Christie Scotty has a problem; she is concerned with people who judge by an occupation. She states that the ubiquitous statement "And what do you do?" is what triggers her concern. Christie was a small town reporter, considered a professional and important job whereas she waited tables during that period of time, she was deciding on what to do next. She then mentions the constant disrespect she got from the customers. The customers always made rude gestures and made unacceptable comments which were upsetting for Christie. As soon as she graduated college, she took a job for a community newspaper. She then noticed the change in attitudes from clients they worked with as opposed to the restaurant customers. I have dealt with this type of judgment and I will point out the reasons why it is wrong and offensive.
I have had the experience of feeling as though judgment is sorely based on a person's occupation. I worked at Sears, a store which sells electronics to clothing, and I've experienced my own judgment based on the job I perform there. My title at Sears is an MCA, Merchandise and Customer Assistant, whereas my duties are to maintain the sales floor, help the customers and take care of the fitting rooms to make sure they are clean. In my opinion, the MCA position is the hardest job to fulfill, it requires constant physical effort. We find ourselves relentlessly picking up clothes from the floor and walking from one side of the store to the other. They find it hard to take us as seriously as the other employees but I also find disrespect in the fact that we are paid less than any other employees for the amount of hard work we put into the store. We are constantly being mistreated by our very own cashiers who are supposed to be hand in hand with us MCA's. One Monday night, a cashier mentioned, "with all do respect, you guys are the lowest of the lows." He quietly said that with a small grin on his face; and made me realize the type of "respect" we get in that store.
The general public that encourages these types of judgments need to realize that with each company or store, it is the workers that make everything possible. With the amount of time and effort it takes to perfect a store to make it acceptable for the shopper, they deserve more respect than they earn.
Over the years, the American department store has developed and evolved as not only a commercial business but also a cultural institution. While it has weathered many storms and changes since its inception and throughout history, its most predominant enemy has been a change in the lifestyle of the American people (Whitaker, 2013). As the customer’s needs and wants have shifted, department stores have struggled to keep up with demands. It has been argued that the decline of the department store has been ongoing for the last 50 years (Whitaker, 2013). This dissertation aims to understand how the department store has historically played a role in consumer culture and spending, and additionally, how this has evolved and changed in today’s retail market. Although department stores may not be able to take all the credit for inventing modern shopping, they certainly made its conventions and conveniences commonplace. They set a new standard for the way the consumer should expect to be treated, the type of services that should be provided, and the convenience that should attend the process of acquiring the necessities and niceties of life all in one place. They made shopping into a leisure pastime. This environment meant shopping was a means of freedom to look around, pick up objects with no obligations to buy. As one historian remarked, department stores: “encouraged a perception of the building as a public place, where consumption itself was almost incidental to the delights of a sheltered promenade in a densely crowded, middle-class urban space” (Whitaker, 2006). Although this perception and view of the department store has changed over the years, this paper aims to follow the trail of how and why that happened.
Judging criteria would be having the customers fill out surveys, they have them all the time, but the customer will get a reward for filling it out regardless. Some companies have you fill out surveys and you are entered into a sweepstakes contest. So customers might not fill out the survey because what is the point if they feel unlucky. The customers opinions are the voices that will help make a positive impact these stores defaults.
Looking back on the jobs I’ve had they are often considered manly jobs in society which leads me into thinking about gender roles in our society. Gender roles are a set of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as a male or female (Conley 2017). Gender roles are very prevalent in determining one’s career. Gender roles are socially constructed so they are likely to be based off stereotypes. For example, a truck driving company may not hire a woman simply because women are stereotyped as bad drivers. In a study done by Lindsey Rice and Joan Barth they found that males were less likely to recommend the female applicant, particularly after stereotype-congruent priming. Meaning that simply a female applicant might be passed on just because of her gender. This then leads us into sexism. Sexism is when a person’s sex or gender is the basis for judgment or discrimination (Conley 2017). Both males and females are exposed to stereotyping in society that can lead to disadvantages in their
According to Williams, a renewed commitment to the values of the citizen consumer is necessary to bring about changes in the retail industry. She said that the political economy of shopping must change and that the retail industry must be reined in by new legislation mandating worker rights to living wages, health care, and equal opportunities. I think that what she says is true. The whole retail system need revamped to take in the consideration of the workers, and until the consumers start to realize this and demand changes, nothing will change.
