Sexual Inequality in the Workforce Essay

Over the past few decades, great strides have been made by women in the workplace. This increased number in women in the workplace does not mean equality however. Even with equal qualifications and achievements, women are still not given all the opportunities that men have. The chapter in the textbook, “Gender at Work”, shows us more of these inequalities in the workplace. Such inequalities cause gender segregation of jobs and can be linked with the pay inequality in the labor force. Even in jobs that are predominantly filled by women, men earn more than women. Women are often stereotyped as being family focused and not as able to travel, therefore they tend to get passed up for promotions (Garson p.353). This invisible barrier that keeps women from moving up the executive ladder is referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Baxter and Wright p. 346). Women also tend to do more domestic work, or unpaid labor and caregiving. This extra unpaid work is referred to as “the third shift” and is largely rested on the shoulders of women (Gersel p. 352). Consequently, this seems to be one of the biggest things holding women back from taking on jobs that are normally considered male

Women today are often seen as fragile and unable to do the work of a man. Jobs such as being a firefighter, being a police officer, serving in the military, and much more, are seen as jobs for men. Although women occupy positions in these professions they are not taken as seriously as men. They are not given the same opportunities as men in the workforce and are often judged by appearance and skin color.

As the sex symbol Marilyn Monroe once said; “Sex is a part of nature. I just go along with nature.” The word sex itself is most definitely a catalyst; once you mention anything and everything involving sex, it tends to get people riled up about the issue. Sex is a very complex labyrinth according to certain religious standards; it is something that should be guarded until marriage and should only be done to procreate not so much for the pleasure. Those in the pornography industry face harsh comments of being judged because they do loveless sex for money. On top of that, they are faced with unequal treatment within the business all due to details that distinguish them from what makes him man and

Many of the duties once seen as “female duties,” are now becoming more of everyone duties. These duties can be performed by males and females. Many of the women in our society today are actually doing a lot of the stereotypical jobs that were once considered as jobs that are only for men. Some of these jobs include police officers, firefighters, union workers, construction workers, and many more.

Terms are often redefined and altered in society. Whether the outcome is positive or negative, society can also alter terms in order to create stereotypes. There are thousands of stereotypes related to women and them working. Some common stereotypes against women are: “women are supposed to make less money than men”, “the best women are stay-at-home moms”, “women are supposed to cook and do housework”, and “women are responsible for raising children.” Almost every woman has heard one of those stereotypes at least once throughout their lifetime. (Brewer) The second-wave women’s movement was an event in the 1960s that helped to shape the workforce for women. The second-wave “focused on dismantling workplace inequality, such as denial of access

Men are seen as the handy workers and women are seen as the caretakers. Women are affected a great deal by stereotypes relating to the jobs they receive. “The majority of jobs surveyed were perceived as sex-stereotyped. Both males and females expressed preferences for jobs that they identified as being segregated and stereotyped towards their sex,” (Gross 61). Certain people who influence these stereotypes are managers of corporate companies refusing to give women certain jobs and equal pay.

Women are often seen as less competent than men, even when they are equally qualified. The number of women holding political office in the United States is dismal. Women, while

Most who have looked into the issue of feminism in the workplace understand that women must overcome many more struggles that men would in the workplace. The article, Engineering Ignorance (2009) states in the introduction that much of the work that women have done seems to become invisible to the eyes of society. It

People look at a harder more difficult job and say “ Oh, that looks like a job for a man” just because it takes more labor. Women are stronger than they appear. Just because women do not have as much testosterone as men do, does not mean that a women can not do the same job as a man. Women are strong and intelligent. Women often get overlooked because they are looked at as weak, frail, or delicate. Women have recently uncovered a new found strength that they have never known before. Now in the 2000’s women now work beside men at what was used to be known as a “ man's job” and do construction work, mechanical engineering, surgines, and much more. “But that strength must come with integrity. If it doesn’t, he is a strong bad man. And while more than a few women fall for bad men (precisely because of the power of masculine strength to attract women), most women do not want such a man over the long

Women are perceived as being less knowledgeable or less qualified than men. They are also viewed as being less responsible or unreliable, due to family related issues, than men are. In addition, women are seen to be less committed to labor force participation than men. "High turnover rates and low productivity levels in females-dominated occupations" produce this stereotype (Adler 450). Gender stereotypes of this nature result in loss of opportunity for women to gain the necessary job experiences for advancement (Bell 67).

One thousand years go by and an abundant amount of people still view women in a stereotypical type of way. On the opposing view, if women did not overstretch the slightest of things, this wouldn’t be such an enormous issue. Women may be overreacting to what the media has to say about them. It is not affecting everybody but a vast majority of successful women from continuing to moving forward said Marianne Schnall. Important to realize, women are capable of doing jobs men can do. Such jobs as being an engineer, physician, mechanic, lawyer and even top notch business women! Up to the present time there is an ongoing public debate on women suffering from double standards. If it makes a female feel threatened or belittled than it may be

For my research question I will be asking: “How is America making progress on gender equity?” Fundamentally, I believe that women are still misrepresented, and are still facing many challenges in the workplace, especially in the business world. The gender stereotypes play a considerable role in the way the society sees women as leaders. However, it will be judicious to consider the small but noticeable changes that have been made over the past years concerning gender equality in the American workplace.

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

When compared to men, women are often left behind when it comes to advancement even if they have the same educational background and work experiences. But the work place is now changing. "Women are shooting to the top of high-tech companies, dot.com startups and Internet favorites, with a speed that promises to permanently change the way we think about women, work and power" (Gerber, 2000). Despite women’s advances in the workforce, they still strive to emerge and grow out of male oppression and move to a higher social position where they belong.