Gender Inequality in Employment Is a Result of Women Choices - Essay Example

Gender inequality in employment is a result of women choices By of the of the School ) City Date All through history, gender inequality has remained to be a concern to all societal setting. Gender inequality can be considered to be the unequal treatment or understanding of the society based on whether one is female or male. Similarly, debates about gender inequality particularly for women have been around for decades and can be considered to be as old as human civilization. Today, gender inequality on women continues to be a major obstruction to human development not just in the UK but throughout the world. Despite the fact that the same women have made strides since 1990s to attain their place in the society, the society still has a long way to go on issues of gender equity. Likewise, disadvantages facing various women are a major root of inequality, and this is not just in the UK but worldwide. Various statistics particularly those by government agencies indicate that there’s still a wide gender gap that needs to be remedied. For instance, 30,000 women today lose their jobs annually due to pregnancy. Likewise, over 100,000 are raped each year yet only 7% of these cases are finalized, and the rapist be convicted. Similarly, two women die each week as because of domestic violence (Bradley, 2013 p., 164). Shockingly, these are just statistics for the UK. The statistics for other nations particularly less developed countries could be obviously worse. More often than not, women are discriminated against in health, employment or labor market, education, political representation just to mention but a few. However, in recent days they have been considerable debate whether these incidences of gender inequalities on women particularly those related to employment have been as a result of their choices. One can largely agree with those who support this debate particularly after critical analysis of facts and societal experiences. Inequality originate from the choice of courses Gender inequalities normally occur when an individual is treated unfavorably due to their gender. But unknown to many, these inequalities at work originate much earlier in individual’s life due to their career choices or the choice made on their behalf by their families. One can find herself discriminated at workplaces due to different career choices made. Through critical analysis, these are the root causes of inequalities of women at work places. To date, many women tend to have a mindset that various courses are for their male counterparts (Kimmell, 2011 p., 33). The women have for years deliberately considered inferior career paths compared to their male counterparts and these in the long run makes them less competitive career wise in their positions at workplaces. The choices they make later in life influence opinion about which careers are perfect for women, for instance, to fit in with caring obligations or responsibilities. Many think that women are discriminated at career choices, but this is never true in reality. Women by choice tend to be discouraged from entering certain fields of work, such as the mechanical, engineering, sciences, police and administration fields. When this happen employers, also make assumptions about the kind of jobs and career paths that are appropriate for women and these assumptions influence their decisions about existing employees and job applicants. These factors always at the same time contribute to the gender pay gap since they affect the jobs women apply for, the jobs they are offered and how far they can progress in the jobs. According to Reskin and Padavic (2002 p., 117) there exist three magnitudes involved in gender inequality particularly for women: Devaluation of tasks in workplaces labeled as women jobs, social construction of particular gender on the job and sexual division of labor. What is unique about these three dimensions is that they are all caused by career choices in early years of life. One can further argue that various factors may result in the inequality experienced by women, such as productivity and sex differences in preferences, cultural beliefs and employer’s actions all linked to choices. Thus term women’s work is always thought less prestigious than tasks held by the opposite sex. These individual gender inequalities or perceived inequalities often lead to bigotry and discrimination women in the workplace. Today, women make 47% of the UK workforce which is a significant compared to many countries in the world yet cases of inequalities of women at workplaces are still persistent even with these desirable rates. Inequality originate from women’s perception Gender role perceptions that are eventually carried to the workplace begins at a very young age. Women by choice have a perception about their role in the society. Many from childhood considered men to be better managers compared to them, and this go a long way as they are seeking better employment opportunities and career advancements. Many women today still consider men as ‘better administrators’. Many theories by leading psychologist and sociologist indicate that a person perception and behavior are directed by an internal motivation to proof gender-biased sociocultural stereotype and principles ( Halonen and Stantrock, 2013 p. 184). This can further support the argument that women inequalities is as a result of their perceptions about various employment opportunities and while at the workplaces perceptions still play a significant role. This occurs in girls as young as two years of age, in which they perceive boys as more cable and masculine. This is further supported by the fact that today the proportion of women managers and professionals are not closer to the positions handled by their male counterparts. The Women and Work Commission (2006) found out that while it is true that more women are today trying to take powerful positions of within businesses than it was the case 20 years ago. However, the researchers have also found that women are still largely underrepresented in these boardroom due to the perception, are paid less and more often than not they hold less authority compared to their male counterparts. One can further argue that these negative perceptions at workplace by many women are rooted from childhood and are obviously by choice. Boys at an early age are by women considered more organized and better leaders. To them, the boys are perceived as future breadwinners and as such better placed for better paying jobs. Unfortunately, these traits in them are transferred even to maturity. For instance, it is believed that at a younger stage of growth aggressive behavior is socially accepted with the males, and a more and more passive approach is common with females. Furthermore, these roles of femininity and masculinity are a factor of sex-role learning that initiate during early childhood (Davidson and Neale, 2000 p. 237). Later, women tend to be employed in sections such as