Gender Inequality in the Workforce - Essay Example

Gender Inequality in the Workforce Introduction It was only in the 20th century that voices were raised on a global scale regarding rights for women. The feminist movement of 1960’s played a major role in women empowerment. Although many rights are delegated to females today but still they face prejudice in work places and in society. The idea of a working woman is difficult to digest for the society even in today’s modern and liberal world. Blatant discrimination is not ubiquitous but women all over the world face different kinds of problems in work places. Their salaries are lower than men and they are not given higher management positions. Apart from that women normally face discrimination in promotions in jobs. This paper will deal with issues like sexism and stereotypes. A few articles regarding gender inequality will also be discussed. Sexism and Stereotypes in Work Place Sexism is defined as a mindset or a belief that one sex is better or superior to another (Padavic & Reskin, 2002). It is actually discrimination based on gender. Males and females both can become victim of sexism but usually in work places women face gender discrimination. Mostly gender discrimination is related to salaries, promotions and recruitment. Also in day to day situations women encounter sexism. Stereotypes are another form of popular belief about a particular group of individuals. These beliefs have no rational or logical basis but still they are quite ubiquitous. Stereotypes can be related to genders, race, nationality or ethnicity. Any preconception about a social group without any logical and reasonable evidence can be categorized as stereotypes. They also play a role in discrimination is work places. Both of these issues persist in work places today. This is mainly because of the diversity in the organizations. Today companies hire a diverse group of employees from different cultures and different genders. Because of this diversity issues like stereotypes and sexism come up regularly in organizations. Females face both sexism and stereotypes. This is because of the mindset of the society regarding their kind. It was only in 20th century when women were given right to vote. Before them they were considered unimportant to such an extent that their say in elections was not deemed important. Women are fighting with the same attitude even today in work places. The idea of female emancipation is not easy to digest for the society as a whole. Also people learn these attitudes at a very early age through social interactions. Managers and employees working in the organization are also human beings and they also come from society. The influences on them cause them to think females as inferior. The idea that females are not equal to men is the root of discrimination in organizations. The mindset of the society is that women are not equal. There are specific roles which women are expected to perform in their lives and any change in those roles is not taken well by the society. Women working like men in offices are seen as changing their roles by the society. The manifestation of sexism and stereotype in organizations is in many forms. Firstly gender bias plays a role in recruitment. There are jobs that are considered more suitable for females and some jobs are considered more appropriate for males. Positions like typists and sectaries are suitable for women so these jobs are mostly given to women. This is a form of sexism and stereotyping. Women are considered to have specific traits that suit these positions and that are why they are hired in these positions. There also other forms of sexism and stereotypes. Women face problem in acquiring top management positions in firms. This is because women are not seen as having authoritative nature. They are considered inferior to men and that is why they face discriminations in promotions. Another form of sexism is in daily activities of the company. In offices women face harassment. It is sometimes sexual in nature but most of the times it is implicit in nature. Jokes are cracked that are gender based and demeaning comments are passed to their female colleagues by male members. Although there are strict laws regarding blatant gender discrimination and sexism but still they persist in workplaces. It is important to change the thinking of the people. The thinking that genders are not equal is the basis of sexism and stereotypes. They form the basis of acts that are discriminatory in nature. Articles on Inequality in the Workforce The first article is by Ida Castro and it deals with the inequitable pay structure of women in United States of America. The writer has provided statistics describing the low salaries of American women. The situation of colored women is worse than white women in the country as African American and Hispanic women are earning even lesser than white American women (Castro, I. 1997). The article talks about how slowly women have increased their participation in the labor force. The main argument of the article is that there is a disparity between salaries of women and men, and women and employers can take steps to reduce this disparity (Castro, 1997). The second article is by Megan Cox and it talks about the baby boom women (women born between 1946 and 1964). According to the article these women have shown that they are more qualified than their mothers but even then they are not expected to earn more than their mothers. The article focuses on the retirement situation of women. The article also discusses the financial insecurity of women after retirement. Women are mostly working without pension facility and that further decreases their life standards after retirement. In the end the article proposes some suggestions for working women of today that can help them improve their after retirement situation (Cox, M. 2001). Both these articles discuss issues like sexism and stereotyping. The articles discuss salary related issues that women face in work places. These two articles also discuss the steps women can take in order to protect themselves from discrimination. Pay structure of women and retirement benefits given to them may be improved if women take appropriate political and social steps. The inequality in work place is evident if we see the statistics given in both the articles. Pay scale of women is less without any logical reason. Women are well equipped with all the required skills but still they are not getting enough salaries. The reason is sexism and stereotyping. The problem is the specific set of beliefs regarding women. These beliefs are the main hindrance in given women equal rights to men. Women are considered inferior to men and that is why they are not given equal rights. Society has yet not developed enough that it can tolerate the ‘new woman’. She is well educated and qualified. She works as hard as her male counterparts and that is why she deserves an equal pay. Society still has to grow to tolerate and accept a woman like this. Absence of retirement benefits also indicates the thinking of the society regarding women. It is not expected of women to be alone at the end of their lives. They are still seen as dependent on male members of the society. This thinking is the reason why retirement benefits are not given to women. Conclusion Sexism and stereotype are important reasons of gender inequality in workplaces. Women, even after being equally qualified and skilled, are not able to get jobs like men. The pay structure of women is lower than men and they are also given less benefits as compared to their male counterparts. All this is because of the beliefs and attitudes that women are inferior to men. This is the sole reason of the discrimination women face in work places. They are still fighting a battle of acceptance with the society. Their new roles are still not accepted by the society and that is why they have to face discrimination. Works Cited Page Castro, Ida L. Worth More Than We Earn. National Forum, 77(2), 1997: pg. 17-21 Cox, Meagan. Zero Balance. Ms Magazine, 2001. Web. http://www.msmagazine.com/feb01/retirement.html Padavic & Reskin. Women and Men at Work. Florida: Pine Forge Press, 2002. Print. Read More