The victims of equality - Essay Example

Are men the victims of equality in contemporary organisations Introduction The post-structuralist society in the twenty-first century seems to have come full circle in matters of gender equality and work equity, with at least some sections holding the opinion that equality has been achieved. Women, have come a long way - from being subjugated underlings, to demanding, domineering, and even devious mistresses of the society in general, and work-places in particular, feel some. This has led to the some quarters of the society, especially men, feeling threatened in their work and business domains. While there has indeed been a surge in the numbers of women in clerical posts and managerial positions (Tai & Sims, 2005, par 2; Henning & Jardim, 1977, p. 2) in work-places, some researchers (Hymnowitz & Schellhart, 1986; Schein, 2001; Deal & Stevenson, 1998 cited by Tai & Sims, 2005, par 3i) have suggested that women still face hurdles in reaching higher positions as compared to men, thereby questioning the veracity in the claims of gender equality. The analyses of gender equality in work-place are both evolving and complex in nature. This short essay shall study some of the points put forward by the male bastion, and the counter points from the various feminist views. It shall try to explain the significance of the terms 'victimocracy,' 'gender,' 'sex,' 'sexism,' 'second sexism,' 'liberal, radical, post-structuralist perspective of feminism' 'visibility' and 'invisibility' to gender power relations, 'glass-ceiling,' and argue that men, far from being victims of equality in organizations, are actually beneficiaries of the unchanged, male-dominated mind-sets of the society. Inequalities and disparities in treatment very much exist in contemporary organizations, although less overtly. Concepts of Sex, Gender and Sexism in Organizations In her discussion of the significance of gender in communications in organizations, Carole C. Peters (2002) cites Claes (1999) to differentiate between 'sex' and 'gender' as the former being a term "used to indicate biological difference" while the latter is usually indicative of "psychological, social and cultural difference" (p. 431). Peters (2002) further explains that gender is found located historically since it is dependant on societal practices, and change over periods of time (Fredrick & Atkinson, 1997, p. 40 cited in Peters, 2002), and undergo transformations. Thus gender and sex are ever-changing identities; in simple terms sex denotes the biological, physical differences, and gender pertains to those aspects of differentiation identified by culture. Sexism may be explained as those attitudes and practices that differentiate between the two sexes, especially pertaining to women. As stated earlier, the construction of gender is social in nature, avidly propagated and reinforced by the media, which dictates the acceptable characteristics of gender stereotypes. Those who do not conform to the gender stereotypes may have to meet with the consequences of being marginalized by the society. For example, in board meetings, stereo-typically men persist with their point of view, irrespective of the justification of their arguments; however, a woman doing the same may come to be unfavourably viewed as annoying or aggressive, rather than assertive (Davidson and Cooper, 1992, p. 50, cited in Peters, 2002). This may be understood as the result of 'gender discrimination' or in other words 'sexism'. Discrimination itself is a very familiar term in organizations and work-places, which denotes unfair disadvantages that may be accorded to an individual based on unconnected or irrelevant and unethical aspect, such as race, language or sex (adapted from Benatar, 2003). "Victimocracy" "Oppression" and "Second Sexism" The aftermath of the World Wars has seen the steady rise of women taking up jobs and working along with me, thereby increasing the chances of conflict and competition. Initially, women were not only paid lesser than men, they were also restricted in their choice of jobs, and the positions they could hold. Furthermore, sexual harassment and other types of coercion were widely prevalent in organizations, and continue in some places till date. Similar discriminatory practices on racial and language lines were not uncommon, leading to the targeted group being called 'victims.' The subjugation of the members of one group by another, naturally leads to the victimized group being oppressed, the consequent tensions in workplaces of which sometimes obvious. The rising numbers of women in organizations, however, has led at least some to have become victims of gender inequality, claim researchers (Burke & Black, 1997; Benatar, 2003). Benatar (2003) gives forth the argument of 'Second sexism' - the perspective that holds that despite all societies being male-dominated, they also have not totally excluded women from being benefited. And the advantages being given to the so-called 'oppressed' women-kind may be manipulated to benefit some women who have not been disadvantaged in anyway at all. This is quite contradictory to the findings of some the latest research; Anthony Browne (2006) cites the research of 'Civitas', to point to the fact that "The biggest oppressed group is women, who constitute 51 per cent of the population" (Times, dated October 09, 2006). Though other victimized groups like ethnic minorities and white disabled men (4% and 11 % respectively) also figure in the list, it appears that women have secured the maximum attention by way of reservations as compared to the other categories of the oppressed, and laws protecting their rights; in contrast there are hardly any laws protecting men from similar victimization from women. Since each group is protected by government legislation, it leads to a phenomenon of sorts, which is named "victimocracy" with at least 73 % of Britons belonging to some victimized group or the other (Browne, 2006). It has to be noted that even after all the legislative protection, women form the largest group of disadvantaged people. Concepts of Feminism - Their Impact in Organizations Feminists' theories are generally linked