Fifty-plus years after the creation of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, much progress has been made for women in the workplace. But inequalities remain.

“(T)oo many people in too many workplaces find themselves in unacceptably harassing situations when they are simply trying to do their jobs,” wrote the co-chairs of an EEOC task force that recently studied harassment at work. The agency also says that equal pay for women remains a “persistent problem.”

On the other hand, recent clarifications regarding federal protections for women (and men) in the LGBT community offer optimism for greater equality in the future.

Andrea G. Baran, Regional Attorney of the EEOC’s St. Louis District, discusses the status of women in the workplace – both their progress and areas needing improvement.