personal services, hotels and restaurants, administration. Normally, routine secretarial and clerical workers are women. Their male counterparts tend to dominate in sections such as construction, manufacturing and transport. These individual perceptions leads to a situation where men still are more likely to have better access to employment and if they do get higher paying jobs than women. Women reluctantly fail to report cases of inequality in employment Inequality at workplaces particularly on women greatly affects their socioeconomic status. This is linked with their access to various resources and growth. Normally, women who experience occupational inequality, find it more difficult to grow career wise. Through critical thinking, occupational standing may lead to predictions of the outcomes like social standing or wealth that have long lasting impacts on the individual and at the same time their dependents. Despite these concern and the of harm inequality, it is evident that many cases go unreported. One can thus argue that the inequalities in employment to women may be largely because of their choice. Various forms of inequality by gender in the labor force is extremely high yet the victims rarely report and this insinuates lack of concern. For years, the status of women in the employment arena has been debated everywhere in both developed and developing countries from the boardroom to the courtroom yet it is shocking that some women themselves avoids this topic. Working women are many times subjected to bias of various forms yet little is done to report the cases even. To further support this claim in spite of numerous laws and regulations in the UK that prohibits employment inequality targeting women, the statistics of reported cases are shocking as more than 30% of these cases go unreported. The UK Government drafted and implemented the majority of the provisions of the Equality Act in 2010. After full implementation, the Equality Act was to consolidate and brings together previous anti-discrimination law, including the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 and the then Equal Pay Act of 1970 into a similar piece of legislation. Technically the act and much other law that were meant to reduce cases of inequality in employment and give more voice to women are to date operational yet the women have been reluctant to take advantage of them. A study done by the Fawcett Society indicated that 51% of men and women from middle management to director positions singled out stereotyping as the major hurdle today that face women at work (Fawcett Society, 2009 p., 9). The same report also indicated that up to 30,000 women are sacked annually simply for being pregnant and every year an estimated 440,000 employed women lose out on promotion or pay as a result of pregnancy. Sadly, it is also in the public domain that some of these cases go unreported. Basing on these facts one can argue that women themselves have been the main reason behind the continued inequality in employment. In other words, some of the inequalities experienced in employment have been as a result of the choices women make. It is worth noting that historically, women were relegated to office support and administrative roles such as, secretaries, administrative assistants and clerk typists. Employers who are involved in unfair hiring practices try to justify indulging in discriminatory hiring decisions for various reasons. Some believed women lack the necessary qualifications and skills to perform nontraditional or higher-paid positions just due to gender. Some employers particularly those in manufacturing and highly mechanical industries also claim that the nature of roles required for high productivity, unfortunately, doesn’t favor women at all cost. They further add that the tasks are times very mechanical and physical and as such the biologically women have to be discriminated. Another notable kind of discriminatory treatment to which many women have been subjected to has been unequal pay. However, some employer have defended their actions claiming that some of the women still prefer sticking to the traditional duties of taking care of their families just after work. These have in the long run meant that they miss out on few "top up" at their male counterparts enjoy while on part-time duties. As a conclusion, issues of gender and employment are correlated and affect the society as a whole. Any organization loses a lot in terms of productivity whenever they isolate a particular gender especially the way they commonly discriminate on women. The employers have used excuses to justify their action but in the long run not assisting in reducing these cases of gender inequalities. However, various kinds of egregious discrimination are extremely difficult to defend. Women are seen to be discriminated on the tasks they are assigned, pay, promotion just to mention but a few. However, to an extent the same women can be considered to be the cause of these inequalities. One is because career that don’t provide a competitive edge when compared to their male counterparts. The women can also be blamed to be promoting inequality at workplaces due to their perception of male gender. Many women at the back of their mind still consider men superior and suited for particular employment positions. Finally, inequality is on the rise because despite the laws, many women still find it difficult even to report the cases of inequalities at workplaces (Rake et al,. p., 5). Because women tend to be the largest minority concerning gender equalities at the workplaces and home gender inequality will always be considered a social problem. Until women accept to take their roles fully to make the society understand their new stature, solutions to challenges of gender inequality at workplaces would be impossible. Likewise, until these gaps are bridged, promotion ability, equal pay and acknowledgment for equal work will remain a roadblock for many career-oriented women in the UK. References Connell, R. 2009. Gender: in world perspective. Cambridge, Polity.Bottom of Form Fawcett Society .2009. Not having it all: How motherhood reduces women’s pay and employment prospects, p9. http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/documents/NotHavingItAll.pdf Hindman, D., & Davison, G. C. .2000. Study guide Abnormal psychology. New York, John WIley & Sons. Top of Form Halonen, J. S., & Santrock, J. W. 2013. Your guide to college success: strategies for achieving your goals. Boston, MA, Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Kimmell .2011.The Gendered Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press
 M Kimmell .2008. The Gendered Society Reader, Oxford: Oxford University Press
 Top of Form Padavic, I., & Reskin, B. F. .2002. Women and men at work. Thousand Oaks, Pine Forge Press. Rake, Katherine and Lewis, Rowena .2009. Just Below the Surface: gender stereotyping, the silent barrier to equality in the modern workplace?, p5. Top of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More