Originally published 20 September 2018

Gender bias is more frequent than most of us are aware of and it can create many problems that we do not even know about. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers presents many different facts about the hard conditions that field workers, especially women, have to go through. According to the organization, one of the horrible facts is that  80 percent of women who have been sexually assaulted are working in fields. These people have children and families– even though they know that they will face awful conditions in their workplace, they still have to go in order to take care of their families and to provide a better future for their children.

It is heart-wrenching and very frustrating because there are still organizations that ignore these terrible conditions that women have to go through. Sometimes, it is inevitable not to think about how selfish we can be as a society. In order to fulfill our duty to society, both governmental and non-governmental organizations should take action, and support humans rights organizations like Harvest without Violence and Fair Food. This can create a huge progress in the process of eliminating gender bias in the society. Unless the community is aware of the situation, many more women might have to work in horrible conditions in order to provide for their family.

According to a February 2016 article in The Atlantic, the media plays a huge role in terms of depicting women. The article suggests that it is a male-dominated media we are dealing with– men are usually portrayed as the entrepreneurs, the leaders, or as if they have more money and power. However, women are represented in the media mostly for their appearance. There is less coverage of women’s accomplishments or academic achievements. It is very sad and unfortunate, but this issue is a very important reason why we still have gender bias. Some women in business have difficulty in having a strong voice in their position. What is worse is that some women are not even able to speak up for the struggles they go through in their workplace.  Not only does this push pressure on women in business, but it also creates more serious issues for them. For instance, the situation of women working in fields can be prevented with better media coverage. Women’s issues and their struggles can be framed in a more serious way. Women also should be portrayed more for their leadership, skills and achievements. Better media coverage of women will definitely increase the awareness of gender issues. It will also create a stronger impact in terms of getting rid of conscious and unconscious gender bias.

Another example that results from gender bias can be seen in the gender pay gap. There are various statistics about the wage gaps around the world. For instance, “Women’s median annual earnings are $10,086 less than men’s in the U.S.,” according to a 2018 Business Insider article.  It is hard to admit that women have been receiving less than they deserve because of the society’s gender bias. These examples do not prove that the whole society is blind to these critical issues — however, I want to point out that there is still a lot to be done in order to prevent these issues and to provide an equal life for everyone. Since the society still has gender bias, female Immokalee workers are working in harshest conditions and facing terrible situations. Unless we raise more awareness and start taking action, there might not be better opportunities for women in the future.