Acker Gender Roles

Week 8

Acker’s study of Gendered organisations and intersectionality concerns the understanding of inequalities within gender processes in organisations. This remarkable piece of literature addresses the importance of the “gender gap” and the invisible assumptions in the lives of organisations of men and women. Acker focuses on understanding the processes of gendered inequalities and why the prevalence of the identified “gap” between men and women’s segregation of jobs, hierarchy positions and the wage gap survive in such powerful feminist movements. In many organisations gender segregation and wage gaps is identified as issue for debate. The issue is evident when males are grouped in higher roles and paid out much more whilst women would

Acker (2012)’ s phrase of “Manage it like a man” tends to place constant pressures and altered gender identities in those jobs men are supposedly better in. Although many would be surprised that those positions of “masculinity” women are seen to be growing and succeeding in. A scene in the movie “Dead pool”, a violent struggle the main persona quotes “This is so confusing … is it sexist to hit you or is it more sexist to not hit you? This made me question that the gender gap may be evident in corporate organisations but it can also be deemed as a societal norm. Meaning there could possibly always be that gendered segregation and division in many diverse organisations despite the role/ position they play in. Interactions on the job (Acker,2012) often produce and reproduce gendered substructures between those of different levels in the organisation hierarchy, mainly where issues arise. Women are often belittled in interactions with colleagues, particularly groups that are male dominated, sexuality issues that are exploitive, harassing or just joking around are simply all clear examples of gender differences within interactions. Gender analysis has been mentioned as incomplete as it ignores the whole process of

Main issue mentioned was the occurrence of discrimination and exclusion. As being a traumatized society these workers still receive the discrimination exclusion of work entitlements postcolonial period. With the implementation of the structural adjustment program in 1991 leading to retrenchment and casualization of workers under their system has resulted in jobs that weren’t secure. Till today this exploitation still exists in the culture of badli workers. The main issue is that these badli workers weren’t experiencing such economic inequality but simply the lack of access to social, political and civil entitlements. This meant that what was provided for majority of the society was simply lacking for the Badli workers, these are concerning issues of fairness and social justice. These workers need their fair share of equality when it comes to generating these entitlements however due to exploitation the badli system is corrupt and will take a while for an instant change to occur. The author’s conducted a research of 6984 workers that were employed in the jute mills, half were permanent and the other half were classified as badli. Gathering observations and discussions of these badli workers, the author was able to encapsulate their perceptions of being in the state of inequality. Results had established that each badli worker was