Gender Gap as a Problem for Many Women - Essay Example

RUNNING HEAD GENDER GAP Gender Gap Introduction - paragraph Gender gap is one of the main problems affected modern women at home and atwork. Gender gap is caused by historical differences and inequalities affected women and established dominance of the male gender. Gender gap leads to such problems as sexism and stereotypes resulted in wage differences and low social position of women, family violence and sexual harassment. These stereotypes cause many employers to question female workers' commitment to work. And men are more likely than women to be perceived as "serious" about their careers (Seem & Clark 2006, p. 249). This places the extra burden on women to convince employers that they are not job risks. Declines in labor force participation rates have occurred in most age groups for men, whereas women have experienced increasing labor force rates in all age groups under fifty-five years. The decline of men reflects, in part, the spread and liberalization of pension, disability, and retirement plans as well as changing social attitudes toward work and leisure. The fact that employment rates for women have risen in the presence of some of these same forces attests to the strength and durability of the movement of women into the labor force (Morrow 2006, p. 95). Thesis Historical beliefs and traditions narrow gender gap and lead to such problems as sexism, low social status of women, pay and promotional discrimination. Introduction - paragraph 2 - background information The background information is that the power originally assumed by men was generally ascribed to them because of their greater physical strength and speed needed as hunters and warriors in early civilizations (Hamilton et al 2008, p. 757). Sexism is an integral part of most societies. It is an insidious infestation hidden in the very core of social relationships, and it has a cumulative effect upon all societal functions as reflected in lifestyles, economic institutions, religious doctrines, and personal relations. It is perpetuated and supported by the manner in which males and females are socialized. Some women are very interested in female equality, some are apathetic, and some stand firmly against it. This study further concluded that the more education the father has, the more likelihood there is that the daughter will be a feminist. Still another significant factor determined by this study is that the higher the educational level in the home, the more likely girls are to believe in equal rights. The following paragraph is less than 1 page Sexism is a process based on historical traditions and stereotypes. Sexism is the process of assigning life roles according to gender (Berggren 2006, p. 132). The basic institutions of socialization are education and the family. Sexism begins in the family. The behaviors associated with sexism are so deeply ingrained into our minds that sexist behaviors are generally unconscious. Both men and women practice sexism in their daily behaviors by means of speech, dress, attitudes, and goals (Berggren 2006, p. 134). "Unfortunately, the potential for harm is great, as gender bias in children's literature historically has been widespread. Early studies of picture books from the 1970s and before have shown that under-representation of girls and women and gender-typed character roles are prevalent in a variety of samples of children's books but under-representation was not as severe" (Hamilton et al 2006, p. 759). Sexism respects neither race nor color nor culture. It can be compared with racism in that it identifies a portion of the population and designates them "different" and, therefore, inferior. Sexism, like racism, involves the combination of power and prejudice. Male dominance and female passiveness have remained in cultural, institutional, and individual practices even though technological advancements have negated strength and speed as required factors of dominance. Society, being codified by men, decrees that the female is inferior (Elgar 2004, p. 876). The problems of middle-class homemakers portray that the American society seemed bent upon persuading women that all that is requisite for the fulfillment of their gender can be found in the cleaning, cooking, and childrearing climate of the home (Hamilton et al 2006, p. 759). The following paragraph is 1 page Low social status of women is caused by historical traditions and limited roles of women as mothers and wives. Many of the roots of the contemporary women's rights movement stem from the prejudices and frustrations women encounter regularly when they attempt to leave their "designated" role and enter the world of work, research, or study. Perhaps the most damaging of all the handicaps a woman faces when she enters that world is the general assumption that a man by his very nature is capable of more than she is and in every respect (Berggren 2006, p. 135). Girls' toys, on the other hand, cater to a more passive nature and point toward a feminine role meant to nourish and consume. The effectiveness of this conditioning would tend to be supported by the fact that girls outperform boys in academic work until their late teens, when culturally established goals of marriage assume paramount importance, and a degree of reversal occurs (Hamilton et al 2006, p. 759). Despite fairly pervasive efforts over a long period of time to determine the role and direction women should take, the results achieved, both past and present, have been far from uniform (Hamilton et al 2006, p. 759). There is a broader philosophical base for current trends than some of the most vocal spokespersons in both the pro and the con fringe areas of women's equality movements would have us believe (Lips 2008). These are very inadequate synonyms for an interest in equal rights for all people--females and males. Just as some white males used paternalism to keep blacks in "their place" during slavery, chivalry is being used to keep women in their place today. The old places women on a pedestal so that he knows where they are at all times (Higgins and Shoar-Ghaffari 1991, p. 214). Women