In “Scrubbing in Maine”by Barbara Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich decides to work at the Maids Franchise so she can observe how the system was made for the maids. During her time being a maid she became emotionally impacted by the way her and the women were treated. Ehrenreich experiences in the article”Scrubbing in Maine,’’are the ones I can relate to even though both jobs don’t seem the same, the fact is my time spent working at Jewel is remarkably and depressingly similar to the time spent by Ehrenreich as a maid. In both instances employees are not really human, but are parts of a bigger machine and only Blue collar workers are stereotypes as uneducated unthinking individuals. As Blue collar jobs emphasized the routines, dehumanization of the employee, and loss of control over a person’s time. Workers do not engage in cognitive skills, but physical
Besides that, the negative stereotype that depicts women as incapable, less intelligent, and uneducated adversely hinders job opportunities for women including the process of hiring, promotions, and wages. These negative perceptions about women are implanted in our society, causing potential employers to have the same stereotypical perspectives about women, and not wanting to hire or promote them to a higher position. According to the statistics from “Today’s Workplace,” less than sixteen percent of Fortune 500 corporate officers are women, and less than two percent of Fortune 500 and 1000 CEOs are women (Dodds). This statistic vividly shows these deep-rooted stereotypes pose serious challenges to women’s career advancements. Employers are
Why one judges another may be due to the fact that people have been doing so for centuries and it has simply progressed over the years. In her Difference Matters book, Brenda Allen states that a “reason we might suppose that certain persons occupy particular roles… stems from a complex history in the United States of systemic, socially reproduced inequities” (2-3). The problems America faced when becoming a unified country were not easy, as many know. Though social injustices such as racial and religious discrimination, gender inequality, are not as predominant today as they used to be, the history of it remains. People are reminded of the past inequalities and continue to judge others intentionally or subconsciously. Furthermore, the connection between “identity shifts and historical cultural configurations, [suggests] that certain character types are encouraged by cultures through differential socialization practices” (Howard 7). The way people act is influenced by when, where, and who with they were raised. Someone born in the 1930s will have different surroundings, which will effect how that person acts and thinks than compared to someone born in the 2000s. Identity itself and how one perceives another individual’s identity goes hand in hand with the history of how it came to
Sex or gender discrimination is treating individuals differently just because an individual is a female (woman) or male (man). One issue in today’s job market is gender stereotypes in the workplace and hiring. Gender plays an important role in the workplace. Gender stereotype play a large factor in the workplace. It is evident that females, when compared to males in the workplace, take more subservient roles. Gender stereotypes in the workplace stemmed from the assumption that women belong at home taking care of the children, while men work and make money to support the family. Despite reductions in blatant forms of discrimination, women continue to experience subtler forms discrimination, such as having their input in groups ignored and having their performances devalued (Ridgeway and Correll 2004; Valian 1999). Although many presumes that gender stereotypes targets women, there are just as many stereotypes geared toward men. Both men and women have legal protection against gender discrimination in the hiring process or workplace. Gender stereotypes do exist and influence perceptions of both men and women in everyday life. Sometimes gender bias in job descriptions can deter women that qualifies for the job from applying for the positions. There were many studies that proved that gender and racial biases can affect how employers evaluate potential candidates’ applications, leading employers to favor white male applicants more over equally qualifies women and people of color. The impact of gender bias in the hiring process is implausible. For example, in a double-blind study, science faculty members were asked to evaluate a fictitious student application who was randomly assigned a male or female name for a laboratory manager position. The applicants name was either John or Jennifer. Although both applicants had the same qualifications and experience, the results from the study showed that the faculty members
”Unprejudiced discriminators might be those who unthinkingly practice sexism in their workplace by not considering females for certain positions that have traditionally been held by men.” (232).
I walked into the front of the store to see a crowd of people searching for a good grocery cart. One that wouldn’t wobble every second that you pushed it. I took a look at many of the faces as they were beginning or ending their shopping experience. The people walking in looking for a cart seemed unsure or not pleased to be there in the first place. While the people leaving looked happy and eager to get home. I took this as a clear sign that this was not the most enjoyable place to ...
The laws generally support employer dress code and appearance policies, while employers try to be flexible by having employees to present themselves in a way that is consistent with the employer's image (Gross). As long as they do not discriminate on race, color, religion, age, nationality or gender, employers a...
In the case of Dukes vs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (Dukes), the court found that there was a lack of significant proof that Wal-Mart had a general policy of discrimination (Schipani, 2013). The plaintiffs needed commonality to establish uniformed disparity within the Wal-Mart organization, and statistical evidence was deemed unworthy of proving this commonality (Schipani, 2013). The numbers were astounding; seventy-two percent of the hourly workforce of Wal-Mart are women, yet only 10% are store managers, and a mere 4% of female Wal-Mart employees are district managers (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). The numbers seem to reflect a painfully obvious presence of discrimination, and with Wal-Mart’s market power within its industry, it can be frightening to evaluate the impact their practices have on the American employment culture.
McKeown, E. (2010). Answering for Bias in the Workplace. T+D, 64(5), 22. Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database.
In an ideal world, every person is treated equally when it comes to getting a job, advancing in his or her career and being treated fairly in the workplace. Unfortunately, discrimination still exists in hiring, firing and promotions; and the diversity of the workforce regrettably can cause hostility in the workplace when individuals do not appreciate and respect the differences among themselves and their co-workers.
I have unfortunately seen first hand the staff and customers and staff in action. I was at Wal-mart, a few y...