Unemployed Challenging Gender Roles - Literature review Example

Gender and Sexual Studies Article Reviews Trading Places: Unemployed challenging gender roles. By Bonnie Miller Rubin on Chicago Tribune (February 23, 2011) The article identifies changes in the current working environment where, for a number of factors, men and women are entering jobs that have been associated with the opposite sex. The article gives examples including Mike Oczkowski who has enrolled for nursing, a job that is well associated with women owing to his joblessness. The decision for Mike Oczkowski to register and enter into a new profession, nursing, is according to him, “"I wanted something that would give me security, but also a sense of fulfillment,". This is due to the lack of job security in the graphic arts career that he was before and the volatility of its job environment that led to his loss of work and consequent unemployment for a year. He then decided to venture into a market job environment that despite being a believed women role, he would find fulfillment and job security. The article details that with unemployment rate at nine percent, the need for money has led to the augmented willingness of workers to move into jobs associated with the opposite gender from theirs. This increases their prospects of gaining access to money from employment and attains job fulfillment and satisfaction. The main reason given in the article for the change and access to careers typically associated with the opposite sex is recession that the article states affected 75% of men of the 8 million people affected in the United States. This led to high job losses and to beat unemployment, men and women have to consider jobs associated with the opposite sex. This is evidenced by the high number of men venturing into nursing, dental hygiene, and home health care jobs as a measure to differentiate themselves, earn better and survive in the current economic environment. The motivation to men to venture into healthcare related jobs like nursing, dental hygiene, and home health care is that healthcare is poised to create 3 million new jobs by 2016 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Enrolment data from Chicago area between 200 and 2010 also point to movement of women to jobs that are typically associated with males including information technology, criminal justice, and fire science. This is after they were able to break into the previously male dominated areas of law and medicine. The movement of men and women to jobs that were previously a preserve for the other gender point to a future where jobs will not be segregated by sex rather job performance that is effective and efficient. The article gives the main answer for the achievement of this as an increase and improvement of job training as advocated by Fred Dedrick, the director of National Fund for Workforce Solutions. The other reason for the shift of jobs to those associated with the opposite sex is the 9 percent unemployment rate where the people affected are mostly those who are currently unemployed and are looking for a fresh start. Stephanie Coontz, a social historian believes that the non-willingness of male to move to jobs previously reserved for women is the last barrier to true gender equity. Nevertheless, if we were to go by the current willingness by both women and men to move into jobs associated with the opposite gender, the last barrier to gender equity is being broken. She believes that the workplace if another transformative crossroad and that there will be a real change in the employment patterns in future where men will increasingly accept to perform previously female dominate jobs. This movement, she attributes to the disappearance of old male jobs. Scott Parke gives the other reason for the movement of men to women dominated healthcare jobs as the toughness for outsourcing of these jobs. Further, the availability of a quick route to reinvention to men and women of have lost their jobs from the recession is the other reason provided in the article for the surge in movement to roles typically associated with the opposite gender. In my opinion, there is a need for equality on the job market and that every other person regardless of gender is in a position to carryout jobs associated with any gender and this shift is very relevant and necessary to beat recession, unemployment, and earn their income. With hard work, commitment, and dedication, every worker regardless of gender can be able to undertake any job whether or not it is associated with any gender traditionally. The shift will continue until the point where there will be no jobs reserved for each gender as there has been a resurgence in need for equality and there is also an understanding of the ability of each gender to perform well in those jobs. The main requirement for this to succeed is increased job training to suit the kind of job to be performed. What happens when wife earns more? By Cindy Krischer Goodman, on MCCLATCHY/ CHICAGO TRIBUNE NEWSPAPERS (June 04, 2008) The article analyzes the issue of marriages where the wife earns more than the husband altering traditional relationship where the husband earns more than the wife does. The article begins with the statement of the fact that a woman in a relationship either married or not should be aware of the fact that she could be earning more than her man could. This is according to the statistics of the changes in the relationship that is stated in the article as a woman earning more than the man does in every three households and the figure has been increasing since 2000. This has led to a change in the relationships where the wife has to take financial responsibility and the husband domestic chores. The article articulates the main reasons for the wife earning high income than husbands in one of every three households as women graduating with advanced degrees and gaining higher positions in the corporate world altering roles in marriage and companionship. This shift in economic power has premiered discussions and setting of new boundaries on household chores, money, and bedroom undertakings as women are getting more and more empowered owing to their shouldering of financial responsibilities, which was not then case traditionally. These dynamics have led to a change in the rules of marriage within the last 30 years largely compared to the changes witnessed in the previous 3,000 years according to Stephanie Coontz, a family studies teacher at The Evergreen State College and gender and marriage roles author. The new changes in family relationship require the adjustment of both men and women in terms of will and mindset for success. This is explained by Graham Howland, who giving up his career as a chef has aided in ensuring his wife excels as a Miami law firm partner despite having to cede financial responsibilities and take over house chores and children care responsibilities. However, he admits the arrangement being at times difficult for his wife especially when taking the kids for examination by the doctor. There are a number of pitfalls in this relationship including the feeling of emasculation by the men when financial duties are taken on by their wives and they have to undertake childcare and household duties. Women also resent the fact that they have to cover the finances and take on a high percentage of domestic responsibilities. There is a need for frank discussion, troubleshooting skills, and clear frequent communication between the couples if these changes in the roles of men and women at the family level are to succeed and positively influence marriage. Giving up the 1950’s definition of femininity and masculinity and focusing on being the best individuals as a couple is the best way for relationships to work with the reversed roles between man and woman in a marriage where a woman earns more than the man does. This will ensure the man and woman do not fill a resentful or disrespect for each other when they on roles and responsibilities that have been believed to be reserved for the opposite gender in a marriage setting for a long time. In my opinion, the changes at the family level where the wife earn more than the husband are there to stay and they have to be accepted along with the changes in responsibilities and finances. The reasons for the changes are owed to the changes in the view of femininity and masculinity that shows the woman and the man has the ability to take on similar roles in the work environment. This has increased the ability of women working in high paying and best positions at the workplace as long as there education, training, and expertise allows them to perform those jobs. This change in the views on job responsibilities at the work place has to be reflected at the family level in terms of increasing levels of women earning more than the husband does and there is a need for the acceptance of this fact. However, the changes have to be accepted through change of beliefs and mindset in terms of roles and responsibilities for man and woman in a relationship for them to succeed. The measures that can aid in making these relationships to work at family level is understanding of the toughness in the changes and being together for each other, communication, visiting marriage experts and consultants for advice, and embracing the changes positively for a better and enduring marriage despite changes in roles and responsibilities for the wife and husband. Intimidation OK for men, not women. By Carol Kleiman on Chicago Tribune (April 26, 2004) The issue tackled by the article is the differences in the gender expectations and benefits of intimidation at the workplace (Kleiman, April 26, 2004). The article begins with the correction of the movie “My Fair Lady”, where it asks, “Why can’t a woman be like a man?” by proposing that the question ought to have been, “why can’t a woman be like a woman?” However, the question is directed at the workplace and for the movement up the career ladder and in terms of being liked by the supervisor. The findings by Mark Bolino, assistant professor of management at the University of Notre Dame and William Turney, associate professor at Kansas University, show that intimidation by men and women at the work place works for men but negatively affect women in terms of performance reviews and likability by the supervisors. This is generated from a study in 2000 on 76 administrative and investigative employees consisting of 49 women, 27 men, and their supervisors in a law enforcement agency. This shows that despite the belief of acting like men for women leads to career success and progression there is a danger of low performance reviews and likeability. This means that the belief and advice given to women who want to achieve success at the workplace that they should be like men through being forceful and resentful, that this may affect negatively their performance reviews and likability. This is due to the expectation of employees to behave in manners consistent with their gender roles in the opinion of the supervisors who are either of male or female gender. This research finding, however, the article states is not consistent with the fact that many women who have achieved success and reached top positions are exactly like their male counterparts. Bolino explains this as a change in the expectations when women achieve success and gain executive positions compared to when they are working under a supervisor. He states, “Maybe expectations change when women do move into power roles," and "Perhaps theyre viewed as CEOs first and women second.” The article explains that the study on intimidation explains why female employees at lower cadre levels feel alienated, invincible, and isolated in a male dominated culture showing that female employees are still faced by gender discrimination at the workplace. There is therefore a need for female employees to act in a manner that is not at odds with their gender for them to achieve career progression according to the article. Managers also have to examine their selves for biasness in the treatment of women for aggressive behavior if reversing the situation is possible. The article gives an example of Martha Stewart, a chief executive considered very tough similar to her male counterparts. However, in public opinion, there is a negative view of her owing to the belief that she does not conform to the expectations on the behavior of women in the society. The article advices women working for the achievement of executive positions to avoid calling their supervisors “dearie” and “honey”, not telling them not to be silly when they are hurt, and asking them to get their coffee in an aim to avoid being viewed as acting like males. In my opinion, intimidation only works for men as it is consistent with their gender and will enable them to gain respect and admiration from the workmates and supervisors as a show of their authority. Men are advantaged, as intimidation is consistent with the beliefs and practices of men since time immemorial getting more performance rating from their supervisors than their female counterparts who use intimidation for success in job performance. For women, I belief intimidation is unlikely to help them in the access of progression and success in the workplace since it is inconsistent with their gender roles in terms of behavior, generates a negative perception of themselves generally, and they could be treated with bias by their male counterparts at the workplace for fear of competition. The main reason for intimidation not to work for women is that it is consistent with masculinity and not femininity and a woman who does that is considered to be faking it and is not real reducing the respect and admiration she could have achieved when acting like a woman at the workplace. Therefore, women will gain better ratings from their supervisors and likability if their behavior is consistent with the expectations of the people in terms of behavior by men and women at the workplace. Reference Kleiman, C. (April 26, 2004). Intimidation OK for men, not women. Chicago Tribune. Read More