do not have valid opinions or ideas, so they do not treat them as equals. This tendency is reflected by the lack of female CEOs in both countries. In both Spain and the United States, there is this expectation that women are incapable of these leadership positions. In both countries, business women are treated as “delicate” and not “manly” enough to handle c-suite responsibilities. Lastly, the wage gap is a large problem that women in not only these two countries face, but countries around the globe. In total, sexual harassment, lack of CEOs, subordinate to men and the wage gap are some of the largest similarities between business women in Spain and the United States. As for the differences between business women in these countries, culture plays the key role for these differences. In general, women typically dress more conservatively in Spain due to Franco’s recent dictatorship which restricted what women were and were not allowed to wear. In America, there is a lot more freedom of expression, so women tend to wear more outfits to reflect their personalities. As discussed in the business women in America section, sometimes men see a woman in a dress and think they can use that as an excuse to objectify a woman or make a sexual pass at her. Although this is present in both countries, based on the primary interviews I conducted, women in America seem to face it a lot more often. Another difference between how business women are treated in the two countries is that women in Spain have more fear of what men will do to them. The amount of deaths in Spain due to domestic violence creates fear in Spanish business women, so they attempt to ignore what men say rather than filing a complaint. This is because they fear for what could happen if things escalate between themselves and a male counterpart. Once again, these differences most likely have been created due to the most recent history in Spain.Overall, when looking at the similarities and differences between women in the business world in Spain and the United States, at the surface level, they are pretty similar. At the end of the day, women around the world face similar problems in the workplace. Due to the similarity of these problems, women around the globe have the potential to work together to solve these similar issues.X. Ideas for ChangePotential Ideas for the United StatesFor over a century, there have always been women protesting in the United States for more rights and awareness. Over the years, these protests have evolved from voting rights with Susan B. Anthony, to Rosie the Riveter during World War II, to modern-day feminists fighting for abortion rights, and diminishing the pay gap. Due to activism already having a strong presence in the United States, it becomes easier to fight for more rights from this already existing platform.First, one of the key problems in the workplace for American women has been sexual harassment. In 1994, the Violence Against Women Act was passed with the goal of providing support survivors of rape or sexual harassment (Bleiweis). However, there is still room for improvement for this Act, with potential provisions currently being debated in Congress. Currently their goal is to include a “provision that would have allowed survivors to sue their attackers in federal court for damages or other relief” (Bleiweis). By this provision passing, then there will be much more potential for women to be protected under federal laws with the hope of weakening the rape culture that is evident in the United States. Another large problem for women in the business world is the pay gap. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 “prohibits sex-based pay differences, it includes an affirmative defense framework that allows employers to put forward specific defenses to justify a pay disparity” (Bleiweis). Courts and business have been getting around this law by using the defense that “factors other than sex” are what is causing this pay gap. By clarifying this law with more specific wording, this defense could potentially be eliminated, which as a result, would make the pay gap illegal. For example, if there is a female accountant and a male accountant working at the same firm, with the same amount of experience, same qualifications, and the same job title, then they must make the same amount of money. If they were paid differently, this would be the exact opposite of the Equal Rights Amendment. If this law is updated, then there is potential to solve one of the biggest problems that American women face in the business world. A third problem that American business women face is the objectification of their bodies in the workplace, which goes hand in hand with sexual harassment. In 2006, the “me too” movement began in America with the goal of building a “community of advocates to address the dearth in resources for survivors of sexual violence and create solutions to interrupt sexual violence” (Burke). In more recent years, this has encouraged women to stand up against sexual predators, especially in the workplace. Some men that have been exposed due to this have been Matt Lauer