Stereotypes and Male Masculinity in the Workplace - Research Paper Example

? Research Question: How do Stereotypes Affect the Perception of Male Masculinity in the Workplace? submission Abstract This paper will explore the stereotypes and more so in the workplace and how the perception of the male masculinity is brought out. The male masculinity will be looked in a comprehensive way both covering the male perspective and the female perspective in the workplace atmosphere. The stereotyping has a major impact on the workplaces and in most cases it can lead to discrimination especially if the stereotyping brings about the aspect of male masculinity. This kind of profiling ranges from the unequal pay package to the court system. The paper will examine the impact of the male masculinity in the workplace mostly from the effects it has on both genders and accordingly where possible look at the ways that the stereotyping can be rectified in order to bring out the equality in every other workplace. Furthermore as the paper is examining the stereotype from mainly the female angle it should be put into consideration that even the male employees in a workplace also suffer from the kind of discrimination from their other male counterparts in relation to career and association. HOW STEREOTYPES AFFECT PERCEPTION OF MALE MASCULINITY IN A WORKPLACE Stereotyping When it comes to the workplace, gender stereotype can be an awfully traumatizing experience that any person should not undergo. By stereotyping a particular group of people or even having a perception of a particular group of people implies that the persons is being mistreated on the basis of a predetermined philosophy that in most cases will not be true (Wood, 2012). By stereotyping a particular society it means that we are making a discernment based on objective scrutiny about that particular group of people. Stereotyping can be made on a persons presumption based on their age, race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender. In the workplace the stereotyping exists although measures have been put in place to dissuade the discrimination especially based on the gender of individuals. In the societies, the equitable and fairness work place policies indicate that people are moving away from the notions of gender discrimination into a better and fair society (Paludi, 2012). Furthermore in the past years, laws have been put into place to discourage and prohibit gender discrimination. Male Masculinity Masculinity varies from each and everyone and when various people or societies get into contact with each other their own notion of masculinity has the potential of creating conflicts among themselves. By possessing characteristics and qualities typical of any male person it will be qualified to say that that is a perception of having the masculinity. The expression masculinity might be used to portray any human being, animal or even an object that has capability and eminence to be masculine and therefore is not limited to man alone. However Chrisler & McCreary (2010) claim that the usage of the term is mostly to associated with the male qualities in the society. The perception of masculinity was first used in the early 19th century just when the industrial revolution had just began. Swift transformation and advancement of technology has ensured that the standards of living have improved and become well and with this, the description of the term masculinity has also changed. Currently in the present workplace masculinity is definitely an aspect that has to be taken into consideration by directors and also by staff. This is mainly because it plays a critical and unique position in the way people interrelate with one another and outline the system (Hinsdale, Johnson, & Validated Instruction Associates Inc Albion 2010).  In the earliest impression of male masculinity, the concept of maleness and masculinity was that men did not work for the reason that they enjoyed it but somewhat; they did the work for the sole purpose of being called men. After that era men began believing that the worst that possibly will ever happen to a man is to be reliant on a woman, which means losing all the manhood independence and masculinity. From that period, male dominated work started to increase, since the male workers decided to keep out women from the most significant budding sectors. In tandem with this, the notion that man ought to be the only one providing for the family surfaced. This creates an impression that men are usually under so much pressure and burden to show their masculinity more than women to prove their femininity. A perfect example of a place where these kind of male masculinity examples can be found is the workplace where in most cases the men tend to spend most of their lifetime and this is also where the male persons get the opportunity to prove their masculinity (Williams & Dellinger, 2010). In the current modern day lifestyle, the most primal way that the male masculinity can be authenticated is through their economic accomplishment. In addition, their position within an institute or in a workplace also matters. How Stereotypes affect the Perception of Male masculinity in the workplace Discussion Male people in the workplace earn more than women in the same job description: On a short interview and survey between the male and the female staff in a particular work place, it was revealed that on average the women pay package is mostly an 8th of the total man’s pay (Karsten & Praeger 2006). These figures do not draw from the variety of income from diverse professional positions that men and women hold in workplace: instead the review is from an assessment of income men and women take home from the precise and equivalent occupation positions with similar work tasks. The reason why women are paid less money for similar work is based on the perception of male masculinity and the stereotype that believes that women should not get equal money because most of them are married. This is emphasized further by the mentality that the man or the husband is always the breadwinner of a family therefore the woman’s salary is supposed to be solely a supplement on what the husband earns and most workplace directors will justify this with a lower pay of same exact job description. Some of the income disparities are complex and include the work and also the choice of the woman to have a family whereby the women have to take time off as a maternity leave in order for them to raise the children in their family. From a collection of data there is a tendency of the woman’s work to be undervalued in cases where the woman’s talents and achievements are same as the man’s as their contribution will not have much focal point as the one advanced by their male counterparts (Paludi & Coates, 2011). Both the man and the woman have ambitions