Gender Stereotypes at Workplace - Essay Example

? Compare the effect of gender minority status on women’s experience of male-dominated work and men’s experience of female-dominated work By Presented to Institution Instructor Course Date Compare the effect of gender minority status on women’s experience of male-dominated work and men’s experience of female-dominated work Gender Stereotypes Over the years, various generalizations have been made about the roles that each gender plays in society. Such ideas have been introduced into children's lives from the time they are born and as such, they have also passed them down over the generations (Chodorow, 2004). Such generalizations have been neither considered negative or positive because of their nature of establishment. They were established at a time when those roles made sense for the survival of the human race as is realized with the dedicated role of women in child care. But with advancing technology, some of the roles that have been attributed to various gender is becoming obsolete (Schein, 2005). However, people still make assumptions about roles of men and women through these stereotypical notions that claim to apply to all men and women in the world. Some of the roles associated with women include preparing and serving food but most important, taking care of children. Even with the games that are played at this age, it is evident that women are supposed to stay at home, cook, clean and take care of the children while males are supposed to go to work. From a young age, boys are taught more roles that are considered 'manly' like mowing the lawn and taking out the trash instead of the more 'womanly' roles of cleaning the house (Chodorow, 2004). The stereotypes however do not apply to all men and women in society. Each individual in society is often free to act as they please, a factor that has realized an increase in the number of women who have taken up manly roles and vice versa (Schein, 2005). It is considered normal for a woman to pursue roles that are manlier like construction and men to pursue roles that are more feminine like cooking and cleaning. Gender should not be the basis by which a person's identity is created; it should merely be a part of someone's personality. It is on the basis of this understanding that conflicting roles have come up for both men and women in society (Watts, 2007). Gender Minority Status Gender minority status results when a person decides to engage in a profession that is considered less suitable for their gender (Lupton, 2000). They are thus considered the minority members of the particular profession because they are either less in number or they are simply taking up roles that make them be considered either lesser males or females. This is considered in light of the belittling roles that women have been subjected to over the years because of their gender orientation. In the past, there were certain jobs that were reserved for male gender owing to their intensive nature. It was thus considered as work that women could not engage in and if they did, there would be repercussions. Society would regard them as misfits and socialization with them would be naturally forbidden or undertaken under different scenarios (Chodorow, 2004). Gender minority status results from observed differences in behavior and personality between the genders that result from a person's innate personality. Personality is affected by culture and social interaction with other members of society and is largely not attributable to physiological and biological differences. There are those who perceive that children learn to orient themselves towards their gender roles as a result of their learned observations and interactions with their environment (Chodorow, 2004). Boys are often provided with tools that are used to manipulate their environment like vehicles, trucks and engines while females are often dressed up with pink frilly dresses and provided with dolls that have pretty hair and makeup. In so doing, girls learn that they are objects to be viewed and as such must maintain their looks to fit into society. Hence, career advancement was not considered important to women with a lot of decision making being left to the male. There are thus various attitudes that have developed towards the perception of appropriate gender roles. As such, various titles have been given to people who have defied the expectations of their gender like “woman-doctor”, “lady-barber”, “male nurse” and “male secretary among other (Benokraitis, 2007). When considered in light of communication, women were perceived to be more expressive as relates to their emotions. They were more likely to cry, smile and laugh in various occasions as compared to their male counterparts (Miller, 2004). Women also had a better understanding of non-verbal clues and were likely to interpret them faster in given situations (Watts, 2004). Men on the other hand considered emotion as a weakness and often suppress it. This is especially in light of delicate emotions like laughter, care and smile. They were more likely to express anger as an emotion because it assured them domination over the weaker female (Lupton, 2000). The Career Effect The minority status of most males and females give them an added advantage when it comes to certain careers and roles (Lupton, 2000). This is because most selection boards and organizations look favorably upon applicants who perform roles that are less suited for their gender. This is seen in the case when more males are preferred for jobs like teaching and nursing while more females are considered for roles like construction and engineering (Lupton, 2000). Even within their careers, male workers face significant challenges because of their requirement to interact with the female workers. Within the female-dominated work place environment, men may undergo a series of processes that change their masculine identity. Men often fear that they will become invisible as men because their former roles of being the sole provider and decision maker may be shadowed by the female. In addition, they fear being 'adopted' or perceived as women because they have adopted roles that were previously performed by women (Simpson, 2013). Discussions within the work place may be female oriented with males being given less of a chance to start discussions that relate to their affairs. Common discussions may include uncomfortable subjects like common feminine