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Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace
Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace
Summary GENDER EQUALITY OF GLOBALIZATION
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Gender discrimination in the workplace is something that both men and women experience, women more than men. For instance, the current gender pat gap is 21 percent. This means that women are currently making 21 percent less than what their male counterparts are making. It has decreased over the years, but it is still a significant gap. In the workplace, women do not only experience discrimination in pay, but also in opportunities. An article states that, women are deemed less communal than men and that makes them less suited for certain careers (Miner, et. al, 2014). This thought alone puts women at a disadvantage when they are entering the labor force.
The “glass ceiling” is a barrier to advancement that affects women when they work in
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In this article, Williams looks at what she the “glass elevator” which is her term for the advantages that men receive for doing “female-dominate” professions. This was interesting because she looked at why women struggled to succeed in a “male-dominate” position while men seem to be praised in “female-dominate” positions. Something that really struck me from the article was that, Williams suggests the glass escalator really only provides advantages for straight white males. What is intriguing about this is that straight white males are definitely at the top of the hierarchy and everyone else falls below that. Williams states that they receive privileges others don’t, and she is correct because it is seen in our current society. Gender discrimination also goes with racial discrimination. A straight while male would not be judged the same as a gay white male who would not be judged the same way as a straight Hispanic male. This was an eye opening …show more content…
For instance, another one of my interviewees was a 36-year-old black female who currently works as a social worker and stated that they were no significant differences in opportunities between genders. However, she stated that she would be working in healthcare soon and has heard of issues pertaining to the rate I which men are paid as opposed to the women employees. The 21-year-old Hispanic male interviewee told me that he works at a non-profit organizations and the Executive Director makes the place safe and equal for all if the workers. The International Labor Organizations demonstrates that most women work in health and social services, where as only 42 percent work in scientific and technological fields. In places where women are more common, there might be any differences in opportunities, whereas a place where more men are common there might be. It goes back to the “male and female dominate”
The glass ceiling is defined as the “unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps… women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements.” According to the Department of Labor, the glass ceiling is made up of “artificial barriers [that are] based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.” Qualified women are continuously denied a promotion to the highest levels of corporate America and other professions. Once women reach a certain level at their career, they plateau and the glass ceiling prevents them from advancing any higher.
Though it is arguably true that tremendous strides have been made for women’s rights, I firmly believe that there is still a discriminatory glass ceiling beyond which women cannot advance due to gender. Women possessing the skills and abilities of their male counterparts are blocked from the innermost circles of power and influence, and promotions to top-level managerial positions achieved by women lag behind the actual increase of women in the workforce. Ann Morrison, who describes the glass ceiling as subtle and transparent, yet strong enough to prevent women from moving up the corporate hierarchy, notes that it “is not simply a barrier for an individual, based on the person’s inability to handle a higher-level job. Rather, the glass ceiling applies to women as a group who are kept from advancing higher because they are women” (Breaking the Glass Ceiling, pp. 13).
What exactly is a glass ceiling and how were these ceilings put up in the first place? A glass ceiling defined by Webster is “an intangible barrier within the hierarchy of a company that prevents women from obtaining upper level positions” (Miriam - Webster’s… 1). The first big controversy was that women were not being hired for positions offered to men. Women were expected to be homemakers, nurses, or teachers. Men argued that women were not educated enough. But due to affirmative action this changed too. Women were allowed and admitted to Universities. By bettering their educations they became more qualified for business positions. Working in corporate offices or as doctors was still an unheard of idea. Through much fighting this too changed and women were hired whether by choice of the employer or by new state regulations women were hired. Now that there is equality within the work field women are complaining about salaries or rates of pay. Women who are equally qualified for positions if not more qualified for positions are being p...
Drawing on Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s seminal work ‘Men and Women of the Corporation,’ Christine Williams argues that male tokens working in female-dominated jobs do not experience the same kind of discrimination women face when they are tokens working in male-dominated jobs. Williams’ study, which was based on seventeen “semistructured” interviews of black male nurses, concluded that unlike white men, black men do not get to ride the glass escalator to better paying jobs and higher pay in feminine professions (Williams
The glass escalator refers to how men in female-dominated careers, such as teaching and also nursing, excel faster than women who are in the same dominated fields (“Glass Ceiling vs. Glass Escalator”). The ride of a glass escalator shows that there are invisible advantages that men receive in female dominated occupations (“Glass Ceiling vs. Glass Escalator”). This allows men to move up because of their gender. Male dominated careers tend to make more money than female-dominated. In 2013, women working full time, year round, earned an average of only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men working the same time year round (Baxtor, 2015). There are many factors that lead to the glass escalator. According to Caren Goldberg, “stereotypes about
Scholars from many fields have already contributed in this body of researches on glass ceiling. Within sociology and management, scholars such as Olga Bain And William Cummings (2000), Renée Adams and Daniel Ferreira (2009), Blau & Kahn (2000), Bertrand, Goldin, & Katz (2010) focused on women’s performance in academic and corporate...
