Inequality means an unfair or different situation that some people tend to obtain more resources and opportunities; additionally, as Acker (2006) illustrated, gender is a social element that indicates the differences and identities between men and women. Therefore, when taking gender into inequality concept, it is specified to an unbalanced treatment among two genders: women can only obtain less material benefits and opportunities than men when accomplishing the same task. In Khuzwayo (2016)’s research article, it introduced several gender inequality phenomena: Recent Employment Equity Report of South Africa showed that only 18% of senior management jobs can be offered to women when compared to men (79.4%); moreover, In the Congress of South African Trade Unions, although it consisted of 48% of female members, most of the leader roles were mainly occupied by males. Gender inequality is always the most controversial issue which causes several serious outcomes, giving rise to more and more negative social effects. Especially sexual discrimination exists in current companies and organization which dose harm to the fairness and harmony between employees, such as discrimination in recruitment, different paying gap, earlier income peak, lower welfare standard. According to Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (2015) survey on 3254 mothers, one in five mothers reported that they have received aggressive and negative comments from their
In the business setting of inequality, it is much more apparent with the way women are treated opposing to men. In some workplaces based one sheer appearance women may be chosen over other women even though the less attractive woman may be much more qualified. This is a construct of the male design. Studies have shown that men on average get a higher number of hours to work and extra overtime than women, giving them more opportunity to earn pay. Along with this men are likely to gain a promotion before women with the same experience and qualifications. (Young 2017, 179) Another
Organisations are a key to understanding gender inequality. gender inequality within organisations has been debated for several years and yet still today is a touchy subject with organisations being discriminative right from the interview stage. Some organisations prefer to hire a man rather than a women because women are more likely to take maternity leave and days off to look after sick kids they are considered 'weaker' than men even though women may perform better than men at certain tasks within an organisation and yet still may receive a lack of encouragement from men. Formal rights have now been put in place in certain country's though not all countries have these rights in place In certain countries they have laws in place thats state that women cannot own land or property and in certain institutions and organisations they go through terrible actions such as violence and sexual harassment. In Australia we have the violence against women's act and the civil rights act for women so that they are treated equally but these certain acts don't stop women from being discriminated against at work where women earn 81c to a mans
Most people think that gender equality is now common place in Western societies, but research shows that gender equality, which gained momentum in the 1970s, has since stalled, particularly when we look at class issues. Some issues have been hit head on, issues relating to sexist job ads and some sexist behavior at work…but we still have a long way to go. The wage gap between men and women is especially concerning.
This article brings the topic of discrimination to light especially for women. The unfair treatment that women face every day in the workplace is one of the crippling factors to our society. In the workplace
I have seen the struggles for equality to men in many aspects. Regardless of the great strides that women have achieved today, it is still hard to find equal opportunity and to be fairly recognized. Some of the areas where gender inequality is very prevalent are in areas such as, equal pay in the workplace, professional & education careers, household work, sexism and discrimination just to name a few. Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender.[1] In this passage I will briefly elaborate on the areas outlined earlier to show the various degree of inequality and explore the path that women have taken to achieve equality. Additionally I will focus on the economic growth as a dependent variable and stereotype as the independent variable.
Gender inequality is a battle that is still being fought today. There is need to change the way women are treated in work, at school, and across the world. When women realize - that intentionally or not - they are being treated unfairly, their confidence diminishes. Today’s society is in need of some major changes towards equal treatment.
Being a woman and working in an environment full of women, gender inequality is transparent everywhere. Gender can determine how much education one gets, how much money one earns, what jobs one is qualified for, and how one is treated in society. Men are in the dominant group of society, while women are subjected to the subordinate group. Women’s duties and appearances are under immense pressure due to western culture. Women are pressured to be sexually attractive and to serve men.