biological experiences that they may commonly share with their female counterparts. The nature of these discussions may cause men to shy away or exclude themselves from discussions in the workplace. Men fear that they may lose their identity and begin picking up on mannerisms and tones of voices that were historically regarded as female (Simpson, 2013). A person who takes on a role that is socially perceived to be against the norm of their historically defined roles is considered to be misfits and deviants from the norm. Men who have engaged in activities that were socially considered as female roles have faced stigmatization from their fellow male counterparts and from even the same female counterparts within the workplace (Simpson, 2013). Their roles within these workplaces have been considered as demeaning to the male workforce making them be perceived as lesser men. Women on the other hand are perceived as trophies when they are recruited in careers that are often perceived as male dominated (Miller, 2004). Management is often noted to be proud to have a female representative in the field and they often even identify with them. There are various organizations that are perceived to be more male specific than female. It is such professions that pose serious effects on women's psychological well-being when they choose to work in them. According to a study by Miller (2004), it was established that women experience the effects of three primary processes that structure the masculinity of the industry. Through everyday interactions that exclude women, values and beliefs that are specific to the dominant to the occupation and a consciousness derived from the powerful symbols of the frontier myth, women have found it increasingly difficult to work in such male dominated environment. This study was carried out among women working in the oil industry which was historically perceived to be a male dominated profession. There are various methods that male workers make female workers feel unwelcome or inferior in a male dominated work place. These include the use of everyday interaction mechanisms that exclude women from shared masculine interests in the organization. The special consideration effect Condensing chivalry and paternalism are just but some of the behaviors exhibited in such environments that make everyday interaction embarrassing if not impossible (Miller, 2004). Because of the perception that the female is not in their proper environment and the current environment may be hazardous for them, paternalism takes over and the male members make it their duty to ensure the female receives greater than necessary care during their entire interaction process. They may even be assisted to the point of only handling supervisory work instead of the manual job that they were actually recruited for. Women are freer to interact in such environments because they are able to ask questions more freely about areas they do not understand as compared to their male counterparts who may feel inferior when asking questions about areas they should already be competent in. And among the female members themselves, there are specific divisions that will also occur based on the level of attraction and assistance that they can derive from their male counterparts. Some women, because of their level of physical attraction may be able to command more help from men as compared to other women making them better able to interact with their male counterparts than their female counterparts. This makes women be treated as novelty, a childlike person who constantly requires protection, a person who is admired by male colleagues and rather different from other women. Informalism which is characterized by an alliance of the male members within a workplace is also another common aspect of interaction within the work place (Miller, 2004). There are those areas of interaction where female members will not be freely welcome because they are regarded as purely male areas. Other times, simply by the natural obligations that women have like child nurturing, they are unable to participate in social interactions with male in order to align themselves with this order an become part of them (Montreal & Kingston, 2007). Their male counterparts in female-dominated work environments have also undergone some level of “mothering” from more experienced female members of the work force (Lupton, 2000). They have been guide through a gentle approach to work management that has enabled them to achieve considerable outcomes. This motherly care may have however been outstretched by some other female members to the extent of making male workers uncomfortable. The assumed authority effect Nearly all men assume that their status as men gives them greater authority over their female counterparts when placed in a working environment (Lupton, 2000). This allows men to behave in certain ways that may compromise the comfort of female workers within the working environment. Sexual harassment is one of the common challenges that are associated with women's participation in a male dominated work environment. Men have been known to dominate and sexually exploit women according to a study by Watts (2007). This form of sexual harassment is often gender related with more women than men reporting such incidences within the workplace environments. In addition, these acts are less commonly perceive as sexual harassment by their perpetrators because of the less violent forms in which they are committed. Display of materials of a sexual nature, suggestive looks, name calling, suggestive sexually explicit gestures, body language and sexual teasing are just but some of the methods that male workers use to intimidate their female counterparts in the work place environment (Watts, 2007). And because these methods are not violent or aggressive in nature, they are often perceived to stem from the need to create uncomfortable humor in the workplace. Female members may respond by either directly reporting or ignoring and denying the presence of such behavior. This leads to reduced productivity, loss of motivation and self-confidence that significantly deteriorate interpersonal relationships (Marshall, 2003). Gender roles are often defined right from the start of human life whereby women are confined to their roles or nurturing and caring for the home while males are allowed to leave the house and look for work (Chodorow, 2004). Over the years however, there have been an