Discrimination In Workplace

Discrimination in the Workplace
There is an infinite amount of social problems that have recently received attention in the media or scholarly research. Though every single one of these problems deserves to be relevant, spoken about, and resolved, there is one specific social issue that needs immediate attention. The amount of gender discrimination in the workplace in the most recent years, has proven to be unacceptable and extremely detrimental to society. This issue has been followed since the ancient 
Past and still a serious predicament even with the advancement of 21 century. It is one of the major characteristics of the U.S. Although the governmental and non-governmental agencies have made momentous progress in achieving the rights of women through education, empowerment, and dynamic acts over the past century. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to attain the total equality.
One of the issues that have affected women in the workplace is that of stereotyping of

women. Throughout history, women have often taken the role of housewife, mother, and nurturer. Women are stereotyped to stay at home and take care of the house and children. It has been their job to cook the meals, do the laundry, and manage the children’s school activities. Even today, motherhood is still considered to be die primary role for women. Women who do not take on this role are still thought of as selfish. Women that look to establish careers outside the home, for years, were thought of as being selfish and self-centered. Because women were viewed as homemakers they were often given jobs that were meaningless, and they were not thought of as managers or professionals.
Each one of the major theoretical perspectives relates to this issue in significant ways. First, those with the functionalism perspective would believe that gender inequality and overall discrimination is inevitable because of the division of labor between the male, female, and other genders. These theorists believe that women are successful in positions where services are provided. These jobs include, nurses, teachers, and waitresses. They also believe that men dominate in jobs that entails hard work and skill such as those in the business or economic field. According to Lumen, “This view has been criticized for reifying, rather than reflecting, gender roles”. Functionalists believe that gender serves to maintain social order by providing and ensuring the stability of such functional prerequisites.
Conflict theory believes that gender discrimination definitely does exist and it is only beneficial to men because they are the oppressors and receive power from this type of inequality. “According to Conflict Theory, society is defined by the struggle for dominance between social groups that compete for resources. In relationship to gender, Conflict theory explains that gender inequality came to exist because the men are trying to maintain power and privilege at the cost of the women’s benefit” (Spunsyr). Throughout history, men have always had the dominant role in relationships and society. Because of this, men thrive on this sense of power and high status so they refuse to give that up by treating women equally. This leads them to treat women more poorly and remain stubborn about discrimination.
Additionally, the feminist theory believes that patriarchy is the basis of all social problems. According to Berkley Law, “Feminist theory has grown from and has helped to explain these discoveries by untangling the mass of related attitudes that we call "discrimination against women." Women may be the victims of an irrational prejudice that has obscured the ways in which women are similar to men-and thus entitled to legal equality” (Abrams 1185). Feminists believe that we live in a patriarchal society that prevents women from assuming positions of power similar to those of men. Intersectionality relates to this social problem because of how people of specific genders are viewed individually. Women are being oppressed and treated horribly because of their gender. Symbolic interactionism believes that men are privileged because of societal norms. It focuses on the interaction of individuals and on how they interpret their interaction. According to the Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, “Symbolic interactionism is used to examine the variable and complex definitions now liked to the symbol “woman” in contemporary society” (Grupp 34). This perspective believes that gender is a social contrast because man and women are assigned to their own individual positions in the work place and are forced to stay there.
Even today, women are not treated the same as men. One area that clearly shows this oppression is the area of equal pay for equal jobs. One example of this oppression of women through unequal pay is a court case known as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc v Dukes 2011. Betty Dukes in a female employee at a low-level Wal-Mart in Pittsburg, California. Her, along with five other female employees, filed a class action lawsuit and “sought judgment against the company for injunctive and declaratory relief, punitive damages, and backpay, on behalf of themselves and a nationwide class of some 1.5 million female employees, because of Wal-Mart’s alleged discrimination against women in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964” (Justia US Supreme Court). This team of women argued that there was lower pay for women in the same jobs as men and there were longer delays before women were promoted than men. The Wal-Mart supervisor claimed that Dukes did not do her job sufficiently and did not handle tasks correctly. The case lasted for eleven years but finally case to a close in 2011.
The court ruled in favor of Wal-Mart and denied the class action sex discrimination lawsuit moving to the future.

This shows that although many people feel that progress is being made for the discrimination of women in the work place, this is not the case. This definitely make the social problem worse because of how the court ruled. This appears to be a major setback for women in the workplace because it is very clear that they are still being discriminated against, not only by big companies, but also by the judicial system. This type of setback causes issues with behavior in the workplace and an increase in employee anger and turnover.
The feminist theory definitely applies to this court case because of how Dukes and the other women felt they were being treated unfairly. The feminism theory seeks equality and that is exactly what Dukes wanted. She did not ask for men to be demoted or looked at as smaller or less significant. She simply wanted males and females to be equal in the

workplace.
I do not believe that women will stop fighting for what they believe is right and fair. Until, these women reach their goal, they will try ruthlessly to gain the respect they deserve. This topic will remain until people treat and pay women equally, based upon their abilities. There have been many remedies introduced into the workplace that have tried to address the injustice toward women in the workplace. Although there have been many improvements for women in the workplace, there are still many inequalities for women when compared to men. Change is needed to ensure full equality in the workplace. This change can only fully occur when we change the attitudes of every individual toward women. When that is finally accomplished, then we can finally overcome discrimination in the workplace.