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Should employers use social media in the hiring process
Gender and the workplace in modern society
Affirmative action and its role in modern world
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There is constant talk of the “glass ceiling” and the inequality of women in the work place. When these topics come up, they are often associated with negative connotations and with a radical feminist approach. Instead of pointing out the disparity of American women in the work place, this paper will focus on the advancements women have made, and show that although there still may be a wage gap and glass ceiling, it is not as drastic as it is more often made out to be. In no way will this paper deny workplace inequality, but rather by using research, data and logical argumentation, it will attempt to dispel the negativity, and clarify the reasons for variation among wages and success between genders within the United States workforce. This paper will explain the idea of a glass ceiling that is not socially constructed, but rather is now in the process of being re-studied and possibly explained as a self-fulfilled prophecy. This topic may not be appealing to everyone, however everyone will interact with women in their lifetime, and with a changing workforce, the probability of having female coworkers is increasing. For women, this topic may be viewed as a confidence boost. Instead of focusing on negatives and the problems that are still apparent in society, it focuses on the achievements and great strides that women have made in the workforce. It will explain success throughout American history, and help motivate the female gender to continue to push forward, innovate and become a force to be recognized as important and necessary in the professional environment. For men, this topic is to be refreshing. It is another view inside a woman’s mind that does not viciously explain feministic ideas, but rather defines what has ha... ... middle of paper ... ...pgrading, demotion or transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training, including apprenticeship.” This Order was the first law that extended the idea of Affirmative Action. Although it did not list gender as a point of equality, nor did it require equality outside of Federal jobs, it became the skeleton for additional amendments and Executive Orders. One such additional Order was The Equal Pay Act of 1963. This Executive Order mandated that employees of opposite genders must be paid relatively equally when completing work for jobs that require equal skill, effort and responsibility that are completed under equal working conditions. However, positions that are based on merit, seniority, or quantity/quality of production are not ensured or legally obliged to said Order.
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.”
“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...
Soares, Rachel, Mark Bartkiewicz, Liz Mulligan-Ferry, Emily Fendler, and Elijah Wai Chun Kun. "Statistical Overview of Women in the Workplace." Catalyst. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
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.
Through the course of history, women have accomplished many feats surpassing stereotypes of being only useful for their vanity. The scholar Chisholm-Burns states that “it is clear that gender bias remains a challenge for women in the workplace, particularly as they try to move up the career ladder” (312). Society has made it hard, but not impossible, for women to accomplish certain goals. Burns continues by giving an explanation of the term “glass ceiling”, which is another form of discrimination towards women. “Glass
The “glass ceiling” is a barrier to advancement that affects women when they work in
The work force consisted mostly of men, workers and higher executive style positions. During the mid twentieth century a woman would earn about half of what men earned for the same exact job, and with the same qualifications. The reason behind this was that a woman, especially a married woman is likely to work less due to the risk of having a child. In the work place the pay for women and number of managerial jobs, doctors, and lawyers has increased, however, equal pay is still a goal. The “glass ceiling” effect is an idea tha...
Also, the majority of women have been able to secure employment from traditionally female occupations such as teaching compared to male-dominated careers like engineering. Moreover, democratic country like the United States of America has recognized gender inequality as a fundamental issue and espouse equal right between men and women in contributing to social, economic and cultural life. Despite this improvement, gender inequality persists as women are not represented and treated equally in the workplace (Michialidis, Morphitou, & Theophylatou, 2012). The increasing number of women in the workplace has not provided equal opportunity for career advancement for females due to the way women are treated in an organization and the society. Also, attaining an executive position seem impossible for women due to the glass ceiling effects which defines the invisible and artificial barrier created by attitudinal and organizational prejudices, which inhibit women from attaining top executive positions (Wirth
The Equal Pay Act was established on June 10, 1963(“The Equal Pay Act of 1963”). It is also referred to as the EPA. It was established to protect men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex based wage discrimination (“Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination Questions and Answers”). Determining if two employees who are doing the same job are difficult for one or the other is a way to help the government develop a decision that will not oppose the EEOC laws for that specific job. This law states that equal pay is required only for jobs held in the same geographic area. Furthermore, the law also specifies that jobs are the same if they are equal in terms of skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions. It is permissible to pay one employee more than another if the first employee has significant job duties. Companies are permitted to pay for differences ...
MAJOR POINT 2: Women today are now more than ever trying to make it in the traditional man’s society. Women now are not what they were once known for, which is stay at home mothers. Women are competing for management positions but are limited to blue-collar jobs because of their gender.
In just a few decades The Women’s Liberation Movement has changed typical gender roles that once were never challenged or questioned. As women, those of us who identified as feminist have rebelled against the status quo and redefined what it means to be a strong and powerful woman. But at...
This essay will examine the effect of the glass ceiling for women in management positions. The glass ceiling effect can be defined as barriers to advancement in a profession, affecting women, particularly for top management positions in this essay. It examines some specific barriers such as female role constraints and the importance of mentoring and other strategies for success. Furthermore, it will describe the methodology of the five examined articles and the significance of each. Women may be entering the labour force and management positions in greater numbers, however; research suggests that the issue of the glass ceiling effect is still prevalent to society today.
Today in the United States, men make more than women in various sectors, including education and other trades favoring women workers. The gap gets bigger when comparing the wages earned by men to those of women in jobs favoring men workers such as construction or other physically demanding jobs. Women are less likely to work those jobs, therefor; men have the advantage of having more experience and get paid better. In addition, employers would rather hire a man instead of a woman because they believe that a man will be able to sustain the difficulty of the job and work longer hours which crate a disadvantage for women because they are unable to gain experience and become skilled in that certain field. Gender pay gap based on this information is explained as the result of the discrimination of employers toward the feminine sex in terms of pay, which discourage them to work certain jobs leading to create a bigger gap due to the lack of
In today’s society, women are increasingly gaining ground in the professional environment, because her skills are being more recognized and valued. Women have come over the years reconciling intelligently their life as mother, wife and professional, this power to harmonize their roles is the main feature of the modern woman. The increased participation of women in the labor market brings benefits to society because it promotes gender equality and stimulates the economy.
Despite government regulations to promote equality within the workplace, women’s salaries continue to lag behind males in similar career with similar experiences. According to research performed by Blau & Kahn (2007) “women salaries averaged about 60% of men’s until the 1970s and rose to nearly 80% by the 1990s” (as cited in Bendick, Jr. & Nunes, 2012, p.244). Today, women on average earn approximately $.81 for every dollar that men earn in the United States (Guy and Fenley P.41 2014).