and goals to one day head the workplace especially when the senior subordinates are interviewed about their perception of the male masculinity in the workplace. Furthermore in cases where the male member works as a subordinate in a workplace with a female supervisor or boss the perception they have will be a diminished one in terms of their social status and also of their pay but this assumption does not affect the female gender (Williams & Dellinger, 2010). This means that men working under a female supervisor have been treated as less masculine by their counterparts and peers thereby affecting the decisions of such persons. If the conviction that a male subordinate with a typical female boss lacks masculine traits is promoted, then reinforcing the male subordinate’s manhood will augment the prejudice and the typecast of the male masculinity in the workplace. But if a male person working for the female boss has verification to authenticate his masculinity then he will preserve his status without feeling uncomfortable at the workplace. Boosting women’s feminine credentials will also diminish the price for the counter-stereotypical tendencies in such a scenario. In conclusion, a man with a work role especially the one that is relevant to other men’s status should exceptionally be the guide to calling the male subordinate’s masculinity distinctiveness into question. Promotion, hiring of employees and firing of employees has a tendency not to favor women: The Most of the workplace in terms of gender population is bound to be male dominated with quite a lesser percentage allocated to the women. According to the interview between both male and female of a similar workplace with the same exact job position, the female gender claim they do not get promoted because of the kind of stereotypical notions at the workplace (Williams & Dellinger, 2010). This implies that workplace is a serious challenge to women’s advancement therefore they should not think of pursuing any career advancement opportunities. The males in the company claim that the sole purpose of a woman is to supplement a man’s salary and also the women in any workplace tend not to be aggressive enough and have a weakness when it comes to problem solving at the workplace. In addition to that, most workplaces have made it a belief that women are supposed to be the ones to take care of every situation but the men are the ones to be in charge; this is common especially when it happens that there is a top position job level that needs to be filled. In reality in both cases in a workplace there is a very small difference when it comes to leadership positions in a company since both the male and their female counterparts have nearly the same leadership styles that is not inclined to a particular gender whether male or female (Chrisler, & McCreary, 2010) . The perception of the male masculinity being superior is the reason holding back many qualified women the opportunity to get that position and leadership that they merit and can be successful in. Workplace skills are closely affected by the male masculinity: Men in most of the workplaces will always try to affirm their male masculinity in the different workplaces; this can be in terms of the skills they have at the workplace. Most managers in the workplace often rely on the employee skills as a way of appraisal and also for employment purpose. Moreover, in the male fraternity there is a tendency of skills being influenced by the masculinity whereby one who is more masculine will have a better opportunity of giving the best skill level as compared to any other male and also it will bring the benefit of having a better managerial position above the other males (Hinsdale, Johnson, & Validated Instruction Associates Inc Albion 2010).  As a case example a construction company will employ mostly men because of the working nature that is associated with construction business. In the construction company the mode of employment is not only based on the skills that one person has because the rationale of employment especially for the one requiring the manual workers will also include whether the male person has the masculine attitude or not. In this case the masculine attitude that one would have might vary including swearing and aggressive behavior both within the confines of the workplace or even outside the confines of the workplace. Majority of the men in order to affirm their masculinity will try frequently to get together with people that will be inclined to validate their own perception of masculinity and will endeavor building a support system based on what they can evaluate themselves to (Hinsdale, Johnson, & Validated Instruction Associates Inc Albion 2010).  This implies that, for instance if someone is not able to classify with one or more of his direct workplace staff, he will be redundant or singled out unfairly since he just cannot fit in. This perception can result into another problem since it will likely congeal associations only based on one idea and will reduce the potential of progression in an atypical pecking order or system. Male masculinity influences Career Orientation: Most male personality is influenced by the choice of career orientation they would like to take. The resolution progression of choosing an occupation in certain men is dictated by the male masculinity which is the major factor in any workplace. A great number of researches have shown how the men’s masculinity can be threatened at work and also the methods that the man would use to reaffirm his manhood (Wood, 2012).  A good case in point for a workplace is when a man chooses a career that is highly dominated by women for example nursing; the man’s masculinity is very questionable by most people in the society. This kind of occupation and career choice will make men take on tactics that can be used to uphold their individuality as men. For the women in contrast to the men in a female dominated career, it is different as when the female is in a masculine- workplace and profession that is highly dominated by men they will devise methods in which they try to assert their femininity. Careers and workplace roles are generally used as sole means of which male masculinity is evaluated, the same cannot be said on women as the workplace roles and responsibilities are not primarily used as the basic way in which their femininity can be evaluated. As a result, the male masculinity and status is most likely to be lost in situations on the workplace where the men occupy positions that puts their masculinity in question. However, this is different in women as their status as women is never affected by the role they are given in the workplace (Paludi, & Coates, 2011). Many roles that men occupy in the workplace can fit perfectly in this account. The present research shows the insecure nature of