Women in the Workplace - Essay Example

Women in the Workplace Introduction The society has perceived the primary role of the American women as homemakers and mothers without any form of remuneration for years. In the past, the society viewed the employment of women as an option rather than a necessity. The failure to treat women as equal to men in the workplace has intensified the gender inequality. Essentially, the gender and cultural stereotyping placed men in the position of dominance for a long time. However, the trend appears to change as a section of women has made great strides in the workplace. Nonetheless, inequality and gender stereotyping in the allocation of duties, as well as remuneration persist. Social theorists have advanced theories such as human capital theory, gender socialization theory, and gender organization theory to explain the roles, experiences, and challenges of women in the workplace. The theories have attempted to elucidate the evident unequal treatment of women and men in the places of work. The paper incorporates the social theories and facts in examining the duties and challenges of women in the workplace. Roles of Women in the Workplace Regardless of experience and education, many employers tend to offer women jobs of feminine nature. The assigning of women the feminine jobs is in line with existing gender stereotypes. The gender socialization theory holds the society has wired men and women to assume distinct responsibilities. In this regard, women and men seek jobs based on sex. The employers have advanced the gender stereotyping in the workplace by assigning women the duties the society perceives as feminine (Estevez-Abe 145). It appears that gender stereotyping is challenging to break, and the workplace environment seems to disregard the contributions of women to the productivity of organizations. Notably, women remain underrepresented in the jobs that require science, technology, and engineering skills. The statistics indicates that approximately 7.1 million Americans secured employment in the construction companies in 2013 (Crary). However, women comprised a mere 2.6 percent of the workforce (Crary). The hard-to-deal stereotypes are attributable to the low statistics of women recruited to the construction-related jobs. Majorly, the employers assume that the construction work is a preserve of men, and it does not suit women. A research by Obiomon, Tickles, Wowo, and Holland-Hunt argued that women comprise about 56.8 percent of the U.S workforce. The researchers revealed that women constitute approximate 8.5 percent of the nation’s engineers. In effect, men have dominated the engineering fields. According to statistics, men comprise about 87 percent of all the engineers in the United States (Obiomon, Tickles, Wowo, and Holland-Hunt). A small percentage of women in male-dominated fields face tremendous challenges. Notably, salary disparity, unequal consideration during promotions, exclusion in the formal networks, and gender stereotyping present a tremendous challenge towards the efforts of attaining gender parity. The women of color endure difficulties such as undermining of technical capabilities as well as competence (Oswald 196). In essence, many occupations in the United States are gender segregated despite the fact that women comprise over half of the workforce. The educational institutions have been blamed for advancing the occupational gender segregation. Notably, the college major choices reflect gender stereotyping. Oswald argues that women received a mere 29 percent of bachelor’s degree in computer science and math, 21 percent of degrees in engineering, and 42 percent of degrees in physical science (196). It appears that the females have a propensity to pursue the traditionally feminine occupation while in colleges. Cech, Rubineau, Silbey, and Seron contend that women lack confidence to handle jobs in the science and engineering fields (641). In this respect, lack of professional confidence is attributable to the women’s failure to do well in the male-dominated field. The human capital theory that holds skills, experience, and productivity supports the assertion. Lack of skills and experience renders women unemployable in science and engineering jobs. Nonetheless, factors such as socialization, cultural stereotypes, achievement-related experiences, and differential aptitudes might explain why female tend to pursue the traditionally feminine occupations. Arguably, the social aspects of gender appear to influence the assigning of feminine roles to the women in the workplace. Many women secure jobs as dental assistants, secretaries, receptionists, information clerks, childcare workers, preschool and kindergarten teachers, cosmetologists, hairdressers, and hair stylist (Estevez-Abe 147). Fundamentally, women are overrepresented in the aforementioned low-status occupation. The gender norms influence women to choose the non-manual jobs and lower-status jobs. Similarly, the strong gender