Women of Color at the Workplace - Essay Example

Today, the community comprises almost one-fifth of the workforce in the United States. Research indicates that major developments have happened regarding the recruitment of women of color in the recent past. The enlisting of each segment of women looked into such as Black American, Latino, Asian and Aboriginals, increased in the recent past (Amott and Matthaei 157). More females from all the categories are absorbed as officials and key members of the executive teams in the industrial sector. This paper examines how women of color used feminism to increase their power in the workplace.

Statistics According to Amott and Matthaei (53) “Native Americans struggling for tribal autonomy and for the recognition of broken treaties have also had to confront corporate greed …” This implies that women of color have achieved tremendous gains, in terms of population at the workplace and the statuses of workplace environments, though not easily. Despite the progress made, there are still a number of stubborn occurrences which require more concern. Quite a large number of women of color tend to prefer particular industrial sectors and seem to have concentrated in insignificant occupational positions.

Statistics indicate that “Native American women’s labor force participation rates rose sharply between 1970 and 1990, from 35 percent to 55 percent” (Amott and Matthaei 59). Nevertheless, in the recent past, they have achieved the smallest returns regarding total absorption into jobs and positions of significance, far smaller than the level of growth of Latinos and Asians. In the meantime, black women surpass their work force percentage as sales employees, clerical officers and those in the service sector.

Notably, the Nursing and Residential Care Facilities sector absorbs the largest proportion of Black American women vis-a-vis the greatest proportion of women in general. Replacing men during World War I Whereas the chance for the women to extend their careers came into fore during the First World War, there were several grounds why women of color transformed their principles to occupy the new job opportunities left by men. The main reason behind more women power at the workplace was inspired by patriotism factor.

The then message from the government summoned women to support the country. Equally linked to this patriotic call was the need to engage in something more fascinating and different, and an issue which would enhance the combat effort. Higher remuneration, also partly contributed, as did the prevailing shore up in social status, though a number of women of color took up the opportunities in the workplace out of absolute need, because of the government program, which differed by country and eventually rooted for only the families of absent military officers did not meet the shortage.

Unions and strikes Although, the war resulted in many new options for the women and job opportunities, it did not normally impact an increase in the earnings of the women, which were traditionally much poorer than men’s. In the United States, for instance, rather than offer a woman what a man would have pocketed, according to government policies on equal regulations, recruiters divided responsibilities down into less significant tasks, employing more women of color for each task and offering them peanuts for carrying out the responsibility.

This increased the bureaucracy of the women, but shrunk their earnings. During the World War I, women organized strikes citing meager pay, developments that lasted days or several weeks as the war transpired. Amott and Matthaei (56) indicate that in 1980s, “American Indian women continued to form pan-Indian women’s organizations for self-determination and against sexism.”