masculinity and the strong mutual link linking masculinity and the workplace status and career orientation. Sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination in the workplace: It is assumed that in the workplace due to the male domination and the male masculinity, the female employees in most companies are victims of harassment both sexually and also in relation to pregnancy they are discriminated against. In a workplace sexual harassment is undesirable sexual conduct on the workplace and with it creates a very difficult, unpleasant, unfriendly and daunting work environment (Paludi, & Coates, 2011). Most victims in a sexual harassment case are the females and some of the common stereotypes and perceptions of male masculinity is that women are only sex objects. The harassment might include sexual insinuation, misogynist jokes, and even at times rape. As a result, sexual harassment has made most female employees resign or lose their jobs because of the discomfort caused by the taunting. Another common discrimination is when the woman is pregnant or even the working mothers when the male staff implies that the women want to be mothers instead of thinking about long term jobs or in some cases the staff feels that the women do not dedicate enough time for work as they have children who they treat as another responsibility. Sometimes when women take brief leave of absence it has been known for some of them returning to the workplace only to be offered lower job positions or even less prominent sections than the ones they had before (Paludi, 2012). This happens even if the woman would like to retain the hours she had before and also the responsibilities of the job she had. The same cannot be said on their male counterparts. When a man takes a temporary leave of absence he is assured of retaining the same position that he had before and furthermore all the perks that came with the job position will be the same with no changes whatsoever. In the current workplace the men are also given a paternity leave in case their spouses have given birth and this will last nearly the same duration as their women counterparts. The difference will come when the man resumes the responsibilities he had; as they will be there but the chances of woman not finding her position will be quite high. This is necessitated with the stereotypical nature of the society, in this case the perception of men where they feel the woman should not get the same type of treatment as them as they are bound to be absent from the workplace and hence their productivity is treated as being minimal. In cases of the men, most of them will take quite some time before they report cases of sexual harassment, this is for fear of repercussions and also for the male masculinity as they have been brought up to the belief and notion that a man is not supposed to complain as it will be deemed as a sign of weakness on the other male counterparts. This can greatly impact on the way the other male peers perceive the male counterpart who has been sexually harassed. In this case legislations have been made and implemented in order to reduce the cases of sexual harassment and discrimination. This in return has led to the provision of equal treatment for both the male and female staff in the workplace. While the move has been recommended and praised it has also proved quite difficult to interpret the legislations in order to provide satisfaction between the male and female in the workplace especially in cases where the employee is suing the employer (Paludi, 2012). When it comes to gender stereotyping it is quite difficult to show proof that the stereotyping ever happened. This is from the perception that it is quite impossible to perceive the stereotyping as gender discrimination takes a very faint and subtle yet an invasive nature. Case in point; it will be quite an uphill task o prove to the court that an employer is not promoting a female employee or giving her a raise in relation to the gender stereotyping notion they have whether cognizant or unconscious. In some cases it is quite easy to prove that gender stereotyping has occurred for example if an employer requires all the female employees to wear a massive amount of make up and also wear nail polish with the hair curled in a certain style at all times and at the same time the employer requires the male employees to ensure that they have their hair trimmed and their nails well done. In this case it is expected that all the members of staff be treated equally using the employment policies therefore the female employees here are not treated equally with the men as they have to undergo a very long and time consuming process to make themselves beautiful. In addition this case has brought about the gender stereotyping by having the women defined by their beauty and to some extent their sexuality. Conclusion The male employees feel that the pecking order has been disrupted once they have factors like a female boss or even the man having a different career orientation that is inclined to have more female professionals. This implies that among the male fraternity there are perceptions of which jobs are less important and the same goes in the workplace where some job positions might be deemed as of lower hierarchy. With the stereotypical perception of male masculinity on the spotlight, it is imperative to say that the gender typecast contravention can impact on the men in a workplace as strongly as the women in the same workplace. The perceptions of the male gender in the work place are that formal professions and high status demands male masculinity and the opposite works for the female gender. The interrelation between masculinity, status and workplace responsibilities are consequently mutually comprehensive and self-perpetuating. References Chrisler, J. C., & McCreary, D. R. (2010). Handbook of gender research in psychology. New York: Springer Hinsdale, K., Johnson, J. D., & Validated Instruction Associates Inc Albion MI. (2010). Masculinity, Femininity, and the Workplace: A Study of Stereotypes. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center. Karsten, M. F., & Praeger. (2006). Gender, race, and ethnicity in the workplace: Issues and challenges for today's organizations. Westport, Conn: Praeger Publishers Paludi, M. A. (2012). Managing diversity in today's workplace: Strategies for employees and employers. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. Paludi, M. A., & Coates, B. E. (2011). Women as transformational leaders: From grassroots to global interests. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger. Williams, C. L., & Dellinger, K. (2010). Gender and sexuality in the workplace. Bingley: Emerald. Wood, J. T. (2012). Gendered lives: Communication, gender, and culture. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage. Read More