stereotypes motivate the employers to recruit women in the low-status jobs. However, a few of women have adopted managerial positions and other traditionally masculine occupations such as engineers. Experience and Challenges of Women in Workplace Women face numerous challenges in the workplace. Notably, unfair recruitment process, sexual harassment, lack of promotions, and salary disparity hinder the achievement of gender parity. The employers tend to avoid hiring women because they assume the female employees have a higher likelihood to quit jobs due to family-related issues compared to the male counterparts (Cech, Rubineau, Silbey 651). For instance, the employers assume that female workers might leave jobs to care for their children and the elderly. After childbearing, the employers assume that women might not resume executing their roles in the organizations. Although women might have a tendency of prioritizing their careers over the family, the huge cost of selecting the female candidates who demonstrate commitment informs employers’ decisions in the hiring process. In effect, the employers assume that women have a higher statistical probability of quitting jobs as opposed to the men (Estevez-Abe 144). Women who have secured a position of responsibility focus on the welfare of the workforce as opposed to the male counterparts who concentrate on the output. The employers perceive such as focus as a drawback to the productivity. Therefore, women have a high potential of remaining in the junior positions for a long time. Unfair Promotions and Salary Disparity Statistics indicate that women hold few positions of leadership in the United States. Despite the fact that women have the largest percentage of the US workforce, the rate of promoting female workers to the managerial positions is arguably low. The majority of women occupy the subordinate positions. Partially, the vocationally based educational and employment protection systems account for the discrimination against one gender in the promotion processes. Notably, the vocational based institutions tend to facilitate the mastery of gender-specific skills (Estevez-Abe 154). The practice worsens the prevalent gender segregation in the workplace through widening the gender skill gap. In this respect, the employers assume that men and women have different skills shaped by the vocational based educational systems. Hence, the employers utilize gender as a basis for calculating the employees’ risk of human capital investment. Thus, the female employees should have specific skills in order to earn a promotion in the workplace. Unfortunately, many vocational based educational systems equip women with skills suitable for positions of less responsibility. The gendered division of work and biological differences place women at a disadvantaged position concerning promotion. The risk-averse employers tend to deter the promotion of women in the managerial positions. The employers fear that women have a propensity of quitting jobs or reducing the number of work hours due to child rearing and other domestic duties. Fundamentally, the employers assume that the women pose greater uncertainties as compared to men. For instance, a mother will spend a lot of time with the child and compromise the work output. In effect, women face gender-specific uncertainties such as risk of job termination due to pregnancy, risk of forsaking returns on skills investment, and skills depreciation, as well as missed opportunities risk (Estevez-Abe 151). The enormous uncertainties about women compel the employers to invest less in their training. Therefore, the biological differences and stereotyping bar the efforts of women to receive training aimed at honing their skills to assume managerial positions. Therefore, many employers are unwilling to promote women due to the evident uncertainties. Biological differences and stereotyping inform the employers’ decisions to offer women a position of responsibility. Statistics indicates that women make few transitions from the subordinate positions to the posts of a huge responsibility. A study on the United States labor force shows that women comprise 25 percent as senior officers, 15 percent hold seats on the boards, and 13 percent are managers (Warner). The same statistics indicates that a mere 3 percent of women work as chief executive officers. The subordinate position of women in the workplace reflects position at home and the physical prowess of the men. Essentially, the human capital theory seems to operate against women in the workplace, and the exclusionary strategies have facilitated the growth of occupational segregation. The capitalism needs women as an easily dismissible workforce capable of lowering wages and salaries. According to the gender organization theory, the interactions in the workplace consist of gender-related prospects that benefit men and leave women in a disadvantaged position (Godwyn and Gitell 511). The prospects advance the male chauvinism in the