Gender Differences and Working from Home - Essay Example

Gender Differences and Working from Home Men and women have numbers of differences in several aspects. Men, generally, are considered as the stronger sex; therefore, much is expected from them. This viewpoint must have been based on the fact that physically, men in general are of greater strength. The reason for this is that men have hormones that result to the production of muscle mass. Women, on the other hand, are often perceived as the weaker gender despite protests and contradictions of several feminist groups. Women appear to be more vulnerable and fragile, which heads to the conclusion that they call for protection and that they are not ought to join the corporate world. Women, however, make an effort to gainsay about the so-called frailty. They aim to prove that physical vulnerability could be enhanced, and that it should not be used as a basis of one’s strength, for a person who may appear tough may be susceptible inside. Differences are not just about the physical aspects. Women, alternatively, claim to be emotionally stronger, which, as expected, an issue that men would not agree on. Men give the impression of strength not because they are, but they refuse to show how they really feel. The refusal and denial of these feelings, especially the negative ones is what makes men more probable to emotional breakdowns, women assert. Women may cry and may display emotions, may grieve in front of friends and other people, but this is not a sign of weakness. The ability to display emotion is a sign of bravery. It takes more courage to show one’s feelings than to hide it. This issue, however, is less important compared to more critical ones. When women seem to be stronger on some aspects, men pay less attention to it. The matter of intelligence or who is smarter is also part of a common deliberation. This, however, does not really seem to have a direct connection with the gender, but still, men claim to be smarter than women, and women declares that they have higher intelligence quotient. The battle of the sexes have been a topic of several arguments, debates and talk shows, indicating its great impact on the society, and at this immediate moment, issues on employment and other human right’s inequality are creating a great deal of controversies. The feminist groups are struggling to fight for what they believe is injustice, a significant concern brought about by companies opting to hire a greater population of men for several reasons. Some enterprises prioritize the said to be “stronger” gender, for women, they believe,---as credible and hardworking as they are---have to go through leave of absences during pregnancy, maternity and other factors that are usually caused by femininity. The company gives emphasis on the urgency of workloads and that it is not possible to submit to these unavoidable cases of women. It is also noted that married women are most likely to skip work when any member of the family is unwell. This keeps most women from attaining or earning what they worked for. A man is more likely to be promoted compared to a pregnant woman, who, sooner or later would be forced to be on leave to give birth and nurse her baby. Women, despite the facts discussed insist that they deserve to be given equal opportunity, for pregnancy should not be taken against them. It is not a impairment that should make companies dodge them. The controversy has created serious dilemma, for it is evidently unfair but is logically normal, given the mentioned circumstances. Women are expected to be more family-oriented compared to men, even today, a career woman who does not make family her priority is criticized. The issue is more than a gender rivalry or competition. It has brought the idea of survival, opportunities and power. It is not merely a discussion of who is stronger; it has lead toward the subject of unfairness. Gender differences were once considered a petty and insignificant matter, but it now has created serious social quandary. This issue of inequality, however has a greater effect on women for they are the ones who get discriminated, the ones who are deprived of greater opportunities, therefore it is but normal that they are the ones who raise the disapproval. Feminists demand equal rights and privileges, better chances of opportunities with regards to employment and regularization. This had been an issue for decades; struggling for equal opportunity is not a new story. In the depression years of the 1930s women were portrayed in the home; in the war years of the early 1940s women were pictured in ads as the heroines of the assembly line; and after the war women were expected to, and portrayed as, returning to the home to allow their men to have their jobs(Preston, Peggy). . To reinforce the concern of society to get women out of the workplace, advertisements portrayed women at home, in the kitchen or with the children. Advertisements portraying men, on the other hand, placed men in the workplace. "He is working to improve your model," declares a 1935 Time magazine advertisement which pictures a man working upon an engine for General Motors which has not yet been perfected. A Time advertisement of 1930 selling kitchen ventilators shows the "lady of the house" working hard on the evening meal while the food odors are being sucked out of the kitchen by her new ventilator. Women were being discouraged from the workplace in order that men may have jobs. The emphasis was on woman in the home (especially kitchen) taking care of the children while her husband is at work. This did not change until the 1940s when the United States entered World War II and women were needed in the workplace. In advertisements after World War II, gone were factory workers and war heroines; they were replaced by secretaries, nurses and homemakers. These were the traditional roles which women could fulfill. No longer are women factory workers, uniformed for service, they have become mothers, secretaries and nurses which portray the tranquility of the 1950s. This decade was to become the family years as men had come home from the war, expecting their women to be there poised and ready to greet them with a hearty meal on the table (Preston, Peggy). Women, for years, were raised to fill these roles. They marry very young, have children and raise a family. However, when gender issues heated up, more women joined the workforce, they started to marry at an older age, some even opted to stay single; they even decided to have fewer number of children. Men failed to realize the difficulty of what women had to go through during the earlier years, when almost all of them were forced to stay home, perform household chores, nurse babies and feed the kids. It was perceived that men were working harder and that women had fewer tasks to attend to, for those women never complained, they were made to believe that those were their duties. The idea that men were working harder than women resulted to a greater dominance of the male gender. Women were financially dependent to their husbands, forcing them to do what their husbands tell them to. Through the years, women’s role was gradually recognized. Some have finally achieved managerial positions even on fields that were dominated by men, yet the issue remains unresolved. "In 1950 about one in three women participated in the labor force. By 1998, nearly three of every five women of working age were in the labor force. Among women age 16 and over, the labor force participation rate was 33.9 percent in 1950, compared with 59.8 percent in 1998. 