Many laws and regulations are implemented everyday into our society, involving equal rights for all. But, even with being in the year 2015; there is still much discrimination and inequality seen throughout many different institutions. Gender inequality is defined as unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on gender. This has been seen for many decades now, revolving mainly against women. Throughout history to even today, men have always been seen as the stronger, faster, and harder working gender as opposed to women. Today, with more women being seen working at larger firms and corporations, we still see many obstacles and challenges that they must face. While many women have fought for equality in the workplace, it is still a
“The history of the Glass Ceiling Commission dates back to 1986 when Wall Street Journal reported a pattern of highly accomplished women being passed over for upper-level promotions due to an invisible barrier”. The term “glass-ceiling” first entered America’s public conversation almost two decades ago, when the Corporate Woman column from The Wall Street Journal identified this new phenomenon. “There seem to be an invisible –but impenetrable- barrier between women and the executive suite, preventing them from reaching the highest levels of the business world regardless of th...
Blatant forms of gender discrimination, over time, have given away to much more subtle forms. Before the passing of the Civil Rights Act it was common for women to be restricted to certain jobs and positions with the claim that such discrimination was necessary for the women’s discrimination. (pg. 347) Such stereotypes are evident the case of Muller v. Oregon case a Supreme Court judge stated that “[a woman] must rest upon and look to her brother for protection...to protect her from the greed as well as passions of man.” (pg. 347 #60) Although still heavily influenced by stereotypes, Gender discrimination of the 21st century is most commonly seen in the form of lower pay, lack of promotions and exclusion from networking opportunities. According
In relation to employment opportunities, females tend to be limited in their employment possibilities, where they are often viewed as less capable then men and often face discrimination at the workplace from their colleagues. Where, women are less likely to be employed than their male counterpart, have lower wages and aren’t likely to advance at the same rate that males do. Women are segregated into low paying female professions, like secretarial jobs, service orientated occupations or as caregivers. Laws have been placed that seek to prevent occupational discrimination towards women by demanding equal treatment yet those laws, “do not address the indirect obstacles, such as gender inequalities involved in family life or socialization to gendered
Women in all parts of the world are oppressed not only in the workforce, but in many aspects of life. I believe sexism is very real, it’s not something new, it has been around for as long as history indicates it. Women have even been labeled as ‘less career-oriented.’ “Inequities may be partly explained by differences in education, qualifications, and work experience, but part of this wage gap is simply attributable to gender” (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey, 318). The United States has witnessed the Women’s Suffrage Movement years ago which involved mostly women gathering in Seneca Falls, New York to discuss the problem of women’s rights. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a landmark civil rights law in the United States. It ended segregation based on race,
Women and minorities alike were more likely to be hired when gender was unknown in the selection process” (Kelsey 2). Men tend to be judged on their potential for accomplishment, whereas women are judged on what they have already accomplished. Women must work if they want their employers to treat them fairly based on their
The glass ceiling effect can be defined in many ways, but according to the journal article The Glass Ceiling Effect is defined as, "the unseen, yet unbreakable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements." This concept can also be seen just simply as a metaphor. A metaphor for a barrier that helps keep women out from getting job promotions, salary and pay raises, and from preventing them from future opportunities in the work force. If we break the
Gender bias has a long history and continues to occur in the workplace today. Research indicates that women remain significantly disadvantaged and mistreated compared to men in the workforce. How do the disparities of hiring, promotion, and salaries affect women in the workplace?
...d women’s biological purpose has provided men a source of comparative advantage in work. It is, therefore, natural for most companies to think that women cannot be as capable as men in terms of assuming strenuous or challenging positions because women, by default, become less participative and more vulnerable when they start to have family and children. Apparently, this situation has led to various gender discriminations in the labor market.