workplace and undermine the significance of women as an integral part of the workforce. Thus, the employers maintain women in a subordinate position in line with existing gender stereotypes. Women earn lesser than men do even for jobs that require the same skills. The employers perceive women employment as a second role of supplementing the income of the family, and thus men should receive a higher salary. The childbearing, as well as rearing, appears to be the primary determining factor for the differential remuneration. Hence, the perceived primary role of women exerts demands on them regarding the time and the place to work. Research indicates that women in fields such as engineering earn about 13 percent less than what their men receive (Obiomon, Tickles, Wowo, and Holland-Hunt). Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment in the workplace affects the work output. Women working in the public, as well as private, are not immune to sexual harassment. Unsettling reports have been advanced highlighting unabated incidences of discrimination against women in the factories, the medical establishment, institutions of learning, and law offices. Women are victims of uninvited sexually suggestive gestures, letters, telephone calls, remarks, and pressure for sexual favors. Uggen and Blackstone argue that adult women are targets of various forms of sexual harassment such as uninvited touching, as well as invasion of their space (64). Essentially, the harassment assumes several variants, and feminists view it as a product of the dominant masculinity. According to Uggen and Blackstone, perceives that the cultural expression of sexuality and gender inequality contribute to the harassment of women in the workplace (67). Men regard women as lesser beings, and thus tend to disrespect them. The standards set in the workplace disadvantage women by maintaining and advancing the existing gender order. Women perceive the harassing behavior as threatening because the society has socialized them to protect their body. In contrast, men have little information about the possibility of sexual harassment. Thus, the women are targets of sexual harassment perpetrated by men who want to be in a controlling position. In effect, men exert their power on women by harassing the latter. The harassment affects the performance of women in the workplace by lowering their self-esteem. Fundamentally, a harassed female employee will be unable to devote her time to the assigned roles. Such a woman will be psychologically disturbed. Thus, sexual harassment of women in the workplace has negative implications on the performance. Conclusion Women have attempted to bridge the gender gap in the workplace by occupying positions of responsibility. However, women face numerous challenges in their quest to attain gender parity. The existing gender stereotypes continue to place women in a subordinate position. In contrast, men are assigned the high-status responsibilities in the workplace. Many employers allocate women feminine jobs that have a lower remuneration as compared to that of men. Similarly, women receive a lesser salary than men do even in the jobs that require the same skills. Likewise, sexual harassment affects the women performance in the workplace. Typically, the gender stereotypes compel men to disrespect women by treating the latter as a lesser being. It is paramount for the workplace to recognize that women execute various responsibilities well, and men should not discriminate against them. Works Cited Cech, Erin, Rubineau, Brian, Silbey, Susan, and Seron, Caroll. “Professional role confidence and gendered persistence in engineering”. American Sociological Review 76.5 (2011): 641-666. Print. Crary, David. “Few women in construction; recruiting efforts rise”. USA Today. Web. 29 Nov 2014 http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/09/01/few-women-in-construction-recruiting-efforts-rise/14870787/ Estevez-Abe, Margarita. “Gendering the varieties of capitalism: A study of occupational segregation by sex in advanced industrial societies”. World Politics 59.1 (2006): 142-175. Print. Godwyn, Mary, and Gittell, Jody. Sociology of Organizations: Structures and Relationships. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2012. Print. Obiomon, Pamela, Tickles, Virginia, Wowo, Adrienne, and Holland-Hunt, Shirley. “Advancement of women of color in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines”. Faculty Resource Network. Web. 29 Nov 2014 www.nyu.edu/frn/publications/advancing.women/Adv. Women in Stem Tickles.html Oswald, Debra. “Gender stereotypes and women’s reports of liking and ability in traditionally masculine and feminine occupations”. Psychology of Women Quarterly 32 (2008): 196-203. Print. Uggen, Christopher and Blackstone, Amy. “Sexual harassment as a gendered expression of power”. American Sociological Review 69.1 (2004): 64-92. Print. Warner, Judith. “Women’s leadership gap by numbers”. Center for American Progress. Web. Read More