Living In 21St Century United States, Being A Much More

According to the latest data from the US Department of Labor, 57% of women participate in the workforce as opposed to 52% in 1980. More women are also participating in athletics, higher education, and politics. However, the results of a psychological study from New Jersey has found that gender stereotyping and classic roles are just as strong today as they were three decades ago. Based on the definition from study.com, gender stereotypes can be described as over-generalizations about the characteristics of an entire group based on gender. For example, the gender stereotype and role of women is that they are supposed to be shy, submissive, and do the cooking and cleaning. Men, on the other hand, are generally expected to be the ones to make money, be more physically strong, and do the fixing of the household according to their gender stereotype. The study- taking place in both 1983

In the United States, study after study continues to show that women have fewer opportunities to advance in the workplace than men. These disadvantages are a result of society’s views of women in leadership positions and how women may view themselves in these roles. Women have been making progress in terms of equality in pay and job positions, but significant gaps remain. Women who strive to be promoted into higher levels of responsibility in their companies often meet resistance that prevents them from achieving the goal of a senior or executive level of management. This barrier is referred to as the “glass ceiling” and it is a controversial issue in our country today. The glass ceiling called this because women are able to see the higher level positions, but can reach them because of an intangible barrier. One can look at the Fortune 500 companies, which are the most successful companies in the U.S. in terms of revenue to see how few women are in leadership positions. Clearly, women are significantly underrepresented in these companies, as less than 5 percent of these companies have female chief executive officers (CEO) today (Dockterman 105). Providing the opportunity for women to move into management positions, like CEOs, would bring a unique talent and a new perspective on how the company can operate to perform better (Buckalew 147). The “glass ceiling” is a real obstacle that creates an intangible barrier that puts women at a disadvantage in advancing in a company.

Society expects males and females to adopt, accept, and accommodate specific gender roles and stereotypes that have been previously established. In western society, males are expected to be an alpha, independent, and athletic type, whereas females are typically expected to be obedient, nurturing, and reserved. Society demands conformity to an enforced gender order. When these gender norms are pushed beyond its boundaries, it is common for labels to be given, questions to be asked, and individuals to be ridiculed. While “traditional” gender stereotypes have remained fairly constant over the past few centuries, they have also been challenged.

Although in 2012, only 18 women served as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Furthermore, in a recent report, women only held 16.6% of board seats in 2012 in the fortune 500 companies (Aguilar). Women are somehow being held back from achieving their higher potential, and is is not due to lack of education. The department of education found that “140 women will graduate with a college degree at some level this year for every 100 men”(Aguilar). Most people believe the reason is because of the phenomenon of the “glass ceiling”. Many large companies do not hire women for the upper level positions, because they have always hired men, and many companies may believe that they do not see women in that position. This is also influenced by the media as well, as “women hold only 3% of clout positions in telecommunications, entertainment, publishing and advertising.”(Newsom 2011). With so few women leaders in the media industry, women are rarely portrayed in highly respected executives roles. This in turn communicates to young girls and the public in general that women are not supposed to hold these

“According to the Center for American Progress, women “are only 14.6 percent of executive officers, 8.1 percent of top earners, and 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs.” And even though they comprise the majority of the labor force in the financial services and healthcare industries, not a single woman in these fields is head honcho of her company“(Hawaii Free Press, page 1). Women have less authoritative power when it comes to the employment field. More women than men are employed in the labor force, yet majority of the most powerful employers are men. This gender gap seems to be more than just a coincidence. This is one of the results of sexism in the America. Gender gaps in the job market are not the biggest problem of sexism because violence against women still lingers around the United

Stereotypes are ideas held as a standard or example. They apply to the vulnerability of any one group. Intermittently, they are used against women in the United States as a whole, who are vulnerable in areas of predestined abilities to achieve a task based on sex. Not only must generalizations be lessened, but they also must be eliminated completely, as the effects they have on women are monstrous. Women in the United States are affected negatively by stereotypes through movies, mass media, and discrimination in the workplace.

In a study from college students in 1983 compared to a study from adults in 2014, “The researchers found that despite greater diversity in the 2014 sample, people continue to strongly stereotype men and women on personality traits (e.g. kindness, competitiveness), gender role behaviors (e.g. tending the house, upholding moral and religious values), occupations (e.g. registered nurse, engineer) and physical characteristics (e.g., delicate, deep voice)” (phys.org). Stereotypes encourage gender roles, and since the stereotypes from the 1980’s have not changed much from more recently, that shows that the roles have not changed as much as what would be hoped

Gender stereotypes are present in the United States today. Women are only supposed to act in feminine ways while men are only supposed to act in masculine ways. Women and men have different standards when comparing one another. Men and women have different roles that society says is more feminine or masculine. Gender stereotypes are present throughout any race. Race stereotypes are also a problem today and still have their own gender stereotypes with in their culture. When people act outside what society says those gender roles are, they are seen in a negative way. Society has determined what we consider to be acceptable definition of feminine or masculine. Throughout history, gender stereotypes have played a significant role in peoples lives.

