How Organizations Are Assessing Gender Equality Within Their Organization Essay

It is not up for debate whether women are discriminated against in the workplace, it is evident in census data; in 2013, among full-time, year-round workers, women were paid 78 percent of what men were paid. It is said that the organizations that are pro-equal pay, including some unions, support the idea that the government should set wages for all jobs. To the contrary, the organizations that are proponents of equal pay are not for job wages being set by the government-they wish to have the discrimination taken out of pay scales from within the company. Commonly, this pay gap is attributed to the fact that women in the United States are still expected to attend to familial obligations over work.

Sexism is the ideology that maintains that one sex is inherently inferior to the other. Sexism or discrimination based on gender has been a social issue for many years; it is the ideology that one sex is superior or inferior to the other. Sexism does not only affect females, but also males. Men are very often victimized by social stereotypes and norms based on gender expectations. Sexism has appears in almost all social institutions including family, the media, religion, sports, the military, politics, and the government. However, although both genders are affected, men have benefited from sexism the most (Thompson 300-301.)

Women in the medical field are 5 times more likely to experience issues regarding themselves advancing positions in their careers (Freedman 2). Though women are growing in this field they are still underrepresented and face many challenges that a man would never have to face. Women not being offered the same possibilities in the work place because of gender discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964. This law was put into place to eliminate barriers for promotion and hiring (Workplace fairness 3). Most issues arise from two particular theory’s, including the “Glass Ceiling Theory” and the “Glass escalator Theory”.

The term job analysis describes the process of obtaining information about jobs. Regardless of how it is collected, it usually includes information about the tasks to be done on the job as well as the personal characteristics (education, experience, specialized training, personality) necessary to do the tasks (Cascio, 2005).

Imagine this: a society that determines who we must be and how we must act based off of criterion ideals and traditional beliefs. This is a world without feminism. Societal and global issues are an ever growing concern in terms of feminism, and the impression that should, in fact, be enforced not only in our society today but all around the world. These issues, such as gender roles, acceptance of individuality throughout humanity, economics, and progression of the feminist movement are the utmost driving forces in how we can change the world for the better.

It is apparent that the gender segregation within the workforce is still there but the trend is having slowly been improving over the past decade, as male occupational therapist has increased from 7.4% in 2006 (CIHI, 2011). Unfortunately, occupational therapy’s gender profile remains consistent with several other female dominated health professions, like nursing, speech language pathologists and dental hygienists and technicians (Zweck, 2010). The reverse is seen in health professions dominating in power and reimbursement rates with females’ rates of 30% or lower (Zweck, 2010).

Some people say that sexism no longer exists in the workplace, yet only "19%" of women are in a presidential or chief position at work(Bomey ). Women are less likely to be hired for a job despite having all the qualifications, women earn less than men, and women are continuously harassed in the workplace. Despite the fact that women are capable to "perform with the same skill and success" as men, the issue of gender discrimination still continues to rise( ). In society, sometimes it can be difficult to recognize issues of sexism not only at work but in life. With the failure to realize gender discrimination and harassment in the world, educating people on the issue of sexism can make the workplace a success.

Women are one of the most groups being discriminated against today. They try very hard to fit in and be successful in their careers. Discrimination against women is found in many workplaces. Some managers try to fix this problem, but others just ignore it. Companies that pretend that gender discrimination doesn’t exist are usually the ones that get sued for it more often. Other companies try to avoid law suits by dealing with gender discrimination and resolving conflicts before it gets to the law suits.

Sexism in the Workplace The workplace is the area in which sexism is most commonly found. Sexism is in evidence in unfair recruitment practices, unequal pay, and intimidating behavior towards colleagues. Legislation is now in place in many countries that prohibits unfair treatment of staff on the grounds of their sex. The problem with this legislation is that they are often difficult to apply.

For my research project, I would like to show the evolution of gender equality that has occurred in American society in the workplace. The disparity of status and privileges between men and women has existed since the end of the World War II. Although America has made progress concerning the acceptance of social issues such as same sex relationship and marriage, people are still unwilling to acknowledge that gender inequality is still rampant among our society. Gender equality hasn’t been achieved yet, particularly in corporate America that has an insignificant number of women in the upper ranks; fewer women occupy a post of chief executive officer, chief financial officer, or any other leading positions.

The generation now has made it easier to equalize men and women but there is still a substantial amount of places where gender inequality is still happening in the workplace and where females still face discrimination. Women are often discriminated in the workplace and are usually not promoted as quickly as men are and they also receive less pay. History shows that women have not always been defined as property and thought of as second class citizens. But in the 21st century many have seen a drastic change in the so called “traditional” family ways where women are suppose to stay home and take care of the household chores, food, and children and men are suppose to work to support their family and provide financial stability. Many assume that in the workplace women are more vulnerable and less competent than men because women 's instincts are to put their family before work or anything else. Whereas men are the ones who will usually stay the late hours to work. People on both sides of the political spectrum and everywhere in between seem to be fearful of what is to come and more fearful of others than they are often willing to admit.

Women have experienced a historic situation of inequality in the social as well as professional aspects. Women were normally the ones that would take care of children, do the chores in the house, and in rural areas; they would work in the field with the rest of the family. However, today’s women have become more self-sufficient and independent from the predominant male figure within every historical family. Gender inequality in the workplace is becoming less common; yet, gender is a factor that affects men and women. Especially women have been subjected to a historical discrimination that has influenced society to decide which job is more suitable for women than men. However women have confronted and tried to break down the barriers that

Initially, the first women entering the workplace did so out of desire. In a post feminist, post-civil right era and spurred on by higher levels of education. Women saw jobs and careers as rights that had previously been denied to them. Women were tired of just being "Big Johns Wife" or "Little Johnny's mommy". They wanted to be known the way men have always identified themselves by their jobs, their careers, and the level of success to which they had risen. Status, not salary, was the prime mover of the first wave of women to assault the previously all male worlds of medicine, and the corporate citadel

In a world that has grown increasingly smaller due to mass media, world travel, and readily available information, the workplace has grown increasingly diverse in both gender and cultural aspects. Individuals no longer live and work within the confines of their geographic locations. At almost any position with any company the individual employee is a part of a larger world economy that harvests assets from the ends of the earth. Because of this, companies seek to capitalize on diversity to become more creative and flexible in their business models.

Rapid changes in the global economic market entail transformations affecting not only the external environment of organizations, but also its internal operations and processes (Hall, 2008; Hodgetts, 2002). One important change that has altered the nature of contemporary organization is the “acknowledgement, development and systematic use of the skills and knowledge of employees” (Ramirez et al 2007, p 496). The central role of employees’ participation in the success of the organization involves not only “high performance work systems… [but] they also involve the decentralization of decisions and work enrichment that is providing employees with opportunities for involvement in decision-making and innovation.” (Wood & de