Discrimination against Women at the Workplace School and Home - Essay Example

Gender Issues Gender Issues: Discrimination against Women at the Workplace, School, and Home Introduction Discrimination against women at home, school and workplace is an old practice, which men used to keep women under their total control. At the time of introduction of schools, only boys attended school while girls helped their mothers with household chores at home. Nowadays, the gender issues are becoming less noticeable as compared to the past, when men expected women to take motherhood role, care of the family and household tasks. Some forms of minor gender inequality still exist today especially in schools, homes, and workplaces. At schools, teachers prepare students according to their gender roles while, at homes and workplaces, men ensure that women or girls perform tasks related to their sexes. This paper describes situational gender issues relating to differences in communication, problem-solving and leadership. In addition, the paper proposes the best practices and action plans to strengthen the behaviors of both men and women in the workplace. Situation It was at around 8 am on the day I observed an issue on gender at a renowned company. The manager had just walked in and his secretary, a very cute, petite woman with dimples, was busy arranging files in the office. She had a backlog on her desk. Suddenly, I heard a slap and then yelling sound. I quickly rushed into the room. On arrival, I found the secretary lying on the floor holding her cheeks and crying out to the top of her voice. I raised my voice to inquire what had conspired. The manager began talking to himself saying that the secretary had delayed his work, which was a deadline. He also claimed that the work was to determine his firing. On my investigation, I found out that the manager had some issues with his wife. The wife had relocated to her new apartment with another new boyfriend planning to engage in few months’ time. The situation was very daunting until the security officer walked in and took the manager away as everybody else waited for an ad hoc board meeting to discuss the way forward. On further investigation, I found the manager had tried many times to seduce the secretary, but to no success. The situation clearly shows the differences in communication, solving problem and leadership between men and women. Differences in communication between men and women The styles of communication between women and men differ in many ways. Firstly, in times of a problem, women tend to talk to other women, unlike men who keep their problems to themselves or just see no reason for sharing personal issues. Secondly, women are relationship-oriented and always look for ways to connect with other women. Most men relate to other men on win-lose basis. They value more status and dominance. Thirdly, women focus on building rapport, by asking questions and sharing experiences. Men like telling and giving information and share experiences as a way of gaining an advantage over. In disagreement, the situation affects all the aspects of the relationship between women while men only change the topic or subject of discussion and remain an entity. Women build relationships at work for achieving their work objectives. Men only build relationships at work when working on joint tasks. Nodding their heads during meetings is an indication that women are listening while men only nod to show they agree. In addition, a man gets surprised when a woman latter disagrees, and she wonders why the man thought she had agreed with him yet she had not asked any question. Moreover, when a woman is speaking and sees a man not nodding, then she assumes he either disagrees or not listening. Very often, men and women see the differences between them and wrongly interpret, rather than appreciating the way they can benefit from those differences. Differences in problem-solving between men and women According to General Motors Corporation (2006), the significant difference between the way men and women approach problems is in the considerations. However, they approach problems with similar goals. Most women share and discuss a problem in order to explore, deepen or strengthen their relationship with the person they are talking. The majority of the women concern with the way people solve problems rather than involving themselves in solving them. The impact of solving a problem in women is that it makes them feel closer or distant depending on the way humans are solving the problem. In contrast, most men solve problems to present an opportunity to show their competence, strength, and commitment to a relationship. Men consider solving problems efficiently and in the best probable manner. Furthermore, men tend to dominate and assume authority in the process of problem-solving. They put aside their feelings for as long as the parties respect and agree upon in advance their dominance hierarchy. In addition, when men are distracted they henceforth inadequately attend to the relationship quality while solving problems. Another fundamental difference is in the way men and women think when solving problems (General Motors Corporation & International Business Machines Corporation, 2006). In fact, women collectively think or as a group while men think sequentially or linearly, breaking the problem into small independent tasks. The best example is to observe boys and girls attempting to find their way out of a maze. The boys establish a hierarchy with a leader who emerges on his own. They explore the maze while remaining in distant nearness to each other and act according to the commands of their leader. The girls explore the maze in a group without establishing a clear head. They think and act together Leadership differences between men and women The leadership style in men and women differ in