When I was 20, I had one of my most blatant experiences with workplace discrimination. I was working a summer job at a local industrial plant – a much sought after summer internship as a mechanic’s lackey.

For three summers, I worked in a non-air conditioned plant helping install drive motors and operating acetylene torches. That first summer was great, and I worked under one of the best managers I’ve ever had (save my current boss, of course).

But that second summer, I had a new manager who assigned me mostly housekeeping tasks. Why? Because of my gender.

Before you roll your eyes, let me share that my supervisor told me – pointblank – that he limited my activities because I was the same age as his daughter, and he couldn’t picture her doing any of the tasks that his men or the males in the internship program performed. Had I one ounce of the fire in me then that I have today, I would have marched myself to human resources right then and demanded a transfer. 

Sadly, my story isn’t unique, nor is it even a horror story. But it is an example of the workplace inequalities that women face on a daily basis – and how likely we all are to stay quiet about it. In honor of Women’s Equality Day (thank you, Bella Abzug), let’s stand up – together – to shatter the glass ceiling that’s still hanging over everyone’s heads. Here are three ways to help in those efforts – and why it’s NOT just a “feminist” issue.

1. Pay us what we’re worth. By now, you should have heard the statistic that women earn 77 percent of what our male coworkers make for the same position. Pew Research Center did the math for us (math is hard), and that means that women would have to work about 60 extra days to take home the same salary as their male peers. And that’s only the white women – African Americans only earned 64 percent and Latinas just 53 percent of what white males earned at the same job. Bottom line: Pay us for the work we’re doing; you don’t think twice when paying a man for it.

It’s a shame that our clothes, toiletries and dry cleaning aren’t also under this 23 percent less rule, too…

2. Listen when we speak. And encourage other staff members to do the same. In the now famous New York Times op-ed from Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant, they shared an experience from female writers at “The Shield” in which they were often interrupted or had ideas railroaded when they spoke up at pitch meetings. Just as troubling was the fact that management didn’t realize why the female writers were being quiet in the first place – they weren’t being taken seriously.

We’re hired to be more than seat fillers with nice smiles. We have ideas that we want to contribute, so listen to us, and create a culture in which everyone’s ideas are welcome, not just the loudest in the room (regardless of gender).  Giving men and women equal footing in the conference room will lead to bigger, more innovative ideas that make better end products and improved bottom lines. 

3. Be an ally. Like the title of this blog says, workplace inequality isn’t just a feminist issue. While we’re at it, let’s set the record straight about feminism – it’s the belief that women of all colors, shapes and socioeconomic backgrounds should be treated as people. Radical, I know. 

So, let’s ditch the angry man-bashing stereotypes for ambitious women in the workplace. Quit using the “b” word whenever a female coworker has strong opinions – seriously, if one more article comes out rewarding men for this behavior while branding women as she-beasts, I might lose it. Encourage women within your organization to pursue growth roles and C-level positions. And mentor young girls to grow into strong women entrepreneurs and CEOs.

 While work inequalities have come a long way in the past few decades, we still have a long way to go. I’m grateful for the path my career has taken and the confidence and knowledge I’ve gained along the way thanks to strong mentors. But we can certainly do better for everyone’s benefit.