Women and Sexism at Workplace - Assignment Example

 Women and Sexism at Workplace Abstract: Sexism is a very common issue that has been faced over the years and this has led to a number of problems for women across the world. The paper has dealt with the issues that woman face in terms of the workplace and the ability to grow and progress at the work place. A report has shown that, a number of women across the world have complained that their opportunities are way lower than that available to men and that they are burdened with other responsibilities like housework, childcare and many others. Women have responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping and also arranging for child care as well. “Surveys of couples with children show that women do most of the shopping, laundry, cooking and cleaning, and are more often responsible for arranging for child care. According to a 1997 Washington Post poll, 38% of married women are dissatisfied with the amount of housework their spouses do” (Issues and Controversies, 2003). There has been a high number of cases where women have been held back and have been faced with issues and discrimination at the work place. The paper will bring out these points and issues and facilitates a detailed discussion of the impact sexism can have on the growth and progress of women. Introduction: Over the years, there have been a number of different roles that have been followed by men and women and have been considered to be the pre historic roles of the people. However, when such assumptions are made and the roles for people are limited to a few tasks, then the result often leads to sexism. This paper aims at discussing the effects of sexism on women in two main areas, i.e. entering into a workplace and progress within the workplace. The main aim of the research is to get a better idea on how women are affected due to the existence of sexism at workplace. Women and Workplace Entrance: The society has set down a various number of rules and roles that is expected to be for women. Women are faced with issues in getting jobs at the workplaces as there are a number of restrictions and reservations on the end of the employers. Employers prefer not to spend on the female employees for training and other purposes as there are very high chances of the women to leave the job so they can take care of their families (About Equal Oppurtunities, 2010). As seen in the survey, the youth and younger generation today, unlike the previous generations do not consider men’s work to be more important than that of women and there is a constant need for more equality and better understanding among the people. Over the years, employers have been considered it to be a bad idea to invest on women and training women, however in the present times, young women have proved themselves and have developed a place for themselves in the organizations. There are a number of issues and difficulties that they need to face to obtain jobs, however these have been reducing a lot over the years. These issues and difficulties include the possible offensive male chauvinist comments that can be faced by women as well as other questions where the employers demean the women by judging them to be less effective than men. Hence all these factors play a very important role in the overall performance of the companies as well. Women and Workplace Progress: Progress is a major part of every job and there is a constant need for the women to be able to meet the needs of bosses, co-workers and also be able to balance their homes as well. A myth over the years has been that women are meant to take care of the homes and make the homes a beautiful place to live, while men have always been referred to as the ‘bread winners’ of the families. Hence these are a major reason why men do not tend to participate in the house work and tend to be worn out after office, while women are expected to balance all the work, i.e. both professional as well as home. Making progress at the work place involves a number of hurdles especially from the part of the bosses where there is immense levels of politics and high levels of negative urge to be ‘pulled – down’ by all members within their offices and workplace. Although women may be good at their job many women face issues where their bosses are male chauvinist and this can hinder their growth in the workplace to a great extent (Issues and Controversies, 2003). Discussion: It is clear from the discussion that sexism has a major impact on the women and their careers. It is clear that the pressures that are faced by women is much higher than those faced by men. As seen in the survey conducted, it is clear from the statements that people believe that work is not an important aspect for women but is a very important part of the lives of men. The main area of concern for women is that of an entrance into the workplaces. Women are judged and are constantly looked down on and employers are unwilling to invest of them for the simple reason that they might quit to stay with family and child care. Also in if women do make it into an organisation and are good at their jobs, it has been noted that they are faced with envy and constant disapproval from the co-workers and male counter parts. Hence it is clear that if women want to be successful in a workplace, it is important for them to be strong and face the issues in a positive manner. Conclusions: In conclusion it can clearly be stated that in the earlier years women were treated with a number of discriminations in terms of the entrance into a job and progress within the organisations. However with the current position of women in the society and the current trends of working of women, it is clear that women have been increasingly becoming more confident and successful and have been able to face these challenges very effectively and well. Bibliography About Equal Oppurtunities. (2010). Sexism at Workplace. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://www.aboutequalopportunities.co.uk/sexism-in-the-workplace.html Issues and Controversies. (2003, October 24). Women in the Workforce. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from http://www.2facts.com/article/i0302100 Read More