increasing number of women leaving the homes to look for work. It has additionally been established that their roles in these work places have been extensions of the previous systems such that they are still forced to behave in accord with the historically developed value system of gender roles. Men on the other hand do not face significant challenges of authority from women. If anything, they are often the center of authority because they are presented with greater ability to make decisions within the workplace (Floge & Merrill, 2009). Significant pressure is placed on them to perform more supervisory and management roles in female-dominated work environments. The Comfort Zone effect There were fewer men who felt isolated at work as compared to their female counterparts. Men often made their environments a positive source of motivation and made it comfortable for themselves to work with other women (Lupton, 2000). Women on the other hand found it less comfortable to work with men and often found themselves facing significant challenges in their work places. Within these male dominated environments, qualities that are considered symbolic include toughness and tenacity. They often describe the nature of people who are allowed to work in such environments thus locking out any gentle feminine attitudes (Hall, 2009). This is further exemplified in construction sites that are often noisy and dirty work environments made worse by bad weather. There is no access to clean and safe toilets within these sites. This type of environment was present in the past and has been carried into the present time despite the advancements that have been made by women in that profession. Concepts that favor power, competitiveness, self-interest and toughness are commonly furthered in such environments (Miller, 2004). Hence for women to fit in, they are often faced with the challenge of whether they can conform to work in such environments. Historical adaptations of how the workplace environment of a particular profession is developed significantly affects the present day perceptions of such work place environments. An aggressive confident approach is necessary in such environments because their nature and context has already been historically defined. In order to succeed in such masculine environments, women have had to adapt the tough approach to management. They have denied the salience of gender by masking common emotions that the feminine gender is commonly associated with like laughing, empathy and crying. To fit into such work environments, women have had to adapt by abandoning their items of biological value like hand bags and sanitary items that simply scream 'feminine' for the more masculine trousers with side pockets (Miller, 2004). It is because of these advancements that the bridge between the masculine and feminine perceptions in a work place environment can never be bridged. In order to adapt to their roles within the female-dominated workplace, men have been known to restructure their roles within such places. This includes a change in title of the roles they play in the organization as realized in the case whereby male secretaries changed their titles to administrative assistants to avert the feminine association. Inclusion of feminine tasks within their job descriptions under such positions have also been reduced as in the case of complete omission of the role of typing to emphasize on the roles of organizing and planning aspects of organization management (Simpson, 2013). These actions still seem to perpetuate the fact that there are some jobs that are not suitable for males and are supposed to be left for the females. As such, previously feminine roles have realized a change in their performance making them less gentle and tougher. As realized in personnel management that shifted from its previous concern and care for employees to its current role of disciplining and sacking employees in an organization. These shifts in job description are as q result of male penetration of a female-dominated work force. Masculinity has also been renegotiated to tailor it to work within the female environment by adopting some of the common behavior associated with the feminine being (Simpson, 2013). They have even engaged in discussions that downplay the masculine roles and requirements of toughness that are not favored by the feminine roles. Conclusion There are various penalties that arise from people who are considered in a minority status as relates to their work environment. They often face significant challenges in their roles that may lead to loss of motivation and self-worth. There are men who have engaged in professional activities that were historically considered female-dominated professions. Areas like nursing and secretarial management are considered feminine careers but are increasingly being undertaken by male members. They face significant challenges in the execution of their duties even though they are often not realized because of the male nature to suppress emotion and any feelings that may be considered as a form of masculine weakness. Hence men have been able to meet the challenges posed to his masculinity by the career choice chosen by restructuring the career requirements, roles and titles to fit into their masculinity. Female members have also faced challenges that they have sought to remedy by adapting to such environments. However, despite the numerous attempts that female members have made towards learning and adhering to the rules of the masculine order in order to be accepted into their system, they will still never be fully accepted into it. References Benokraitis, N.V. (2007) Sex discrimination in the 21st century. In: N. V. Benokraitis ed. Subtle Sexism: Current Practice and Prospects for Change. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications, pp.5–33. Chodorow, N. (2004) Femininities, Masculinities, Sexualities: Freud and Beyond. Lexington, KY, University Press of Kentucky. Floge, L. & Merrill, D. (2009) Tokenism Reconsidered: Male Nurses and Female Physicians in a Hospital Setting. Social Forces, 64 (4), pp.925–947. Hall, E.T. (2009) The Silent Language. Garden City, NY, Doubleday. Lupton, B. (2000) Maintaining Masculinity: Men who do “Women”s Work’. British Journal of Management, 11 (Special Issue), pp.S33–S48. Marshall, J. (2003) Patterns of cultural awareness: Coping strategies for women managers. 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