That image of women can be changed if affirmative action is reinforced and allowed qualified employees who have been discriminated against to get a job. Also, the gap of pay between men and women is a concrete example of inequality between them. For example, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, in 2015, women with a full time jobs made only 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. Women work as harder as men, and they should deserve to have equal pay. Women at work should be allowed to progress at the same pace as men and should also be respected. Furthermore, women are subject to domestic violence, sexual harassment and rape. In order to reduce or banned those troubles that torment women more effectively, laws should be passed. Also, equality of women within their family requires a sharing of responsibilities between members of the family. Women should not be the only one responsible for domestic chore, taking care of their children and parents. Therefore, they should get support from their
With the help of gender discrimination, the glass ceiling is still a problem that persists today. Sometimes subconscious or even conscious stigmas and stereotypes connected to the female gender prevent us from excelling in the workplace, because we are seen as the weaker gender and we need some kind of protection; but that does not mean that we should be paid less or given marginal forms of work! “This perception has led to the introduction of protectionist legislation both internationally and nationally for women and thus the supreme irony that that the very legislation and employment practices designated to promote women’s interests have led to the perpetuation of unjustified discrimination against women in employment” (Loveday). Women are paid less than men, and have less opportunities to advance in the workplace. Sometimes women are seen as a “distraction” and are not taken seriously in a professional sense.
In today’s society, money is one of the most important sources of livelihood; therefore, it is surprising to know that some women are paid less than men for doing the same job. One of the reasons that there is a wage gap is often linked to traditions and stereotypes. Some of the stereotypes include: women experience difficulty balancing work and family life, they are not vigorous, they are too emotional, and that they should not hold positions of power. Because of these misconceptions and stereotypes women are often expected to lessen working hours, or stop working altogether to look after their family.
231). While women have come a long way from the days that they were expected, and frankly only allowed, to just take care of the home, sexism in the workplace is not something that should be tolerated whatsoever. After years of advocating for women’s rights in the workplace, why is this still happening? A study done by Vala and Verniers (2018) found that the reason why sexist remarks are made in the workplace could be due to that fact that naturally people think that if women are spending their time at work, their families and home must consequently be suffering (p. 1). Surprisingly, belief in these myths, and furthermore sexist remarks, are more like to come from the “decision makers,” (Song Hing & Starmarski, 2015, p. 1). Therefore, the initiative to completely abolish the ill treatment of women in the workplace must start with those higher up in the companies (Song Hing & Starmarski, 2015, p. 13). Song Hing and Starmarski (2015) concluded that “…if organization structures, processes, and practices clearly communicate the importance of gender equality then the discriminatory behavior of sexist organizational decision makers should be constrained,” (p.
One of the impact of income inequality within the labor market is the employment levels within the labor market and how it affects the contribution of men and women within the labor markets of SSA. For instance, the unequal treatment between men and women which is differ from country to country within Sub-Saharan Africa. Some countries in this century are still using the old system for example leaders in that particular country (Kenya; Botswana and in Malawi) if they get retired then someone who is related to the leader has to take over the position in the society. As a result, this shows income inequality through gender is being practiced within the working environment and it likely increases income inequality. Some scholars found that gender
Gender inequality is a social problem that is widespread in society. It is referred to as the unfair treatment of individuals based on one 's gender. Historically, laws have opposed women to go to school, access certain jobs, and purchase property. Gender inequality has been experience through culture – honor-killing, sex-selective abortion, and society – occupation, gender roles, and education. The social expectations of men and women differ between cultures that are constructed socially and culturally. These expectations are displayed in roles, and behavior believed both by men and women and their interdependent relationships. Gender inequality can be further understood through the structure of sexism. Discrimination takes place in gender inequality for the reason that men and women are treated on the basis of gender alone (Amjad, R., Ashfaq, M., Kousar, R., Saghir, A., 2010).
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
Social status and structures have definitely shaped the construction and experience of gender inequality. Men and women are constantly analyzed, compared, and grouped together in society. The result of this yields discrepancies in how sexes are viewed by society. Throughout my examination and explanation of gender inequality, I concluded both men and women are victims to gender inequality.