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In 2008, Samantha Elauf went into Abercrombie & Fitch for a job interview. The interview went according to plan, and the interviewer said they would call her back in a few days for orientation. Elauf received solid marks on 3 competencies for the job at one of the Abercrombie stores, so she was sure she would receive a phone call regarding the position she had seeked. Unfortunately, she did not. She asked a friend why she did not get a call about the job, and her friend told her that the district manager said not to hire her because her headscarf was against the the store’s “look policy”. Heather Cooke, the assistant manager, was unsure what to do about the headscarf situation, so she asked her district manager and the store manager. She got the same response from both of them. They claimed that just because you think someone is wearing a headscarf for religious reasons, doesn't mean they are. Technically, someone could do anything and claim it is for religious reasons - and if it goes against the …show more content…
“For Muslim women, a headscarf — or hijab — is a visible sign of their faith and identity, and whether to wear one is a big decision.” It also states that being a Muslim woman and wearing a headscarf tends to make it hard for teenagers to be friends with people that did not share their Muslim beliefs and practices. This source connects to my topic because of the fact that wearing a hijab can be a burden to many Muslim-Americans. Asma Uddin is devout in her religious beliefs and had always worn a hijab. She was born to Muslim parents in Miami, Florida. Her career, however, made it so that she wouldn’t wear her hijab. She had the choice to wear it, obviously, but chose otherwise because she was tired of trying to prove that Muslim women are empowered, too. She was in a white-shoe law firm and the hijab made her feel
The author of this essay thinks it is ridiculous that women cannot wear their hijab in certain places around the world. Many people think the hijab is not necessary. However, it is part of what Muslim women believe. She explains in her essay, "So next time you hear about a hijab ban think about your best pair of jeans or your faded t-shirt with the logo of your favorite band" (Fakhraie 461). A hijab is just like every other piece of clothing that covers up the body. It can be part of their religion, or they can wear a hijab just because they like how it
Ever pass by Muslim woman in a hijab at the mall or park and think how oppressive and restraining her culture must be? Maysan Haydar, a New York social worker who practices the Muslim tradition of veiling, believes otherwise. In her article, “Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering,” Haydar highlights on her experiences as a Muslim living in an American culture, where showing more skin is the “norm.” Haydar speaks specifically to a crowd who unconsciously makes assumptions about certain Muslim practices, in hopes of sharing the truth behind them. Haydar suggests that, contrary to popular belief, not all Muslim women cover themselves strictly as an “oppressive” religious practice, but that some women, like herself, find
Facts of the Case: In 2008, Samantha Elauf applied for a job at Abercrombie & Fitch, Inc., who as part of their “Look Policy” prohibit the use of caps. Elauf, as part of her religious practice, wore a headscarf to the interview. She was interviewed by assistant manager Heather Cooke, who gave her a score that qualified her to be hired. Cooke, however, was worried that Elauf’s headscarf was against the store’s policy and called her district manager Randall Johnson. She informed Johnson of her belief that Elauf wore her headscarf because of her religion, and Johnson replied that headwear, whether it was religious or not, violated the “Look Policy” of the store.
As I sat in an airport one day, I noticed a family approaching the same waiting area as mine. This family was not the same as your ordinary family; the mother was completely covered, with only her eyes and hands showing. I immediately found myself wondering, being in America, the land of the free, did she choose to wear that or is it mandatory for her due to her religion. I also wondered if she knew that people were looking at her, possibly with the same question as my own.
The case has taken a broader view that the employer strictly prohibits discrimination and harassment in the workplace. As Elauf said in a statement issued by the EECO, observance of one’s faith should not have prevented them from getting a job. This is not the first time Abercrombie & Fitch’s ‘look policy’ has been brought to the media’s attention about discrimination. In 2009, Riam Dean made a claim against Abercrombie & Fitch for disability discrimination for wearing a cardigan to cover her prosthetic arm, and was told to stop working on the shop floor unless she removed her cardigan. Miss Dean was finally awarded around £8,000 for unlawful harassment for a reason relating to her disability. Abercrombie should learn a lesson, and objectively justify the “Look Policy”. The winning of Elauf and Riam cases protects applicants from being discriminated based on their religions; everyone should have an equal chance to apply for an accommodation. Although discrimination in the workplace is illegal in the United States and a number of other countries in the world, the practice still happens. I am glad that employees have an organization such as EEOC to protect them from being discriminated based on race, religion, disability, age, national origin, and
The author talks about how this was not something that happen overnight, but has been discussed about from a very long time such a 1989. The views of people that the author chooses to look at are Ernest Cheniere, who raised the statement of banning headscarves in public schools in 1994 and Francois Bayrou minister of education in 1994 who saw muslim headscarves as a way of proselytizing. Then Joan Scotts talks about why the timing played into affect, how racism such as colonial legacies were effected, secularism, individualism of the veil, Muslims being looked as threats, how uncivilized Muslim people were, and sexuality. Joan Scotts goes into detail in all the sub topics and shows how does this affect a common Muslim girl that wears a hijab and how does the French government view
fully covering her face, while most Muslims, are required to wear Hijabs because of their religion. So for children to be stared at and made fun of in school is very difficult to deal with and could lead to other psychological issues. Is the behavior of Muslim children that come from immigrant families affected by living in non-diverse areas of the United States? Or do they fit right in just like others immigrants of this country. This can be measured by conducting a research based on Muslim immigrant parents and their children in schools such as using surveys and questionnaires for Muslim girls in middle school ages ranging from 11-14 years old.
