The diversity of opinion CalGal talks about is there, and it would make for interesting discussion. Women and work in the valley Women are treated differently in the workplace, for a myriad of reasons, cultural and innate. Even as a Sr. HR Manager, an expectation exists that I perform low-level admin tasks. Believe me, I've served my time on the reception desk, and at this level of responsibility and pay, it is a bad investment for an organization to have me answering the phone. Female technical employees are not paid as highly, nor promoted as consistently or quickly in any organization I've worked with.
Some industries are less female friendly than others.
I see men-only cliques that women can't join. My suggestion to all organizations is to support growth and opportunity for men and women equally. Sounds simple, but some managers need to evaluate how they perceive their workers. There is no reason to have differences in pay between men and women. Female contributions are not of a lesser value than male contributions, and many females are the chief wage earner for their families.