and Harvey Weinstein, which are just two examples of how powerful a woman’s word can be in getting justice for the maltreatment from their co-workers. Lastly, one more problem in the workplace is that women feel like they are not heard, or men do not respect their ideas. This is mostly due to stereotypes and ideas that have been engrained into the culture of the business world, which expects women to remain silent. Unfortunately, legislation would not be all that helpful in this particular area. However, women have the potential to stand up for themselves as individuals and share their ideas with confidence. This means that women will have to put themselves out there as individuals and believe that they are just as capable as men. In order to encourage women to speak their minds, Fortune published an article describing ways women can achieve this. Their first point is “what’s your headline?” (Fisher). When expressing an idea or opinion, get to the main point as quickly as possible. Their next tip is to “try contrasting”, which means using words carefully to acknowledge someone else’s views but then stating your views which are different. An example of the phrasing for this would be saying something like “I know that this is a subject that you know a lot about…but let’s talk about what we both want, which is…”. By using this phrasing, women can share their ideas without coming off as completely disregarding what their male counterparts are saying. The third tip that Fortune suggests is that women need to “take back the credit”. This means that when a man, or anyone in general, tried to take credit for something that you did, you need to stand up for yourself and say “thank you”, so that you can take back the credit you deserve. Sadly, these problems will be the hardest to solve in the business world, and may take years to achieve based on the widely accepted behaviors and stereotypes. Hopefully these three tips, along with time in itself, will help women work together to solve this problem.For American women in the business world, there are several problems they face daily, however, these are some ideas and solutions to ease the burden and pain that each of these problems evoke. With more legislation, the Me-Too Movement, and women standing up for themselves, there is potential for some of these problems to diminish. Although this is just a starting point, this is a great start for years of positive change for women in the American business world.Potential Ideas for SpainAs for Spain, similar measures will need to be taken in order to try and solve the problems that women face in the Spanish business world. Some important factors will influence these solutions such as Spain’s government, their cultural norms and their current government. As mentioned previously, some of the largest problems that Spanish women face in the business world are the pay gap, sexual harassment, negative stereotypes and domestic violence.To begin, similarly to the United States, legislation is a good first step towards lessening the problems in Spain. With Pedro Sánchez as their prime minister, they passed a decree in March of 2019 which directly addressed the pay gap. Within this decree, there are several measures that must be taken to diminish the pay gap. Parts of the decree directly address that “the pay gap has not been reduced in the past years” (Gómez). Additionally, the decree states that “public equality policies must remove obstacles that block women from accessing and developing in science, research and technology sectors.” This decree shows that Spain has been taking progressive steps to try and solve this problem. Since the pay gap legislation is already enacted, the next step for Spain is to make sure that companies are following through with the legislation. One way the government has been able to enforce this is by conducting a salary audit of companies with more than fifty employees, in the past, this number used to be 250 or more employees (Valdivia). By auditing more companies to ensure that they are implementing this legislation, this is a crucial step towards more gender equality in the workplace. Besides establishing laws that target diminishing the pay gap, Sánchez took additional steps with a female majority cabinet. Specifically, “in 2018 Spain became the world’s most female-centric government with a share of 65% female ministers in Pedro Sánchez’s cabinet… he appointed 11 female ministers out of 17 when he came to power” (Valdivia). By establishing this female majority, there is potential for more progressive decisions to be made. For example, more legislation could be enacted to help create harsher laws addressing sexual harassment in the workplace. Additionally, this progressive cabinet may be able to address other problems in Spain that directly impact these women such as domestic abuse and violence. These laws have the potential to get to one of the main roots of problems for women in Spain. Besides legal actions, there are other ways for women to fight back and stand up for themselves in the workplace. In Spain, many women feel subordinate to their