Executive Summary Women across the globe are shattering glass ceilings one at a time, and it is time the world takes note of it. Chief executives express their commitment to the advancing equality between men and women by actions such as advancing women in the workplace. Areas of such empowerment include: market and community progress through the use of sex, disaggregated data, and other benchmarks (Chakabarti). Times are changing in the makeup of the workforce today. Females are quickly becoming a major factor in the business world. Families are seeing that one salary per household is simply not enough to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Just a few decades ago, women were left at home raising children and left to depend on a spouse's income to satisfy their needs and wants. This summary will review a brief history of women in the workplace, discuss the current World and U.S. status on female workers and their rights, and offer examples of resources that can be used to not only educate women, but to empower them as well. Companies should embrace this growing trend, as it will not disappear, in order to achieve maximum societal welfare. According to a study by the Center for American Progress, today's United States workforce consists of nearly fifty percent female workers. These women are “the primary breadwinners or co-breadwinners” in nearly two-thirds of American households (Boushey and O'Leary). This is a dramatic change from almost a century ago. However, the growing number of female workers has developed major concerns and issues that must be dealt with by society in order for females and the business world to prosper. By evaluating the history of women and mothers in the workforce, as well as reviewing the w... ... middle of paper ... ...ain the benefits that these valuable women can potentially contribute to society. Many variables contribute to the formation of such a profound social change, but the momentum it creates holds the potential to revolutionize how America operates in the most basic of terms. For the most part, the world has surpassed America in terms of women's wage and childcare. Previous expectations of women in the workforce, the ease of change, cultural acceptance and cultural resistance, the presence of women in today’s college systems, the topic of children and childcare, roles of governments and corporations in this trend, as well as issues with speeding up such a radical movement: these matters both captivate and concern the followers of this front. In order to track these changes, women must motivate and educate themselves to embrace these happenings and better their cause.
For several decades, most American women occupied a supportive, home oriented role within society, outside of the workplace. However, as the mid-twentieth century approached a gender role paradigm occurred. The sequence of the departure of men for war, the need to fill employment for a growing economy, a handful of critical legal cases, the Black Civil Rights movement seen and heard around the nation, all greatly influenced and demanded social change for human and women’s rights. This momentous period began a social movement known as feminism and introduced a coin phrase known in and outside of the workplace as the “wage-gap.”
Women are taught to only speak when spoken to, and to be housewives while their husbands take care of the family financially. These ideals trace back to the day of the caveman era. Over the years women have become more tired of not being treated equally compared to their male counterparts. So to combat this problem the women have fought to gain equal rights as men. One way they did this was to fight for equal rights and respect in the workforce because at one point women were completely absent in the workplace. This finally changed between the years of 1966 and 1982 when the amount of women in the workforce increased by 119.4% (Lips & Colwill,
Women throughout history have been considered to have an active role in the family life as the caretakers, while the men are considered the “breadwinners” of the family. However, a few women still have had to provide for their families throughout the years and as a result have sought employment in industries that “were highly segregated by sex” (Goldin 87). Women employm...
The "glass ceiling" has held women back from certain positions and opportunities in the workplace. Women are stereotyped as part-time, lower-grade workers with limited opportunities for training and advancement because of this "glass ceiling". How have women managed their careers when confronted by this glass ceiling? It has been difficult; American women have struggled for their role in society since 1848. Women’s roles have changed significantly throughout the past centuries because of their willingness and persistence. Women have contributed to the change pace of their role in the workplace by showing motivation and perseverance.
There are nearly as many women as there are men working, yet, as it was discovered in 2011, on average, a woman will only earn seventy-seven cents for every dollar that a man earns. Women owned businesses make up for over a quarter of all national businesses and earn more than one point two trillion dollars (“Assessing the Past, Taking Stock of the Future” 6). Since many women are now becoming are the primary sources of income in the household, making less that a man does not only negatively affect families, but also the overall economy suffers as well. These women, among many others, are the ones who end up purchasing the supplies that go toward improving communities and stimulating the economy. There is no reason that the general public should stand for this. Women should be treated equally to men in today’s American society based on their biological compositions, psychological profiles and contributions to history.
received the right to work menial jobs for minimum pay with less job security. She has
When you think of a CEO of a company or of world political leaders, do you think of a man or of a woman? Many, if not most of us, see these positions as being held by men. In this essay, I will explain why women are still not equal to men. In the first paragraph I will discuss inequalities that happen in the workplace. The second section will show the differences that occur within the athletic world. Thirdly, I will explain the differences in education and home life. Even though we are approaching the twenty-first century, women in our society are still not equal to men.
