Gender Issues within the Organization - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages There has been a lot of debate about the effectiveness of women as managers. Women are stereotyped to be too delicate to give their best in the position of a manager since most organizations require the managers to be rough and tough in order to be effective. “W[omen] managers could be $13,500 a year better off a year on average if only they had a sex change. That is the penalty managers pay simply for being female” (Horin, 2009). A vast majority of the contemporary organizations are quite unlike the misogynist workplaces that were omnipresent in the 1960s. Despite that, there is significant discrimination on the basis of gender in the workplace today, with the women full-time managers earning 25 per cent lesser as compared to the male managers. Although men working more hours than women is frequently identified as a causal factor of this disparity in earning between the women and male managers, yet it is not the only factor that explains the difference in earning. In spite of the women’s empowerment over the decades, gender-based discrimination is still a common factor that influences the organizational culture in the present age. Leila Abdalla is a General Manager who shares her experience of management in these words: “It’s never been a walk through the park to get to the top – and the challenges are more when you are up there because there are some people, who were not very comfortable working for me” (Kibakaya, 2011). There are many factors that make women too weak to be good managers. This paper discusses the gender issues at the workplace and supports the belief that women lack the strength for management. Women are very concerned about their impression on others. “Professional women often come to executive coaches to work on their perceived "weaknesses" in the workplace, with an express wish to change an undesirable behaviour or pattern” (Doyle-Morris, 2007). It matters to the female managers a lot how others think of them. While it can be a good thing for a woman in her personal life because this lets her adjust herself according to people’s expectations to gain their love and admiration, this attitude is not quite suitable for a manager. Managers need to know what they are doing and should not care about what others think of them. Otherwise, they are not in a position to do what they think is right for the organization. Female managers display a lack of confidence in their abilities particularly when the circumstances become too tough. Men least care what others think of them. They do what they think is right and it does not matter to them how it affects their image. Such an attitude helps male managers get through in tough times. Female managers are put off by the criticism that surfaces as a result of their actions while male managers are stubborn and determined. A manager has to take a lot of criticism for his/her actions. Every strong manager takes bold steps that may be found offensive by many employees and stakeholders. These steps are necessary in order to execute the strategies made by the manager. This requires a lot of boldness. One has to take full responsibility for one’s actions as a manager. In such circumstances, a woman manager is often not able to take criticism. She backs off when the stakeholders threaten her. Bullying at the workplace is not limited to the people who make part of the organization.   ...Download file to see next pagesRead More