Judging Women Case Points - Essay Example

Judging Women Introduction There is an increase in women in the workforce depicting the remarkable demographic changes being experienced all over the world today. Additionally, women are continuously entering careers that were associated with men. There are various aspects that have contributed to the outstanding change being experienced. For instance, there is an increase in career aspirations; the education system is also changed in addition to workplace advancements in support schemes like child care and time flexibility. This is what has led to the increase in number of women in the work force especially when dealing with high profile jobs. This is well depicted in the case in point “Judging Women” in (Miller 220) where three women out of nine Judges in the Supreme Court are women. The case is about the increase of women in taking up better career positions and the challenges they face in their work. Moreover, women are still facing problems when being appointed for some positions. The marital status of the woman as well as their parenthood is highly considered. Presently, a woman with a family faces a huge challenge in their work since the expectations are high and one can wither pursue a career or sacrifice the family life. The case points the continued struggle that women are facing in the work force. This paper will examine the various issues facing women in the workforce and how these problems can be improved, as well as, the rationale for the mentioned recommendations. Discussion The case is about Elena Kagan who was sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. There is also a comparison done by Lisa Belkin to show how appointment of women in such positions has changed over time. This is shown by the first two women who were appointed in the Supreme Court O’Connor and Ginsburg who were both married and had children by the time they were appointed in comparison to Kagan and Sotomayor who are single and childless. This shows that time variation played a huge role in their appointment. Despite the fact that there are four women in the Supreme Court it is evident that there are numerous challenges facing women in the workforce (Miller 220). This is discussed in the themes discussed hereunder. Themes Imperative themes were depicted in the case in regard to women in the workforce. Some of the issues discussed are discussed herein. Glass ceiling Despite the fact that women have been appointed as Supreme Court justice, there are numerous factors limiting their potential. It is extremely hard for women to reach such a position without sacrificing a lot in their lives especially their family lives. This is depicted in the number of Supreme Court justice members in that out of nine members; only four of them are women. This simply shows that such positions are left foe men discrediting the fact that even women have the same chances regardless of their qualification and experience. Women in such positions show how the world has improved, but cases of glass ceiling are still prevalent. This is attributable by the fact that for a woman to attain such positions, they must do away with their family lives and focus on delivering. This is a huge challenge because it seems if a woman is well qualified to take up such a position and has a family, then she cannot be considered as a legible candidate because they will not have full concentration towards their work. This is an acute case of glass ceiling which many people fail to notice because there is no direct discriminatory aspect depicted (Brantner n.pg). The glass ceiling theme is imperative in the present labor force, since it will be able to show many people that despite the increase number of women in the workforce, it is hard for them to be considered in the top management positions. Stereotyping and Discrimination Stereotyping and Discrimination forms one of the main issues being faced by women in the workforce. Attitudes and perceptions formed by people in workplace about women are a major contribution current problems being experienced. For instance, the case states that for a woman with a family, there is overwhelming responsibilities that need their attention and being a family person would better them from achieving these requirements. Gender stereotypes generally views issue related to an individual’s personality, character, activities and interests supported on their sex. Generally there is a held gender stereotype that deem women to be weaker than men, less objective, more emotional and that they are more suited to fulfill domesticity obligations rather than professional work aspects. In the case, it is stated that a woman with a profession can only ratchet back their career by starting a family. This is because in the case of a Supreme Court justice member, one cannot take a break of five years to stay home and rear their children. This clearly shows that the reason women are passed over when appointing people in an influential or management position because of the fact they have families and that they should be at home taking care of children (Quill 647-653). It is obvious that women stereotyping at work in many cases leads to discrimination as well. Despite the fact that EEO laws forbid women discrimination in the workplace, many of them are discriminated against because of pregnancy and other family related aspects. This kind of gender stereotyping sometimes can lead to withholding of promotions to women employees despite the fact that they are qualified. This is a mode of discrimination against women which is not allowed or supported by the law. In cases where women are pregnant and they do not put their work first, they are always discriminated against. The management can be unwilling to offer them flexible time to work or incase there is an emergency; it is hard for the management to offer them a leave of absence. All these are forms of discrimination and they form the basis of issues that women are facing in the present workforce (Curdova n.pg). Organization Systems Women have been considered for high profile post like the Supreme Court justice members. However, the majority of people in these positions are men and this makes it a challenging job for them. This is because in many cases a woman would like to interact and get their opinion on a case. This might be hard because many of the members are men and they may not have the capability to give an opinion that is more elaborate. This means that the organization system in this case does not favor women. Many organizations systems are not flexible for women. This is because sometimes, meetings in these companies are held at night and this might be hard for such people who are supposed to take care of their families and at the same time fulfill their professional obligations. This is a principal issue facing women in the workforce. This theme plays a major role in the workforce because it enlightens the various aspects of the company that are not favorable for women employees. It is imperative that all organizations reformulate their working schedules to accommodate women in the top management positions. Recommendations It is important that organizations should implement tough ethical laws that should be followed by everybody in regard to respecting women. Women should be offered equal chances with the men without bias (Puri 1). Organizations should offer promotions by merit. This means that the top management positions should be offered to the qualified people regardless of the fact that one is woman (Puri 2). Companies should implement flexible time durations for women employees because they might have children at home who needs their care and attention (Puri 3). The government should implement tough laws on women discrimination and stereotype against women (Puri 4). Rationale The recommendations above will work because companies are usually governed under the rule of law and company policies. This means that all the aspects mentioned above will be effective because; by managing an organization without bias there are high chance of success. Additionally, women are known to be one of the most organized people in the world and given such a chance they will portray high levels of professionalism. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that even with the increase of women in the workforce; there are still aspects of glass ceiling, stereotyping, discrimination and work imbalance. Therefore it is imperative that companies should work on implementing some of the recommendations discussed in order to further elevate more women in top management positions. Work Cited Miller, Katherine. Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes. Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning. 2011. Print. Brantner, Paula. Gender Stereotyping in the Workplace and the Discrimination it Creates -- Danica Dodds. 2006. 20 October 2013. Puri, Lakshmi. Countering Gender Discrimination and Negative Gender Stereotypes: Effective Policy Responses. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, (2011): 1-4 20 October 2013. Curdova, Anna. Discrimination against women in the workforce and the workplace. 2005. 20 October 2013. Quill, Eoin. Employers’ liability for bullying and harassment. International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations, (2005): 645-666. Read More