#CostaRica 🇨🇷 #BDS_Article: Women in the Workforce: Challenges and Achievements

It is no secret that, in the workplace, the gender gap in terms of opportunities remains significant. Despite ongoing efforts, women continue to face systemic challenges when applying for jobs. If they do secure employment, they often must remain vigilant, and at times defensive, to retain their position, ensure equal pay, gain access to career advancement opportunities within the organization and, of course, earn the respect of their colleagues—a respect that is not inherently granted simply by virtue of being a woman.

The professional challenges women face at the outset of their careers are numerous and addressing them—or at least mitigating them in the workplace—is a collective responsibility. While progress has been made in different organizations as observed through our different labor advisory initiatives and movements, persistent challenges remain that must be highlighted and addressed:

– Gender Pay Gap: In Costa Rica, the gender pay gap is the fourth lowest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, with Costa Rican women currently earning 4.2% less than men. While this figure is more favorable compared to other OECD nations, inequality still exists. This disparity forces female workers to actively ensure they receive the same salary as their male colleagues in their departments, despite the fact that both the Political Constitution (Article 57) and the Labor Code (Article 167) explicitly mandate equal pay for equal work, position, working hours, and efficiency.

– Glass Ceilings: A lack of mentorship and support for women remains a major shortcoming in many organizations. Historically and culturally, men in leadership or executive positions tend to prefer hiring and promoting other men, which frequently relegates women to administrative support roles. Depending on the circumstances, women are often evaluated less favorably than men, particularly those who balance both professional and maternal responsibilities. There is a misguided bias that women who assume this “dual role” will be less efficient at work, which in turn limits their career advancement opportunities.

– “Double Shifts”: Culturally, women have been assigned the role of household caretakers. As a result, not only must they efficiently fulfill their workplace responsibilities, but they are also expected to manage household and family duties with the same level of commitment. In many current realities, women must divide their time in such a way that the burden at home is often equal to or greater than their professional workload, as there is no sufficient support in the equitable distribution of household responsibilities. This also results in women facing additional barriers to career advancement and professional development opportunities, as they have no consistent and strong support at home.

– Harassment and Discrimination: A seemingly harmless suggestive comment, an inappropriate joke, dismissing a woman’s opinion in a meeting, or failing to recognize her contributions simply because she is a mother—these are just a few of the discriminatory behaviors women face daily in the workplace. These forms of discrimination may sometimes be overt, but in many cases, they are subtle and concealed, creating a deceptive environment that ultimately harms female employees. The same is true for workplace harassment, which can be either sexual or professional in nature. While companies have established protocols and policies to address complaints from all employees, in practice, the vast majority of reported cases involve women who have experienced sexual harassment by a colleague or supervisor at some point during their employment, or who have been subjected to workplace harassment that ultimately forced them to resign.

Despite these ongoing obstacles, it is important to acknowledge the efforts of many organizations, workplaces, and public institutions that are actively working to raise awareness, educate, and eliminate gender discrimination through policies, committees, advocacy movements, and support networks. The effective implementation of these measures has enabled many women to work in discrimination and violence-free environments, advance within their organizations, and serve as mentors and role models for other female professionals just beginning their careers.

While there have been efforts and incremental progress, from a legal standpoint, much remains to be done to eradicate workplace discrimination against women. Even with legal protection regimes, strengthened regulatory bodies to monitor and address workplace harassment, designated lactation spaces, and policies promoting gender violence or sexual harassment-free workplaces, deep-seated historical and cultural biases persist. Although society continues to evolve and newer generations adopt different perspectives, legislative support and enforcement are essential to drive meaningful change. Thus, the legal framework in this regard remains a work in progress.

The fight to ensure that current and future generations of women have equal access to employment opportunities must continue. It is a shared responsibility between men and women—an effort that must not only be recognized in March but sustained all year long.