Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace

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Women make up over 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, yet only 14 percent of executive officer positions within companies are filled by women. Within the Fortune 500 CEOs, only 21 of them are women. The United States prides itself on equality and justice, but the majority of the population is not adequately represented in leadership roles. It is time for the entire country to reevaluate its internal gender biases. Women are taking strides to overcome the centuries-old tradition of men being the breadwinners and women taking care of the family and having low-demanding jobs. Biases do not just come from men, as it is proven that women are just as biased against themselves. Society puts more pressure on men to be successful while not expecting as much from women. Men typically attribute their successes to themselves, while women underestimate themselves and attribute their successes to luck or hard work. This lack of self-confidence can be traced back to years of women constantly doubting themselves (Sandberg). Women need to follow Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s advice written in her book “Lean In”: “But feeling confident—or pretending that you feel confident—is necessary to reach for opportunities. It’s cliché, but opportunities are rarely offered; they’re seized” (Sandberg 34). Willing women have to overcome societal traditions and sit at the table. To do this they have to either get into leadership positions to then break down barriers or break down barriers to get into those coveted leadership positions. These barriers are deeply-rooted into almost every culture worldwide. Sexism and discrimination are constant issues for women in the workplace and not enough is being done to address the...

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...tention, sexual advances, and requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.’ In general, sexual harassment refers to conduct that can be reasonably considered unwelcome or personally offensive” (“Sexual Harassment,” WAGE). Legality comes into play when harassment is so frequent that it creates a hostile work environment or when it results in the victim being punished. The harasser can be anyone in the workplace and can even include offensive comments about women in general (“Sexual Harassment,” U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). In legal terms, sexual harassment can generally be classified as either quid pro quo or hostile work environment (“Sexual Harassment,” WAGE). While various people try to doubt that sexual harassment is an issue, it remains a pressing issue harming women in today’s society and workforce.

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