Perceptions of the Inferior Gender
Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. Many women who have encountered discrimination will be the victim of loss of income and loss of opportunity to their own detriment. An alternative to being the target of continuous discrimination is to speak up. I have worked in the IT field for 13 years. I have been sexually harassed, the target of countless gender role discrimination and have experienced the motherhood penalty first-hand. Going to human resources for support and action has never remedied the situation nor has the offending part been reprimanded. Although traditional sexism has substantially declined since the 1950’s, modern sexism is alive and well. The following is an analysis of contemporary issues associated with gender and power in the workplace; which will specifically include a discussion of the gender wage gap, the motherhood penalty and sexism.
Women typically hold lower-paying, lower status jobs than men and the women who are in leadership positions are often held to a higher standard. This is often referred to as the gender wage gap, the dissimilarity between male and female wages. There are many theories as to the source of this discrimination. The glass ceiling effect suggests that there are invisible barriers that prevent women from advancing in their jobs or receiving well-deserved promotions and is considered to be a contributor to this particular gender
The issue of gender inequality in the workplace affects many. The issue of discrimination in wages has been an issue since women were allowed to hold a job and has continued, and possibly progressively gotten better, but it has also gotten progressively worse as it is easier to hide this
Today in society it can be agreed that women have indeed gained many rights that were not accessible to them 100 years before. Although, despite the mentality that men and women are treated equally there are still very many discrepancies between the treatment of genders. Many of which can be attributed to the expectations placed on the genders, gender roles between both genders, and women in the workplace. These issues have caused a great rift to form between the genders, a rift that has caused one gender to claim dominance over the other and this can develop a sense of inferiority by the submissive gender.
Meanwhile, the segregation of jobs by gender and other factors affect pay equity. A term used back in the 1980’s as a metaphor for the invisible and artificial barriers that blocked women and minorities from advancing up the corporate ladder to management and executive positions is called the glass ceiling (Hill, 2013). Louisville Women’s Careers Examiner argues “ Glass ceilings are still found in the workplaces, not only in the discrimination of pay scales, but also marked by sexual harassment, exploitation at work and as a feeling of insecurity in women due to conduct of the opposite sex” (Hill, 2013, p.33). Societal barriers that women tend to face are prejudice and bias, cultural, opportunity and attainment, gender, and color-based differences. Moreover, several other barriers women run into are governmental, business structural and internal businesses all of which have ramifications on their chances of success.
Meaning women have additional problematic issue then man. For example in education women face more obstacles as faculty rather when in manager and directors in corporate America. Even though there been great progress in the workplace, most jobs are segregated by sexes. There is wag gaps, the average women have to work roughly 4 months extra every year to make the same wage as man. For example, when the educational attainment increases the gender pay decreases for women no matter what levels of education than men. In other words, women earn 77cents for every dollar man earn and put in their pocket (Benokraitis, 2010, p.160-161). Discrimination where both woman and man share in the workplace is the glass ceiling and glass escalator. The glass ceiling being, “women efforts to scale organizational and professional hierarchies but cant because they are constrained by invisible barriers to promotion in their careers, caused mainly by sexist attitudes of men in the highest position” Similarly, men that choose to go into position like nurse and librarians encounter the glass escalator mostly vituperative criticism from the public when they are in the most female-identified specialties” “Therefore man are pressured to move out of the most female-identified areas, and up to those regarded as more legitimate and prestigious for men” (Williams, 1992, p.
Women are considered a minority group, because they do not share the same power, privileges, rights, and opportunities as men. The term "glass ceiling" refers to institutional barriers that prevent minorities and women from advancing beyond a certain point in the corporate world, despite their qualifications and successes. The existence of a glass ceiling indicates that women, even today, do not enjoy the same economic opportunities as men. Throughout the past two centuries, there is a recurring pattern of unequal economic rights for women as well as discrimination. These actions that burden women bring on a psychological effect such as oppression. The constant battle women face with an unequal economic opportunity contributes to their feeling
Over the last several decades, great strides have been made when it comes to eliminating sexism and progressing towards gender equality. However, sexism is still ingrained in our everyday culture. This is evident in the fact that in 2017 women earn about 80 cents to a man’s dollar and are less likely to be promoted within the workplace. It’s an unfortunate fact the most women will experience some form of sexism throughout their lives. In this paper, I will address my personal experiences with both hostile and benevolent sexism, how the two forms of sexism differ, and how these experiences have affected me.