Gender role is a set of socio-culturally embedded behaviors and attitudes that are identified for men and women (Wood & Eagly, 2010). Gender stereotype roles are changing in the US with shifts in the society’s structure and understanding of gender/sexuality (Gardiner & Kosmitzki, 2010; Tucker, 2005). With such changes in gender role, different issues have surfaced. Among many issues and challenges due to changes in gender role, this paper focuses on implicit forms of discrimination that appear to be more reverent today and a consequence of having less concrete gender expectation. Furthermore, this paper briefly discusses ideas to which may help overcome issues that are results from changes in gender role. Yet, first, gender stereotype role

As time has progressed and colonization has evolved, gender in the United States has been constructed in a manner that is unknown in other countries. Our society has made different stereotypes for certain sexes. It is socially impossible to not make a collation between sex and gender in the United States. Women are viewed the same in the professional world and in the home life perspective. All roles played by women are considered to be inadequate or insignificant compared to men. Gender characteristics, such as masculinity and femininity, has become a cultural construct. Gender is a social construct that was designed to confine people to a certain title and cultural agenda.

Through the media, American culture stigmatizes the way men and women act by portraying masculine men as only capable of being tough, unemotional, and protective; likewise, femininity envelopes nurturing, submissive, and unobtrusive characteristics. Though these stereotypes are different, the generalizations inflict the same social limitations towards men and women in personal freedom in employability and behavior. Modern American stereotypes stem from the beliefs of older generations, which define the socially acceptable standards of conduct of men and women. Despite recent movement towards more progressive beliefs in society, gender stereotypes remain stubbornly ingrained within the American culture.

Nadler and Stockdale mention how women face the most challenges in receiving higher positions in the workforce (282+). Nadler and Stockdale claim that women are viewed as competent, but individuals who are both competent and likeable are most likely to be promoted (287+). Nadler and Stockdale declare, “Women endeavoring to succeed in a masculine work role, such as upper management, currently face obstacles based on their perceived gender role” (283+). Women who succeed in earning a managerial position will have to eventually pay the cost of receiving that position (Nadler and Stockdale 282+). Many women will postpone relationships or having children to succeed in the workforce (Nadler and Stockdale 282+). Nadler and Stockdale add that women

Marie A. Chisholm-Burns states that “perhaps no sector has been more publicly scrutinized for its gender disparities than the corporate world” (312). While women tend to do most of the shopping for the household, they still lack the ability to voice their opinions about what can be done to improve consumption or shopping. USA Today recently wrote an article that was boldly named “Sexism in the Workplace is Worse Than You Thought” which talks about the gender bias women face in the workplace as they progress in their career (Chisholm-Burns 312). Since white males are considered superior in today’s society, diversity is hard to find in high-paying jobs. Because women face discrimination, many businesses struggle to reach their full potential. The glass ceiling is also very condescending and causes women to act negatively towards themselves. The discrimination in pay between men and women has caused many women to form anxiety or stress disorders, such as depression. It also causes women to not strive to be the best they can and because they struggle with this, the possibilities of having great women in leadership decreases even lower than it was originally. These low levels of female leaders also lack encouragement from good role models who would help them learn how to be a leader. If equality becomes a strong focus for corporations, then they should see a positive overall

Vinkenburg, van Engen, Eagly, and Johannesen-Schmidt (2011) found that gender differences in communication style norms can also impact advancement in careers. While the differences in group collaboration and leadership styles between men and women may be trivial, and perception of gender-based leadership style is not. Women were shown to use more effective, leadership techniques then men. However, men were perceived as being slightly better leaders and more inspirational in the work setting, despite the fact that woman’s leadership styles tended to be more rounded. The perpetuation of gender bias in promotion decisions perpetuates the stereotype that men hold

The business world today is competitive. It's full of fierce, educated, and motivated people. For some people it's tough to rise to the top and for some people it comes much easier. It's not always about hard work! One might ask for a map to the yellow brick road, but few people are ever provided with it. Most people are stuck in an ocean making calculated guesses as to how they can reach land. Which route is the best? How much school is enough? How many certificates of accreditation is enough? How much work experience is enough? All of us ask these questions attempting to navigate our ships in a competitive world were only a few individuals ever get to their targeted career position. How many of those in leadership positions are women?