According to an Aug. 27 Politico article, a case study done by Crossroads GPS and American Action Network reports a significant difference in favorability by women in the GOP and the Democratic Party. According to the report, 49 percent of women view Republicans unfavorably, while 39 percent view Democrats unfavorably.

It is important that both parties address this issue; to date, the Democrats have made some progress but need to work towards a more complete solution.

This is a cultural problem that undoubtedly needs time and effort to resolve. However, there are legislative solutions to help give this stark gender divide a push in the right direction. Women, men and the economy are suffering due to the gender divide in corporate positions and the professional world as a whole.

This issue is by no means exclusive to leadership positions in the corporate world. According to an April 8 Pew Research Center article, women make 84 percent of what men make. Admittedly, there are other factors that contribute to this relationship other than direct discrimination based on gender. But explicit inequality in wages still exists.

President Barack Obama partially addressed this issue last April by signing an Executive Order that prevents federal contractors from punishing employees who choose to discuss their wages. He also signed a Presidential Memorandum requiring federal contractors to submit data regarding employee compensation to the Department of Labor. While this sounds like progress, it only applies to federal contractors and cannot address other issues of sexism. Legislation separate from an Executive Order would show widespread support for women.

There are other legislative solutions that would make a difference in reducing the gender gap. These legislative solutions would level the playing field and treat men and women equally.

There are issues of culture and personal choice that limit female advancement, but there is also a very real issue of unpaid maternity leave and paternity leave. Biology necessitates that women typically take at least some maternity leave. Maternity leave can significantly impede women’s progress in the workplace, particularly in male dominated professions where this is not a culturally accepted and embraced practice. If there was a bill passed that required employers to provide a number of months of paid maternity and paternity leave it could potentially reduce this barrier for women’s progress. Paid leave should not exceed 100 percent of income within one year prior to the leave.

In comparison to other countries, the U.S. lags on paid parental leave. According to data compiled by the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, the United States is the only one of 38 countries in the survey that do not mandate paid parental leave. Poland, Estonia, Spain, Lithuania, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, France and Finland offer at least three years leave related to motherhood.

It is essential to provide paid maternity and paternity leave.

In addition, the lack of affordable child-care poses an issue for many women in the workplace. Often, it is not lucrative for women to remain in work during the time period before their children begin to attend school. I believe that if there were increased access to affordable child care, more women would remain in the workplace.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is working on creating a feasible solution to this problem. She is working with Sen. Boxer (D-CA) on advocating for an increase in the tax credits made available through “The Dependent and Child Care Tax Credit.” Her proposal would increase the maximum deduction to $6,000 annually. Gillibrand also endorses increased tax breaks for employers that provide on-site child-care to employees.

These proposals may not immediately decrease the pay gap and increase the number of female executives, but they certainly open doors for women to break through the glass ceiling.

Social issues are resolved not only through legislation, but through cultural and social changes. These changes can’t happen as quickly as many of us would like it to and it is not the government’s responsibility to force cultural change. However, creating legislation that allows for positive change to take place is a big step in the right direction.

Rachel Potter is a senior political science and sociology major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at [email protected].

Published on September 2, 2014 at 12:18 am