The “Glass Ceiling” is known as an invisible barrier that stops someone from gaining more success. In this case it deals with women in the workplace, not being able to move up in a company. Even though no one knows who started the phrase, “A widely read Wall Street Journal story in 1986 popularized the term”(Napikoski). The “Glass Ceiling” has played a big role in women not being able to be
It is possible for employers to comply with existing legislation, but to continue to make sexist assumptions when appointing or promoting staff. In conclusion, women are being devalued in the workplace. Even if they hold a job that requires equal education and skills, they are being paid less than men. In the world today, issues such as child abuse, the unfair treatment of animals and the environment have been, or are being addressed.
The glass ceiling starts to form itself very early on. From the moment a woman enters the work force after college, she is faced with much discrimination and unjust belief that she will not be able to do as well of a job than a man. A man and a woman, who both have the same education and training for a job, will have a considerable gap in their yearly income. In a first year job, a man will make approximately $14,619 compared to a woman who will make only $12,201. That is a pay gap of 17%(Gender Pay 1). There is no reason why there should be any gap in their incomes during the first year of their jobs. They have both had the same formal education and both have the same qualifications necessary for the job, yet
“The wage gap has narrowed by more than one-third since 1960”(Hegewisch, 2010) and “the share of companies with female CEOs increased more than six-fold” (Warner, 2014) since 1997. As well as the truth that men and women’s earnings differ for many other reasons besides the presence of sexism. “Discrimination in labor market, in education/retiring programs, unequal societal norms at home and the constrained decisions men and women make about work and home issues” (Hegewisch, 2010) are also factors that can contribute to the unequal treatment of man and women in the workplace. Yet even with most of these variables removed women are still being paid less than men, sexually harassed in the workplace and hold very little managerial 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.
There has been a major development in women’s equal rights since the Equality Act 2010 was introduced that includes gender equality as one of the strands which states people under this act cannot discriminate or harass and victimise another individual( Ref). The gender pay gap between men and women has been on debate for many years. This essay will examine whether or not in this modern day society their still remain gender inequalities through the use of relevant theories this essay is determined to establish whether these inequalities still exist in employment by exploring social, biological and cultural explanations and differences between men and women. Why women are more likely to be discriminated and oppressed and how I can use this awareness to challenge and address gender inequalities in employment.
The concept of gender denotes the distinction between culturally driven and created roles of masculinity and femininity. These specific and normalized attitudes and behaviors transcend and effect how differently men and women live their lives. Based on society’s continual re-enforcement of such gender stereotypes, we see an on-going dilemma of gender inequality. Though some may argue that men experience gender inequality, this seems to exist on a much more invasive level for women. As of recently, the awareness of gender inequality in the workplace has increased. With the fight for equal pay and equal respect, society is already making strides towards the equality of women. With that being said, one aspect of gender inequality that seems
The glass ceiling is responsible for women and minorities not being able to achieve what they are capable of. A glass ceiling is an invisible barrier. For many of the years, women were not put in jobs that require top executives such as management and that is why many of them have not accumulated the
Social inequality is a pressing issue in society today. It is a problem that is embedded deeply in society and has a harmful and negative impact. It creates an uneven distribution of resources and opportunities in society thereby causing people to be marginalized. There are many categories associated with social inequality. Examples include race, ethnicity, age, gender, power and social class. This paper will examine gender inequality in society. Using an article from the Toronto Star, I will focus on sexual harassment as an issue of gender inequality in the workplace and the impact it has had on the self-esteem as well as opportunities and achievements of women. Gender Inequality can be defined as the unequal treatment and prejudice of a person on the basis of sex and gender roles. Sexual harassment is further defined as any unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favours of verbal, gestural or physical nature and with objectionable overtones which cause discomfort, humiliation, fear or anger (I.L.O, 1958). Gender Inequality is mostly affected by women. In the workplace, schools, political positions and even in families, women are seen as the inferior sex. In Canadian history, it was not until the 1900s women were given equal rights to vote and the 1920s before a woman was elected in parliament. (Smith, 2011) This is to show that gender discrimination has been embedded in society for a very long time and although laws have been made to make sure males and females are