with the structures of "liberal feminism, radical feminism and post-structural feminism" (Simpson and Lewis, 2007, p.4) with each originating from a different tradition. Nentwich, (2006) states that the liberalists' views are based on the two theories of feminism namely 'liberal individualism' and 'liberal structuralism' (pp. 499-521). The important thing however, is that both theories reduce or minimize the differences between the two sexes in order to achieve equality. The second - radical feminism (Harding, 1986; Hartsock, 1987 cited in Nentwich, 2006) is rather based on "a rejection of the male standpoint and on the positive construction of feminist alternatives" (Simpson and Lewis, 2007, p.5); this celebrates the differences and support distinct female voices and experiences. In other words, according to this theory, gender equality implies "treating different things differently and levelling out the hierarchical situation" (Nentwich, 2006, pp. 499-521). The third is the post-structuralists' views; according to this view, ideologies and discourses of gender are given priority over the implications of social structures like gender and sex, since they are likely to undergo transformation and are fluid and fragmentary in nature (Simpson and Lewis, 2007, pp.6-7). The understanding of the feminists' concepts, even if briefly, is important because it equips one to place the arguments of male-discrimination and disadvantage vis--vis the behaviour of the traditionally held view that women are more oppressed. Furthermore, it explains some subtle, nevertheless important undercurrents that rule male-female interactions in organizations. For example, 'visibility,' and 'invisibility' - two important terms that shall re-link with the claims of male disadvantage. Concepts of Visibility and Invisibility and the Glass Ceiling in Organizations Interactions between male and female members of an organization often involve unspoken and subtle practices that bespeak the locations of power, and the insignificance of the weak sections, and their 'voice' (the literature through which the victimized person requests redress of the inequality) (Simpson and Lewis, 2007, pp.2-7) or language of the marginalized is "often [devalued] and rendered irrelevant or illegitimate by dominant discourses" (Morley, 1999, p.6). Nirmal Puwar (2004) accurately points out that "conceptually, women continue to be 'space invaders'" in these domains of expertise and rightly gives the example of Margaret Thatcher - "the iron-lady, donned an ultra-feminine appearance with an exaggerated masculine style of behaviour" (pp. 65-80). Simpson and Lewis (2007) cite Kanter (1977) to illustrate the concept of visibility - for example, the few women professionals in the traditionally male-dominated profession of air-plane pilots get visibility by the nominal numbers in which they are present. This may prove to be a disadvantage to women in some ways, since if forces them to conform to the dominant male-stereo types. Patricia Lewis (2006) points to a paradoxical phenomenon in her research findings. She states that "the gendered nature of entrepreneurship" is well demonstrated by the women entrepreneurs who prefer to "silence gender while emphasizing their similarity to male entrepreneurs" (pp. 453-469). To the contrary, men are rendered invisible traditionally, by their sex being used even to denote all human beings in general, and their experiences are automatically taken as the norm for men, women and children alike (Simpson and Lewis, 2007, p.3). This concept of invisibility has been predominantly felt in organizations that many men find it difficult even to recognize that there exists something as gender inequality according to Digby (2003). Puwar (2004) indicates that gender is the predominant factor of discrimination, followed by race in the order of hierarchy of the oppressed, thus women first, and then non-white people have more chances of being labelled incompetent, rather than men, or white people in an organization (pp. 65-80). Glass ceiling may be understood as that invisible barrier that obstructs or limits memebers ofa groups, in this case - women and racial minorities, from progressing or climbing to higher levels of power/positions in organizations (Morrison, White, & Van Velsor, 1987). There is an abundance proof that women are limited by a glass ceiling (Davidson & Cooper, 1992), as compared to men who do not face any such limits in organizations. "The invisibility of the process[es] of exclusion - the problem that has no name, but referred to variously as 'masculinist cultures' and glass ceilings - account for their durability in the face of anti-discrimination legislation and affirmative action" (Blackmore & Sachs, 2000, p.7) Considering the argument the men are more at risk of risk of death and injury as well as emotional disability (Digby 2003), men have adequate support systems in place to attend to them in case of failure in terms of health insurance, and savings because of their relatively uninterrupted earning potential. However, many women fall would fare badly, due to lack of consistent earnings and due to the fact that most women do not have the advantage of uninterrupted career. Smithson and Stokoe (2005) assess the situation that though organizations put on a 'gender-blind' stance, it is common knowledge that only working women are the main users of work-life balance, or part-time job facilities (pp.147-168). Conclusion Traditionally men have been the prime source of income. The increasing numbers of women in organizations have led to some men feeling threatened in their work places. The feeling of victimization of men in matters of gender equality indicated that steady and sure steps have been taken towards emancipation of women. However, on analyses of the issues concerning gender equalities, it can be concluded safely that far from being victimized in organizations, men continue to dominate the scene, though with lesser numbers than before. Women, on the other hand are more victimized in organizations and work-places. The study has helped in better understanding of the issues and debates that concern gender inequalities. Read More