2: Why, even when laws became gender-neutral and woman became well educated, did women still face structural inequality of opportunity in the workplace?
We used to believe taking care of children was the highest priority for women even in the societies admiring fair equality of opportunity. Therefore, we concluded that assigning women to the more senior position at the workplace that required heavy duties such as "long hours and frequent travel was inappropriate. "Structural equality of opportunity requires that organizations design positions in such a way that women can fill those positions". I believe that the development of technology helps solve structural inequality. For example, many Tech companies allow employees to work at home when they don't have special tasks. As long as we
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Even you can communicate with your co-worker online by using Skype, Facetime, etc. In general, the office hours are from 8 PM to 17 PM. Therefore, those who take care of young children couldn't focus on their job. However, by adopting flexible working hour, those who are busy at daytime can work at night, which means everyone can manage their schedule efficiently. Another structural equality is the physical barrier to employment of women. For example, our image of firefighters is tall and masculine, and that they plunge into a fire with heavy equipment to save lives. The hiring process for firefighters is not intentionally sexist, and instead its focus on physical issues that if women can rescue with heavy equipment or not. The solution of the problem is to design the new equipment that suit woman. The other structural inequality is "traditional expectations about gender roles. For example, the most of the flight attendants and nurses are women in Japan, but pilots and doctors are the man. However, the gender roles have been accepted and natural for a long time.
In the workplace environment it is a known fact that women are passed over for higher positions that would allow them to earn higher wages. Author of “Workplace Gender Discrimination and the Implicit Association Test" Jo- Ann Kadola stated, “Women earn 18 % less per hour than men working the same job, with the same title, with the same credentials even when a woman has a higher education.” (Kadola23) This is known as the gender gap, it happens in all occupations whether in management, directors or any high level position. Overall men and women never earn the same pay for the same job. This is known to be a worldwide fact. On every job women are always asked to prove or provide credentials for a job that men are able to obtain without proof. Kadola also stated, “Women have to show skills more often, they are required to take or be more responsible than men.” (Kadola24) Men are generally respected more. Their opinions hold more value. Men tend to have more freedom in making decisions. When it comes to merit raises they will receive a higher percentage based on the fact that they are men. When women enter the workplace it is a perceived notion that she will get married and start a family. Therefore a working mother is looked down upon based on the fact she is no staying home caring
Without access to equal opportunities they could not compete with men in the work place and therefore could not achieve financial independence.[2] In order to change these policies women needed the
When women are actually given the same jobs as men, they may be paid the same but typically, they are not able to reach the higher positions in the company that men do. Even with their 77 cents to a man’s dollar, “women still tend to bear a larger responsibility for child care and other household matters within families” (Mazorelle). Women are not given the opportunity to earn as much as men, and they still have to take on a majority of the responsibilities of the household.... ... middle of paper ... ...
“In just about every state in the country, millennial women are more likely than millennial men to have a college degree, yet millennial women also have higher poverty rates and low earnings than millennial men” (Clark “In Every U.S. State, Women, including Millennials, Are More Likely than Men to Live in Poverty, Despite Gains in Higher Education”). Women are more likely to be below the poverty level because of age, race and religion. More so because they are women. “Since the 1980’s, fertility rates have steadily declined around the world. In the United States, the fertility rate is 1.9” (Josh “Gender Inequality and Women in the Workplace”). Women are not having as many babies as they used to. The United States has a lower birth rate because some females are trying to compete for a chance in the workforce. “Companies with three or more women on the Board of Directors average twenty-eight times more money” (Weisul “Women make companies more generous”). Women earn companies more money, but only 24 percent of CEO’s in the United States are women. If more women were hired for “higher up” careers, then most likely that company will make more money overall. As a result, inequality is not a new concept. It has been around for a very long time. It is slowly changing, but women want to change sooner rather than
Echoing the structural strain theory is the differential opportunity theory, which states that learning environments and opportunities are not equally distributed in the social system and gender, class and ethnicity affects conformity and deviance (Deutschmann, 2007). Taking both theories into account, those susceptible to joining gangs would be people that are deprived of opportunities and resources to succeed, mainly people of the lower class and racial minorities as exemplified by the high volume of emergence of racially exclusive gangs in the past. In the 1970’s, the United States of America lifted its quota on immigration based on nationality and this saw the influx of immigrants from Asia and the West Indies coming into the USA in hopes of getting rich or simply to flee from their war torn native lands. Instead of assimilating into the American culture, these immigrants brought along their own cultural practices and religions, which were rejected by the Americans and resulted in resentment between both parties. Racial discrimination was rampant and these once hopeful immigrants soon found themselves being isolated in the outskirts, jobless and helpless. Members of racial minority groups like the majority aspire to possess material success in life but are void of the means to achieve those (McNulty & Bellair, 2003). The same can be said of the lower class, whose low socio-economic status limit their opportunities for tertiary education which could potentially be imperative in securing lucrative jobs (Curry & Spergel, 1988). Therefore, to satisfy their appetite for success, these people adapt to strain by treading the path of innovators- using illegitimate means to actualise their positively valued goals. Moreover, with global...
Gender, as socially constructed differences between men and women and the beliefs and identities that support difference and inequality, is also present in all organizations (Gender & Society). It has been known that most women have continued to stick to the traditional jobs because it is just easier to do so. They do it to avoid any hardship in the work place and discrimination when applying for a job or working for a company. Non-traditional careers and jobs for woman are hard to find and when hired woman are segregated to the wage gap. Class relations in the workplace, such as supervisory practices or wage-setting processes, were shaped by gendered and sexualized attitudes and assumptions (Gender & Society). For example, in the work place managers were almost always men; the lower-level white-collar workers were always women (Gender &
Income inequality has affected American citizens ever since the American Dream came to existence. The American Dream is centered around the concept of working hard and earning enough money to support a family, own a home, send children to college, and invest for retirement. Economic gains in income are one of the only possible ways to achieve enough wealth to fulfill the dream. Unfortunately, many people cannot achieve this dream due to low income. Income inequality refers to the uneven distribution of income and wealth between the social classes of American citizens. The United States has often experienced a rise in inequality as the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, increasing the unstable gap between the two classes. The income gap in America has been increasing steadily since the late 1970’s, and has now reached historic highs not seen since the 1920’s (Desilver). UC Berkeley economics professor, Emmanuel Saez conducted extensive research on past and present income inequality statistics and published them in his report “Striking it Richer.” Saez claims that changes in technology, tax policies, labor unions, corporate benefits, and social norms have caused income inequality. He stands to advocate a change in American economic policies that will help close this inequality gap and considers institutional and tax reforms that should be developed to counter it. Although Saez’s provides legitimate causes of income inequality, I highly disagree with the thought of making changes to end income inequality. In any diverse economic environment, income inequality will exist due to the rise of some economically successful people and the further development of factors that push people into poverty. I believe income inequality e...
Also, the majority of women have been able to secure employment from traditionally female occupations such as teaching compared to male-dominated careers like engineering. Moreover, democratic country like the United States of America has recognized gender inequality as a fundamental issue and espouse equal right between men and women in contributing to social, economic and cultural life. Despite this improvement, gender inequality persists as women are not represented and treated equally in the workplace (Michialidis, Morphitou, & Theophylatou, 2012). The increasing number of women in the workplace has not provided equal opportunity for career advancement for females due to the way women are treated in an organization and the society. Also, attaining an executive position seem impossible for women due to the glass ceiling effects which defines the invisible and artificial barrier created by attitudinal and organizational prejudices, which inhibit women from attaining top executive positions (Wirth
A social problem we face today, though it is arguable and seemingly only a social problem for women, is gender discrimination. As it stands, world women gain significantly less in wages overall compared to the male population. In fact, “women working full time earn 77% as much as men.” And, just until quite recently women were discriminated against in not being allowed to do certain jobs that were thought of as “men’s work.” A place where this was harbored was in the U.S. military, just to name an example (129). With renowned movements galore such as the renowned feminist movement, gender discrimination is on a seemingly solidified path set for decline as it has been in some ways such as women now being able to work in any career, but yet still
In the workplace, women do not receive the same benefits that men do. Some women do the same job, for the same amount of hours, and still do not receive the same pay for their work. Is there a specific reason behind this? No, it is just one of the many inequalities that goes on on the job. As pointed out in the essay by Susan Faludi, Blame it on Feminism, women earn less. The average women’s paycheck is twenty percent less than their male counterparts. Men with only high school education’s make more than some women who have graduated college. Most women are still working the traditional “female” jobs: secretaries, teachers, and nurses for example. Construction work, engineering, and doctor’s, are considered “out of our reach” and men’s jobs. Women are very capable of doing these jobs, but most times when applying for a “man’s job” are not taken seriously. American women are more likely not to receive health insurance and twice as likely not to draw pension then American men. They face the biggest gender-biased pay gap in the world.
Up until this point the roles of women were inside the home. Women cared for the children and did household chores. Eventually women started getting out and getting their own jobs. It began when the women started taking low paying jobs during World War I. The beauty of women was not necessary, women were having to do the men’s jobs as the men were off fighting in the war. Looking into statistics, women run over half the world now. “According to a recent study by Cornell University economists Francine Blau and Lawrence Kahn, American women are about as likely as American men to be company managers” (Hymowitz). Women are still paid a different salary than some men. “Gender wage gaps are a global phenomenon. If you are a woman, or at least if you are a woman with children, chances are you are making less than your average countryman (Hymowitz). However in some countries, women are still viewed as the house
Occupational sex segregation is the concept of men and women being separated into vastly different workforces. For example men are generally managers and CEOs, while women are generally typists or secretaries. Although this segregation is changing, it is doing so at a minimal rate. As Jacob says in his article, “For every news anchorwoman, there are literally thousands of women who work in traditional female settings such as at a receptionist’s desk, in an elementary school classroom, or at the take-out window of a fastfood restaurant.” This statement places this problem of sex segregation into a very understandable and relatable form. The workplace will never be as safe and great for women as long as there is so much stigma against women in higher paying jobs. This occupational sex segregation causes many over qualified women to have to settle for jobs that they do not want. Until employers have the ability to take away latent bias whether that be from blind interviews or some other method, the workplace will not be improved to the level of equity with
Female inequality in workplace is one of the harmful aspect that is afflicting the entire
...d women’s biological purpose has provided men a source of comparative advantage in work. It is, therefore, natural for most companies to think that women cannot be as capable as men in terms of assuming strenuous or challenging positions because women, by default, become less participative and more vulnerable when they start to have family and children. Apparently, this situation has led to various gender discriminations in the labor market.
Women’s Rights has been a controversial topic and debated for many centuries. Despite the many strides to enforce a law to protect women in the workforce, little change has occurred. Gender discrimination in the workforce has continued to be debated. Do women get paid less than men? Are employers more likely to pick men over women in a promotion? Gender discrimination is described differences in “working conditions, salaries, hiring, promotion or bonus criteria for women and men”. Sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination are also a huge topic when discussing gender discrimination. Women should have a voice in deciding what happens in their workplace. It’s prominent that changes occur and help change the status for women in the workforce.