husbands due to the lifestyle that Francisco Franco created and the fear of domestic abuse. As a result, women feel like they deserve to be treated the way they are. For example, I interviewed my host mother, Carmen, about this to see if her opinions differed from the younger women I had interviewed. My hypothesis was correct. She discussed how she felt that women had an adequate amount of rights and she did not understand how selfish the younger generations were for wanting more rights. She described how different life was when she was growing up, however, she also held beliefs in favor of Francisco Franco. Based on Carmen’s opinions, and the actions of other older women in Spain, there needs to be more awareness of the need for more rights for women. Regardless of the need for older women to be more aware of the need for more women’s rights, the younger generations are doing a great job. I was in Barcelona last year for International Women’s Day, and the streets were filled with young women protesting for more rights. It was such a refreshing sight to see. With women like this becoming the future of this country, the need for awareness of these problems is sure to rise. XI. ConclusionAfter a detailed examination of the cultural background of the United States and Spain, it is clear that there is potential for positive change in the business world for women. With more legislation, more awareness and more women speaking out, the world really can change. I have seen it first hand as a young woman in the business world in both the United States and Spain. I have learned that it may be intimidating to enter an office that is male-dominated but if you speak your mind, and believe in yourself, you can get a spot at the table. No one is going to invite you to the table, you have to prove that you deserve to be there, and in some cases, you will have to bring your own chair to the table. However, what is most important is what you are going to do when you get to the table, because that is when real change will occur. This may take time. In Taylor Swift’s song, “The Man”, she sings, “I wonder if I’d get there quicker if I were a man”, which describes the frustration that women face while competing with men. Right now, the future is unknown, but if women and men come together from around the globe, we can change the standard of sexual harassment, the pay gap and discrimination in the workplace. This change has to occur for all women; regardless of their race, sexuality, disabilities, etc. We are all in this together.When I was a little girl, my mom used to always quote Dr. Seuss’s book, Oh the Places You’ll Go. Women from around the world have a large mountain ahead of them. It will be an uphill battle. It will not be easy, but on the other side of the mountain is a world where women will not be labeled by their gender but rather by their accomplishments. So, for whomever is reading this, we can make this change together. We have the tools, we have the resources, we just need to all bind together as one. “You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way.”XII. Sources Cited and Consulted“19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote (1920).” Our Documents - 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote (1920), 2020, doc.php?flash=false&doc=63. “Just 24 Female CEOs Lead the Companies on the 2018 Fortune 500-Fewer than Last Year.” CNBC, CNBC, 21 May 2018, 2018/05/21/2018s-fortune-500-companies-have-just-24-female-ceos.html.Bleiweis, Robin. “The Equal Rights Amendment: What You Need to Know.” Center for American Progress, 2020, issues/women/reports/2020/01/29/479917/equal-rights-amendment-need-know/.Breech, John. “2020 Super Bowl Ratings Revealed: Chiefs-49ers Ranks as the 11th Most-Watched Show in TV History.” , 5 Feb. 2020, nfl/news/2020-super-bowl-ratings-revealed-chiefs-49ers-ranks-as-the-11th-most-watched-show-in-tv-history/.Burke, Tarana. “About Me Too Movement.” Me Too Movement, 2008, about/.“Business Culture in Spain - Expat Guide to Spain.” Expatica, 27 Jan. 2020, es/employment/employment-basics/business-culture-102512/.“Compare Countries.” Hofstede Insights, product/compare-countries/.“The Criminal Justice System: Statistics.” RAINN, 2020, statistics/criminal-justice-system.Curtis, Bryan. “Debating America's Pastime(s).” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Feb. 2009, 2009/02/01/sports/01iht-01curtis.19835372.html.Duffin, Erin. “Average Family Size in the US 1960-2019.” Statista, 28 Nov. 2019, statistics/183657/average-size-of-a-family-in-the-us/.Duffin, Erin. “U.S.: Number of Full-Time Workers in August 2019.” Statista, 3 Apr. 2020, statistics/192361/unadjusted-monthly-number-of-full-time-employees-in-the-us/.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Spanish Civil War.” Encyclop?dia Britannica, Encyclop?dia Britannica, Inc., 3 Jan. 2020, event/Spanish-Civil-War.Fisher, Anne. “Women at Work: 3 Strategies to Make Sure Your Ideas Are Heard in the Offie.” Fortune, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2020, 2020/02/11/how-to-make-sure-my-ideas-are-heard-at-work-women-in-business/.Fitzgerald, Toni. “2020 Grammy Ratings Fall On Billie Eilish's Big Night.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Jan. 2020, sites/tonifitzgerald/2020/01/27/2020-grammy-ratings-fall-on-billie-eilishs-big-night/#67821bdf2763.“Francisco Franco.” , A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, ics/world-war-ii/francisco-franco.Garber, Megan. “The Most Powerful Scene in 'Bombshell'.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 23 Dec. 2019, entertainment/archive/2019/12/fictions-bombshell-movie/603982/.George, Hannah Berry. “What It's like Being a Woman in America.” Metro, 11 Dec. 2019, metro.co.uk/2016/11/22/being-a-woman-in-america-6119626/.George, Hannah Berry. “What It's like Being a Woman in America.” Metro, 11 Dec. 2019, metro.co.uk/2016/11/22/being-a-woman-in-america-6119626/.Golden, Jessica. “NBA Has Baller Season: Attendance, Ratings, Merchandise All See Huge Uptick.” CNBC, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2018, 2018/04/12/nba-has-baller-season-attendance-ratings-merchandise-see-huge-uptick.an, Fiona. “Five Reasons Why Spain Is Still Failing on Women's Rights.” Thelocal.es, 8 Mar. 2017, thelocal.es/20170308/reasons-why-spain-is-still-failing-on-womens-rights.Gómez, Manuel V. “Spanish Cabinet Cracks down on Gender Discrimination in the Workplace.” EL PA?S, 4 Mar. 2019, english.elpais/2019/03/04/inenglish/1551692454_012972.html.Hedgecoe, Guy. “Spanish Elections: How the Far-Right Vox Party Found Its Footing.” News, BBC, 11 Nov. 2019, news/world-europe-46422036.Hinchliffe, Tim. “New Report Finds 22 Percent of Spanish Startup Founders Are Women.” Entrepreneur, 26 Sept. 2018, article/320438.“History of Voting Timeline in America.” SOS, 2020, sos._assets/elections/history-of-voting-in-america-timeline.pdf).Hora, Gurdeep S. “Where Are the Female CEOs. A Global Study: Myths & Reality.” IRC, 13 Jan. 2018, thought-leadership/where-are-women-ceos-myths-and-reality/.“How the U.S. Became a Sporting Culture.” Sporting News, (Getty Images), 15 July 2016, us/other-sports/news/how-the-us-became-a-sporting-culture/1vgv4kxl2459w1l6dvrbhev2er.Iglesias, Pablo. “What's the Spanish Monarchy Still Good for?” EL PA?S, 26 Nov. 2018, english.elpais/2018/11/26/inenglish/1543234577_165448.html.Maestro, Laura Perez. “US Warns Citizens of Sexual Assault in Spain.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 Feb. 2020, 2020/02/04/world/us-warning-assault-spain-intl/index.html.“Meeting Etiquette.” Business Culture, 22 Oct. 2013, southern-europe/business-culture-in-spain/meeting-etiquette-in-spain/.Minder, Raphael. “Spanish Women, Advancing in Politics, Still Battle Sexism.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Mar. 2017, 2017/03/08/world/europe/spain-women-sexism.html.“Number of Businesses in the United States.” Albany Business Review, 2020, albany/news/2019/04/11/number-of-businesses-in-the-united-states.html). .Perry-Macleod, Angus, and Paul Cannon. “Everything You Need to Know About Soccer in Spain.” TripSavvy, TripSavvy, 6 June 2019, beginners-guide-to-soccer-in-spain-1644362.Rampton, John. “'The Wolf of Wall Street' Teaches These 7 Lessons for Success.” , Inc., 22 Jan. 2018, john-rampton/wolf-of-wall-street-lessons.html.Sandberg, Sheryl. Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Alfred A. Knopf, 2018.“The Simple Truth about the Pay Gap.”, 2020, research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/.“SPAIN : WOMEN AND POLITICS in Spain.” SPAIN : WOMEN AND POLITICS in Spain, 2020, helsinki.fi/science/xantippa/wle/wle15.html.“Spain: The Franco Years.” Spain - THE FRANCO YEARS, 2020, countrystudies.us/spain/22.htm.Thorne, Will. “Oscars Viewership Sinks to New Low With 23.6 Million.” Variety, Variety, 10 Feb. 2020, 2020/tv/news/oscars-ratings-2020-1203499199/.“Timeline of Women's Rights Movement.” US News, 2020, news/the-report/articles/2017-01-20/timeline-the-womens-rights-movement-in-the-us.“Title IX and Sex Discrimination.” Home, US Department of Education (ED), 10 Jan. 2020, www2.about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html.Valdivia, Ana Garcia. “Spain Is Now In The World's Top 10 For Gender Equality-This Is How Progress Happened.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 21 Dec. 2019, sites/anagarciavaldivia/2019/12/20/spain-enters-the-worlds-top-10-for-gender-equality/#4bd20cd76f52.“The World Factbook: Spain.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 1 Feb. 2018, library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html.“The World Factbook: United States.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 1 Feb. 2018, library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html.Young, Angela. “12 Stats About Working Women.” 12 Stats About Working Women, blog.2017/03/01/12-stats-about-working-women.Zachwieja, Ann Stewart. “A Quick Guide To Business Etiquette In The United States.” Globig, 2020, blog/a-quick-guide-to-business-etiquette-in-the-united-states/.Zimmerman, Lindsey. “The Art Aficionado's Guide to Art in Spain: Where to Get Your Fix.” Devour Madrid, 27 Jan. 2020, art-in-spain/. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download