in the world of work frequently step down from their pedestals. Countless men and women accept the stereotypes that (1) women work only to earn extra spending money, (2) women who work take jobs away from men, (3) women are absent from their jobs because of illnesses more than men, and (4) women are too emotional to supervise subordinates (Hamilton et al 2006, p. 759). The following paragraph is 1 page Pay discrimination and limited promotional and training opportunities increase the problem of gender gap. Recent years, pay and promotional opportunities are usually based on the official job description rather than actual performance. Despite many gains, women are still grossly underrepresented in professional and managerial jobs. Further, female executives are much more likely than male executives to be assistants to high paid professionals, and they are disproportionately overrepresented in special staff jobs that have no line responsibilities (affirmative action officers, diversity officers, community relations specialists). Assistants do much of their supervisors' work (Zittleman and Sadker 2002, p. 60). In addition, women and minorities are concentrated in a few job categories, whereas white males span the range of jobs. In other instances, female workers are performing the same duties as men for significantly less pay. Usually, female assistants are responsible for training the new male executives; however, because assistants belong to a certain sex, age, or racial group, they may find themselves discreetly blocked from joining the management staff, as well as locked into a dead-end job. People become stuck either because they are hired into dead-end positions or because they have been passed over too many times for promotion. Still others are stuck because they are in jobs that have promotion opportunities but they lack the background and experience for promotion (Hamilton et al 2006, p. 759). That is, they are misplaced and poorly trained after placement. More females and minorities than white males hold low job expectations. In a recent national survey, minority men and white women rated their chances for job advancement lower than white men did themselves. Some experts predict improvement for women as a result of shifts in the structure of work itself. Even with these changes, it is painfully clear that much is left to be done in the war against sex discrimination (Seem & Clark 2006, p. 248). Also, women who give up jobs to follow their husbands who are relocated may not collect unemployment benefits in some states because they were not laid off (Sewall 1993, p. 95). Refutation It is possible to reject these arguments and prove that gender gap is nothing more than a fake which helps women to achieve high social position and receive higher pay. Modern legislation and laws protect women and established fair opportunities for both genders. Women are supported by the state and receive high social benefits in comparison with men. Modern women have the skills needed for upward mobility. These employees become so convinced of their limited abilities that they lose the initiative to apply for training and promotion (Yanowitz and Weathers 2004, n.d.). To the worker who knows that he or she is not putting forth the required effort but is receiving positive sanctions, success based on merit is a meaningless concept. Yet using the old maxim that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, many workers--well adjusted and maladjusted--are content to "slide by" with minimum effort. Making it easy for ethnic minorities, women, older workers, or any other workers to slide by also makes it easy to deny them promotions. If racial, gender, and disability issues are also involved in the communication break-down, the conflict is even more heated. Conclusion In sum, gender gap is still a problem for many women based on deep historical beliefs and traditions which narrow gender gap and promote stereotypes of women as weak and less importance gender. In women's machinery, appointees with connections to women and women's movements can open up space within government for new voices and wider policy agendas. Much, however, also depends on the staff and resources available in such machinery. Appointments are made for many reasons, among them rewarding campaign supporters and placating or controlling constituencies. But when opportunities are factored in, the differences are greatly reduced. Racism and sexism cause minorities and women to correctly be negative about their job opportunities. References 1. Berggren, C. (2006). Labour market influence on recruitment to higher education -Gender and class perspectives. Higher Education 52, pp. 121-148. 2. Elgar, A.G. (2004). Science textbooks for lower secondary schools in Brunei: issues of gender equity. Int. Journal of Sci. Education. 4 June 26 (7), pp. 875-894 3. Hamilton, M. C., Anderson, D., Broaddus, M., Young, K. (2006). Gender Stereotyping and Under-representation of Female Characters in 2000 Popular Children's Picture Books: A Twenty-first Century Update. Sex Roles 55, pp. 757-765. 4. Higgins, P., Shoar-Ghaffari, P. (1991). Sex Role Socialization if Iranian Textbooks. NWSA Journal, 3, pp. 213-232. 5. Lips, H. (2008). The Gender Wage Gap. Available at http://www.womensmedia.com/new/Lips-Hilary-gender-wage-gap.shtml 6. Morrow, V. (2006). Understanding Gender Differences in Context: Implications for Young Children's Everyday Lives. CHILDREN & SOCIETY 20 pp. 92-104. 7. Seem, S. R. Clark, M. D. (2006). Healthy Women, Healthy Men, and Healthy Adults: An Evaluation of Gender Role Stereotypes in the Twenty-first Century. Sex Roles 55, pp. 247-258. 8. Sewall, G.T. (1993). How Textbooks Shortchange Girls A Study of Major Findings on Girls and Education. Society. pp. 94-96. 9. Zittleman, K., Sadker, D. (2002). The Unified Gender Revolution. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 60(4), pp. 59-63. 10. Yanowitz, K. L., Weathers, K. J. (2004). Do Boys and Girls Act Differently in the Classroom A Content Analysis of Student Characters in Educational Psychology Textbooks. Sex Roles, Vol. 51, Nos. 1/2, July. Read More