Also, if an employee is required by religious beliefs to wear a skirt, the manufacturing company could be required the female worker to wear pants. Ethos is used in this paper by appealing to authority and credibility when it uses the first amendment. Even though this article contains information other than dress codes in schools, it still provides a lot of reliable facts and statistics that could be very helpful in an academic research
The hijab, while not always popular, has seem to be customary for most women to wear in the Islam world for good or for bad. Prior to the 21st century the hijab was not very popular and was looked as a rarity, but now most women adopted this clothing choice for a multitude of reasons. Many women choose to wear it because they feel god instructed women to wear it, to highlight modesty, to show faith in god, or to show Muslim identity. There are many reasons women wear the hijab, even if the veil is forced upon them because of family members; However, the sight of the veil concerns many women activists whose main priority is to insure equality for all women. Many women activists don’t like the veil to be forced upon women and the idea
In 2008, 17 year old Samantha Elauf was denied a position at Abercrombie Kids due to dress code policy against wearing any type of headpiece. Elauf of course took this to court where the ruling was in her favor (Bazelon, E., 2015).
According to Doucleff, “‘wearing the hijab eliminates many of the hassles women have to go through — such as dyeing their hair,’ she says. ‘For example, you're getting old, and gray hairs, when you wear the hijab, you might not think about dyeing your hair because nobody sees it anyway.’” By wearing a hijab women do not have to worry about “gray hairs, and can focus on other parts of their lives. Although this seems like a trivial improvement, women in the west spend inestimable amounts of money on beauty products and a surfeit amount of time on their daily regimen. Even though the burqa is therapeutic in helping women with their appearance, it can be physically restricting, “Mariam had never before worn a burqa…The padded headpiece felt tight and heavy on her skull…The loss of peripheral vision was unnerving, and she did not like the suffocating way the pleated cloth kept pressing against her mouth” (72). In this excerpt the burqa is described as “tight”, “heavy”, and “suffocating, making it seem like an unpleasant garment to be ensconced in. The burqa can cause an “unnerving” feeling, which can make daily tasks hard to complete. When interviewing a girl in Afghanistan Daniel Pipes, American historian, writer, and commentator, got her opinion on the burqa, “When I wear a burqa it gives me a really bad feeling. I don't like to wear it…I don't like it, it upsets me, I can't breathe properly.” The discomfort the girl feels in the burqa “upsets” her, linking her physical distress to emotional distress. The girl gets “a really bad feeling” when she wears a burqa, showing that the physical effects of the burqa can be negative. Besides the physical hardships Muslim dress may cause, it can also cover up physical abuse, “A Muslim teenage girl
There are many different views towards Muslim choice of clothing especially wearing the veil. “I wear it believing it is necessary, but someone else can be wearing it believing that she is doing something extra” said Hamna Ahmed. One of the many reasons a Muslim can be wearing the veil are their own personal decisions too. Hamna has been wearing it for seven years now, despite her mother and three of her four sisters staying uncovered. Socially this causes an issue with the meaning of the veil and conflict with other groups. With many different consumptions of religion, what it means, what is considered to be practicing and what is not can lead to negative misunderstandings. Ultimately the decisions are up to the individuals although; there is likely to be misinterpretation between the meaningfulness of religion to family and society. On an even bigger scale of things this could also impact society and it...
International human rights standards protect the rights of persons to be able to choose what they wish to wear, and in particular to be able to manifest their religious belief. Thus, Human Rights Watch in their report, focusing on the hijab ban for state officials in Germany, said that: “Restrictions should only be implemented where fully justified by the state, and be the least restrictive necessary”.1 Proclamation of wearing the hijab in public institutions as illegal is undermining the autonomy of individuals, their right to choose, their right to privacy and intimacy, and their self-determination. In addition to this, several European countries such as Germany and France directly prevent women wearing hijab to work or attend school in the public state institutions, which further intensified already negative attitude of Western public towards wearing hijab.
299). The study consisted of having in-depth personal interviews to share their experiences of being a Muslim American woman (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 300). Veiling to these women was a way of freedom while also having a Muslim identity (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). It was also a source of behavior control, to not be sexually objectified, a way of commanding respect from others and even a source of checking their own behavior (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). One of the women interviewed said, veiling to her was a way to feel connected to other Muslim woman who veil (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 302). Veiling can be a way to feel connected to your religion and God as well as being connected to those who practice the same faith, it can be considered an act of membership. Many of the women interviewed noted they have been removed from planes, been treated unfairly, and have had strangers shout at them all for just being Muslim and being more visibly recognized from veiling (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 303). This is an example of how media can affect the general population. When the media only shows radicals and compares all Muslims to being terrorist or dangerous they are actually putting Muslim people at risk of being assaulted in public. Muslim woman in particular are more at risk for being assaulted as they are more identifiable. So while veiling can be a source of empowerment and freedom for women it is a double-edged sword because it also puts them at further risk of being
The headscarf has a role in Islam. It derives its significance from the Qur’an. Qur’an is God’s command to Muslims and the word taught to Prophet Mohammad by Allah. Muslim women wear headscarves to cover themselves. It’s a kind of modesty, and a way that women cover their beauty. They should not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands ‘fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, or their brothers’ sons or their sisters’ sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hand possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no senses of the shame of sex and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments.