The Discrimination of Woman in the Workplace
During the 1950s and 1960s, increasing numbers of married women entered the labor force, but in 1963 the average working woman earned only 63% of what a man made. That year The Feminine Mystique, a critique of middle-class patterns was published. The author encouraged readers to seek new roles and responsibilities, to seek their own personal and professional identities rather than have them defined by the outside, male-dominated society.
During debate on the 1964 Civil Rights bill, an amendment was proposed to outlaw discrimination on the basis of gender as well as race. First the amendment, then the bill itself, passed, giving women a legal tool to secure their rights. In 1966, 28 professional women established the National Organization for Women (NOW).
Sexual discrimination is prevalent in the United States today, and is evident in the business world. Most businesses have always been dominated by men, and have simply been tradition in America that men run Corporate America and not women. Not until the late twentieth century, have women even been a part of big business.
One important question that needs to be asked is, “what is equal?” Equality between sexes and race has been stressed and made law in the late nineteenth century, but even though laws have been made to protect woman from this discrimination, it still occurs frequently. Equal is being treated the same way and having the same opportunities no matter who one is. Big business has not given women the chance to be equal with men. One does not normally see a woman as the owner, or even the manager of a major corporation, these jobs consistently go to men. Traditi...
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...er the last century women have made enormous contributions in the sciences, art, and medicine, proving that those fields are not just for men. By completing their education women have proven that they can handle the many stresses that go along with college, such as dealing with others, exams, and receiving a diploma. Women have also been dealing with immense stress through the years, with both having children and maintaining their families.
It has been proven that even by creating equal employment laws, one cannot ensure that woman will be treated fairly when being employed, especially in business. This equal treatment will not occur until enough men in power give the qualified women a chance to hold these positions. The business world will realize that women are capable of working alongside and over men in the business world.
Bibliography:
"Rediscovering American Women: A Chronology Highlighting Women's History in the United States." Issues in Feminism. Ed. Sheila Ruth. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1998. 494-509.
As the fight for gender equality continues to be more publicized in society, women continue to step closer towards justice. The movement for gender balance will gradually earn more relevance in the nation, considering that most people “root for fairness, not for our own sex” (par 14). Both genders will benefit from women gaining more power. Women would have more opportunities to pursue their dreams without being oppressed and men would be able to rely on their wives to “keep up the mortgage payments” (par 15) if they were to lose their jobs during the recession. As society rapidly realizes this information, the concept of gender equality will gain large amounts popularity and arrive
Feminism has transferred an impact on the American society. Some of the benefits include restructured views on careers, schooling, and privileges women obtain. The women’s movement was the main triumphant movement of the 1960s and 1970s (Epstein 125). However, without the victory of the movement nothing would be the same as it is these days. In conclusion, women vision themselves differently now then what they did thirty years ago (Epstein 125).
...cceptance of women to expect their rights as equals, women are starting to make improvements within the corporate setting. Women are making strides, through the formal use of mentoring programs and the willingness of younger males on the executive boards and in managerial positions to accept a woman as equal partners in the success of a business (p.19). Younger males in the board room, who have fast tracked to the top and are likeminded to the equality of women, the greater the likelihood of success for women (p. 19). Women, who are persistent, educated, intelligent and hungry will find their way to the top of the corporate ladder. The not to distance future may give rise to increased equal access, inequitable time frames for women.
The feminist movement started long before the publication of The Feminine Mystique. In 1848 the United States women’s movement was created in New York. The National Women’s Rights Convention was created soon after the movement began. Equal compensation, academic rights, voting rights, and estate rights were discussed at the convention (“Women’s History”). The National Women’s Rights Convention ended as the American Civil War
Despite the passage of protective federal legislation in the forms of the Equal Pay Act in 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Acts of 1964, there still exists prominent gender discrimination in the workplace that negatively impacts career advancement for women. This is best seen through the case example of Ann Hopkins. Hopkins was denied a career advancement to partner status within Price Waterhouse solely based on her perceived femininity and not the quality of her previous work for the company. This incident occurred in 1982, roughly 20 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII. Although the Equal Pay Act and Title VII have made great strides towards economic gender equality in the United States, they are by no means complete. The United States needs additional legislation in order to guarantee equal pay for equal work.
Throughout history, it has been proven that women have been neglected and looked down on by men, they were denied the right to vote as if they were not even recognized as human beings. Women have been looked at as objects or trophies and not given the respect as they deserve. Women should be treated fairly, equal to men and need to be acknowledged as such. In many cases, women working with the same qualifications are paid less than men, doing the same job. In 2015 studies showed that women were only paid 80% of what men were paid. A hefty 20% gap was in place (Miler,2017). Back then 1 in every 3 women would be working for a wage, not a good one at that.
One of the many social issues brought to life during the 1960s was gender equality. While the open struggle for women’s rights had been more or less present since the 19th century or even earlier, the liberal and generally revolutionary atmosphere of America in the 1960s proved to be an inopportune time to draw more attention to the issues surround women’s rights and gender equality. Women were growing weary of their traditional roles of housewives and mothers. Women traditionally gave up any ambition for a career when they got married and began having children. Although they were well educated, their education was often never applied outside of the classroom. Women went to college, found a husband, left college, and started a family. That
Women who used to be restricted to domestic roles, began to gain access to the business world. Nevertheless, woman are still by far represented among nurses, sales clerks, hair dressers, teachers, and office workers. On the other hand, man are over represented in leading positions in the industry, government, and agricultural production.
Through the past century women have fought for rights equal to that of men. Before the turn of the twentieth century, women were primarily expected to stay home, clean, cook, and tend to the children. However, in more recent years, women have acquired the right to vote and began higher education. In today’s society, women are able to do perform the same tasks as men in nearly every profession. Despite these significant improvements in gender equality, the systemic discrimination against women still persists in the United States. It is often reflected in the gender wage gap, where women get paid less than men despite similar performance and positions, or other examples of male chauvinism. Ultimately, this history of gender equality and recent
I hope one day discrimination against working women comes to an end, and everyone, both male and female, is treated equally.
If one takes a closer look at the issues surrounding the differences between the male and female roles in the workforce and in education, one will notice that women tend to be one step below men on the "status" or "importance" ladder.
Gender discrimination in the workplace continues to be a major problem in the workplace despite new laws being passed in recent years, such as the Title VII or the Equal Pay Act, which were passed to protect the women from being sexually harassed or being mistreated because they were women or were from a certain family/cultural
Although some of the worst employment discrimination was eliminated by the Civil Rights Act in 1964, many women continue to undergo unfair and unlawful discrimination in the workplace. Even though women have come a long way, they are still being discriminated against in certain fields of work. High-end jobs, most commonly large companies and medical fields, continue to discriminate against women even though they have the same job qualifications as men.
Women have had quite a few hurdles to get over since the 1950's. In 1958 the proportion of women attending college in comparison with men was 35 percent. (Friedan,