Some women would prefer to be barefoot and pregnant housewives that spend their days cooking and cleaning while their husband goes to work. However, other women embrace their right to pursue educational and occupational dreams. Unfortunately, because it has not been all that long ago that women were not considered to be qualified for a spot in most work places, they experience a lot of discrimination in the workplace. Because gender roles are almost deeply embedded in our society, women often do not get put up for the same job opportunities and promotions that their male equal might be subject
For many decades, women have faced inequalities in the workforce. At one point, they were not allowed to work at all. Although women's rights have improved and are now able to work alongside men, they are still treated unfairly. According to the 2012 U.S. Census, women’s earnings were “76.5 percent of men’s” (1). In 2012, men, on average, earned $47,398 and women earned only $35,791. This is when comparing employees where both gender spend the same amount of time working. Not only do women encounter unfairness in work pay, they also face a “glass ceiling” on a promotional basis. This glass ceiling is a “promotion barrier that prevents woman’s upward ability” (2). For example, if a woman is able to enter a job traditionally for men, she will still not receive the same pay or experience the same increase in occupational ability. Gender typing plays a huge role in the workplace. It is the idea that women tend to hold jobs that are low paid with low status. Women are not highly considered in leadership positions because of social construction of gender. Society has given women the role of “caretakers” and sensitive individuals. Therefore, women are not depicted as authoritative figures, which is apparent with the absence of women in leadership roles in companies. Furthermore, sex segregation leads to occupations with either the emphasis of women in a certain job or men in a certain job. In 2009, occupations with the highest proportion of women included “secretary, child care worker, hair dresser, cashier, bookkeeper, etc.” (3). Male workers typically held job positions as construction workers, truck drivers, taxi drivers, etc. (3). Sex segregation represents inequality because the gender composition for these jobs depends on what ...
In today’s society, Women perform similar jobs to men. Whether it’s blue or white collar jobs, women are always present and thriving for success balancing a life of business and family. In the job market, some are graduates of the best schools and have interned at the best firms, but are still not compensated as equally as men. Following the recent comments by the CEO of Microsoft concerning women asking for raises and how they should trust the system to install equality, the issue seems to be still present, and women’s work is not rewarded similarly to men’s.
As the times change, so do the standards. Women previously have been looked at as homemakers, housewives, subordinates. In this new century, this has changed dramatically. Not only have women sought extensive amounts of education, they have sought means to expand and solidify their skills. Although women continue to face discrimination, the qualifications of the playing field have leveled out.
If one takes a closer look at the issues surrounding the differences between the male and female roles in the workforce and in education, one will notice that women tend to be one step below men on the "status" or "importance" ladder.
Another problem women have in the workplace is getting promotions. Woman who have worked for their company for many years, receiving great reviews and employee-of-the-year awards are often filled by less qualified men (Armour, 2008). The next problem women face is unfair pay. The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics found that women working 41 to 44 hours per week earn 84.6 percent of what men working similar hou...
Since our time is so well educated, we have to change our mindsets on women changing their roles in the household or in the workplace and men being comfortable with having a woman who may be above him in the business management. Slowly but surely people in the business world should work on closing the gender gap, so that women may be equal to the men. Some measures have already been put in place of how to extinguish the gender gap.
Gender inequality is present in all aspects of human society, from culture, politics, and economic stand point to personal relationships. Gender inequality can be viewed as a major problem especially within the business world (Corporation, 2016). In the past, men are seen as leaders in all aspects. For example, men could work without any criticisms, they could participate in political issues and were given higher education. Women on the other hand, were given no political participation, criticized for working outside the household as they were responsible for chores such as takes care of their children, cooking or cleaning and given limited education compared to men. Although there are claims rights equality of women in 21st century and much has been written about it in the field of business (Player, 2013), but there is still a gap between male and female. This essay aims to explore the impact of gender inequality in business and will analyze the details in terms of the men are given high pay and specific jobs over women.