terms of values, priorities as well as interests (World Bank, 2012). According to World Bank (2012), most women leaders use a democratic or open and participatory style of management while the men counterpart favored control in their management style. The precisely cut difference in leadership between men and women is in the area of work dedication. Women leaders work harder than male leaders and take their work too seriously. Most of them encourage teamwork especially in critical matters that require decision-making. They also concern less with monetary rewards and recognize good work. In addition, in matters of conflict resolution, men leaders employ a win-lose approach while women leaders adopt the win-win approach. Women managers favor co-operation and adaptation that is a consensus strategy rather than a competition strategy. The best practices to strengthen behaviors of sexes at workplace Assuming men and women in the workplace were not significantly different, and so they need the same treatment. The believers in this paradigm will likely implement the human resource initiative to increase opportunities for women to access the organizational system. The pipeline issue is the lack of senior women in the management. Since men and women work, in the same way, attribute the fewer women in the workforce to their historical role as homemakers and mothers. Advocates of this gender blind view would like to see more women in the labor force if there are few women in the staff. The gender-conscious view assumes that women and men are significantly different and so needs specialized treatment. Those that believe in this paradigm are most likely to implement the human resource initiative, which addresses certain characteristics and needs of women. They believe that contributions by women have been under-estimated and hence may commence with special programs such as part-time, flexi-time and re-entry after maternity. They may also re-write performance criteria and reward systems to incorporate the behaviors women excel in such as supporting others, transformational and community building. These systems focus on tailoring work experience for women, appreciating their distinctive characteristics and finally empowering them. The last model is that perception creates reality. Men and women are not significantly different, but people believe they are different and stereotypes create barriers. Believers implement HR initiatives that contradict gender stereotypes. They train the women in men dominated jobs to communicate forcefully and behave assertively. The action plans to combat gender discrimination in workplaces Achievement of equality at the workplace for all depends on the genuine commitment and consistent action of employers’ and workers’ organizations. The potential impact of the social partners in fostering equality in the workplace and beyond is significant, given their involvement in the shaping of broader economic and social policies. These policies have significant implications for labor markets, as well as for social inclusion and poverty reduction. Like any other institution, the social partners also tend to mirror and perpetuate discriminatory practices prevailing around them. Acknowledging the existence of such practices and combating them from within their structures, and through collective bargaining, is the first essential step in the right direction. Employers’ organizations consisting of firms, their associations, and the human resources should formulate development and management policies and practices to overcome discrimination at workplaces. Recruitment practices and policies that ensure recruitment for the best candidate for a job is crucial for businesses’ good performance. Furthermore, in places where there is a problem of skills shortages, the practices help reach out to the untapped pool of diverse talents. Job advertisements are the crucial component of recruitment practice and getting them right is the first step in attracting the best-qualified applicant, while preventing costly discrimination cases. The employers’ organizations can also help build job placement services free from age, gender or disability bias. An increasing number of employers’ organizations around the world are preparing tools and guidelines to help their member enterprises develop workplace policies and plans aimed at ensuring equal opportunities for different groups. Unionization forms another action plan against gender discrimination. The rapid advance of female union membership and density in particular countries reflects the increased attachment of women to paid work, high female shares in public services and the adoption of the equal opportunities policy. The trade unions address particular circumstances of women workers like gender biases in the unequal treatment of contingent and part-time workers to gain in female union membership. Summary The gender issues arising at workplaces are due to improper management. The employees need training on issues related to gender so that whenever it occurs the involved parties follow the proper channel to address it. There are few differences between men and women in relation to sex role. Many of the differences are historical that need readdress. A properly constituted human resource initiative to address the gender-related problems can improve the behavioral relationship of men and women at workplaces. References World Bank. (2012). Toward gender equality in East Asia and the Pacific. Washington, D.C: World Bank. General Motors Corporation. (2006). Women "take care," men "take charge": Stereotyping of U.S. business leaders exposed. New York: Catalyst. General Motors Corporation., & International Business Machines Corporation. (2006). Different cultures, similar perceptions: Stereotyping of Western European business leaders. New York: Catalyst. Read More