63.3 percent of women age 16 to 24 worked in 1998 versus 43.9 percent in 1950. 76.3 percent of women age 25 to 34 worked in 1998 versus 34.0 percent in 1950. 77.1 percent of women age 35 to 44 worked in 1998 versus 39.1 percent in 1950. 76.2 percent of women age 45 to 54 worked in 1998 versus 37.9 percent in 1950. 51.2 percent of women age 55 to 64 worked in 1998 versus 27 percent in 1950. 8.6 percent of women age 65+ worked in 1998 versus 9.7 percent in 1950 (US Department of Labor). "As more women are added to the labor force, their share will approach that of men. In 2008, women will make up about 48 percent of the labor force and men 52 percent. In 1988, the respective shares were 45 and 55 percent." As you might expect because of home and family matters, "in 1998, about 4 percent of full-time workers were absent from their job during an average work week — meaning they worked less than 35 hours during the week because of injury, illness, or a variety of other reasons. About 5.1 percent of women (including 5.6 percent of women aged 20 to 24) were absent in the average week, compared with 2.7 percent of men. Among those absents, women were somewhat more likely to be absent for reasons other than injury or illness. One third of women’s compared with less than one-quarter of men’s absences were attributed to other reasons." The number of women will continue to increase in the workforce. Women will continue to have primary responsibility for home and family matters, thus affecting work attendance negatively (US Department of Labor). As recommended by the Women Employed Institute, make women more aware of careers that offer higher pay opportunities. Most womens jobs are clustered in "female" occupations that pay poorly. Promote and educate women about these opportunities so women pursue opportunities for education in these higher paying opportunities. Catalyst, which monitors the progress of women in the workplace, reported that as of 1998, only 2.7 percent of the highest-paid officers at Fortune 500 companies were women. Women continue to dominate lower paying domestic, clerical support, and administrative-type occupations (Heathfield, Susan M). Men are reported to dislike the fact of having women as their superior, and that on several instances such feeling of resentment has cause disrespect and at times, controversies that are far more severe, ones that resulted to a greater social and legal predicament. Legislative bodies have paid attention to this and they came up with laws that aim to protect women. Sexual harassment was one major issue that was talked about discreetly at first, but women, opposing what the society had been raised to believe, points out that sexual problem has to be discussed openly. Feminists exerted tremendous efforts to make women be aware that they need to speak up. The battle was overwhelming, men taking the side of the accused, and women giving support to the ‘victim’. This has brought several related issues and conflicts, professional and personal. Even with the presence of these laws, women were continuously discriminated and sexual harassment cases increased. The feminists did not give up. Women strived harder, and in some ways, they earned what they worked for. Significant government positions, even presidency were filled by women. Gender differences and dominance of men in society does not only give rise to controversy in the workplace. It is everywhere. When a woman reflects a strong drive to succeed, she is perceived as pushy, or self-absorbed, on the other hand, when a man shows the same intensity, he is considered as ambitious, having the passion to achieve such ambitions, and that is exactly how a man should be. Society dictates that women should take care of the family, and, if necessary, she is expected to stay home, going against this may result to criticisms and conclusions that a woman who gives her job priority over her family is worthless. This, as the older generations say, is what women were raised to fill. A man who displays aggressiveness is confident; a lady who displays boldness is a seductress. A lot of women experience workplace bullying, especially in areas that are still traditional. Women are said to have the tendency to be emotional and are therefore incapable of bringing out objective results. Women are expected to be submissive, not opinionated. They are raised to do what she is told, to accept what is fed, to perform what is dictated. This is one factor that prevents women from getting a higher rank. Expectations are brought about not just at the workplace; it is a saddening fact that women experience discrimination even in their own homes. Women are supposed to be modest, tamed and reserved. Those who openly express opinions, those who exude dominating personalities are admired but condemned. In several ways, women have somehow proved themselves and have gained access to power, but despite these facts, discrimination and gender differences continues; the workplace is till a battlefield between men and women, power is like a winning piece that each tries to get hold of. Pornographic emails all over the web, bullying and foul words mostly brought about by the ‘stronger sex’---these are other factors that women fight against. They persist to fight harassment and disrespect. The crusade seems endless, but no matter how difficult, women would carry on. The continuous harassment in several places---in addition to the need to be with their families--- brought about the need for home-based jobs. This gives women the alternative to stay home, attend to the family’s needs, while earning at their own paces. Working from home, in many ways, is beneficial; it allows women to recognize her importance, allowing her to gain financial independence without the expense of leaving her children. This gives the opportunity to earn, to have a career while being domesticated at the same time. The emotional stress brought about in several workplaces may have the tendency to prevent women to give her greatest potential and the opportunity to maximize that ability at the comfort of her own home is advantageous. This does not mean that these women have given up, that they admit defeat, but a practical appreciation of its advantages and flexibility. Working from home may mean managing a family business or having an online job; it could be anything that provides income and stability without having to go through traffic and other causes of stress. It is a practical way of earning, a way that some women opt to have. Not because they live to what society dictates, but because it has its own advantages. Working from home gives more control of one’s schedule and does not require a large capital since an office space is not necessary. Gender differences, indeed, is a serious dilemma, one that is not expected to be resolved soon. The battle will continue, for as long as men views himself superior, and women, with all their efforts, will continue to fight for what they believe is right. Reference List Preston, Peggy. ‘Advertisings Portrayal of Women in the Workplace from the 1930s to the 1950s’. 15 Apr 2008 . U.S. Department of Labor: ‘Changes in Womens Work Participation’. 15 Apr 2008 < http://humanresources.about.com/od/worklifebalance/a/business_women.htm>. Heathfield, Susan M. ‘Women and Work’. 15 Apr 2008 < http://humanresources.about.com/od/worklifebalance/a/business_women.htm>. Read More