Employment and The Role of Gender Sensitization in Tertiary Sector - Research Paper Example

The Role of Gender Sensitization in Tertiary sector INTRODUCTION Human resource management (HRM) is considered as an all-embracing terminology that encompasses a plethora of approaches to manage employees effectively. The context of the paper requires defining an employee. Thus an employee is "a person who is obliged to work for somebody else on the basis of a private contract in a relationship of subordination" (Weiss & Schmidt 2008). HRM is responsible for the recruitment, development of skills and the management of employees in order to channel their efforts into achievement of a common goal. Researches in recent studies state that HRM has a positive impact on the performance of the employees. The universalistic thesis that presents a set of best practices in HRM has been most popular and well-supported. It has also been seen that workplaces which practice effective human resource management practices were substantially more likely to report higher productivity (Storey 2007). Thus, there is a lot of scope for human resource management in the business sector. Effective management practices require managers to manage the pool of employees in such a way that each one’s capabilities and competency are utilized appropriately and optimally. In order to do so, one of the elements that the HRM needs to maintain is gender equality. It needs to sensitize the organization to the female gender since female employees form an equally integral part of the work force as their male counterparts. Gender sensitization is defined as the modification of attitudes in order to promote gender mainstreaming. Gender sensitization “is about changing behavior and instilling empathy into the views that we hold about our own and the other sex” (Aksornkool et al., 2004). The purpose of this research essay is to facilitate reflection on the problem associated with gender disparity in tertiary organizations of small-scale, explore why gender sensitization is necessary and drafting a management plan to enforce gender equality in the company. The main reason for gender research is therefore to counteract the under-sensitivity and prejudices ingrained in the minds of people especially in patriarchal settings. FACTORS THAT LEAD TO GENDER DISPARITY There are a multitude of factors that lead to gender disparity in organizations. First and foremost is the role culture plays. In many male-dominated cultures, the role of women in working capacities is significantly diminished. This is because men do not tend to treat women equally and do not consider them competent enough to work on a par with each other. Therefore, not only women are discouraged to work in tertiary organizations, but they are not also provided a healthy working environment to work in. women also face stereotypes and criticism that hinder their performances and the level of participation. It has also been seen that male managers do not give gender issues much importance; as a result their attitudes discourage female employees from taking high status and well-paid jobs (Unesco 2004). Women are considered as less valuable labor force because many of them take a hiatus from their careers due to child birth. Moreover, their value also decreases because of lack of proper training opportunities as compared to males. Employers would prefer people who are trained and at whom they would have to spend little resources to acclimatize them to the job, giving men an edge over women because of their better training. The lack of justice for women who are sexually harassed and exploited also deters women from actively taking jobs. Thus, all these factors lead to gender disparity and an unequal gender employment ratio in the tertiary sector. ROLE OF GENDER SENSITIZATION IN SMALL-SCALE TERTIARY ORGANIZATIONS Two types of economic roles that are considered: productive role and reproductive role. Productive role is the work done by women in return for cash and it can be part of either market production or subsistence production. Reproductive role constitutes child bearing responsibilities and domestic tasks undertaken by the women (Sinha 2008). It has been seen that there is a higher ratio of women compared to men employed in primary and secondary industries than in the tertiary industries. As a result, women working in tertiary industries often do not get their due share of rights as they are treated as a minority and often looked down upon in a derogatory and condescending way by many orthodox men that are prejudiced against women working. The management theory stated that the key to effective management is the maximization of the profits of the business and the optimum and most cost-effective utilization of resources in order to achieve goals. A manager can not ensure optimal productivity if a part of his workforce is not duly regarded. Women who are undermined and face criticisms by fellow peers are unlikely to perform well. In small-scale organizations, the workforce is relatively smaller as compared to large-scale organizations; therefore, net productivity of the employees is more responsive to small fluctuations in the business in small-scale companies than in large-scale. Therefore, gender mainstreaming is vital in a tertiary organization to ensure its success. Harish and Harishhankar (2008) note that “there is a need for gender sensitization of our society so that the victim does not feel guilty and is encouraged”. It has been seen that the compromising and flexible nature of women can promote to better group dynamics, thus stressing on the need for gender equality at the organizational level. Case Study- Women’s Banks Women’s banks are a great success in Sri Lanka. The Janasakthi banks were set up in Sri Lanka for the poor people and are largely run by women. Only four months into their opening, the twenty banks had assimilated a lump capital of 824,451 rupees (US $20,611), and distributed loans equaling to 335,000 rupees (US $8,375). Since the village was very poor, the fact that women were able to raise so much demonstrates the role they can play in promoting the profits of a business. Leela Suriyabandara, president of the Viharagala bank, appreciated the accomplishment the women greatly; she said “We formed the Kantha Samitis during the most dangerous times (of terror and insurgency) in 1989. Now we have a bank. We have overcome” (Unesco 2004). The advancement of women can be measured by indicators that assess male to female ratios in primary, secondary and tertiary enrolment (United Nations 2009).The gender gap is wide in tertiary sector. Statistics show that in 2002-3, in Burkina Faso, women students were a third of the total, in Ethiopia, the ratio of male to female students was four to one, whereas in Nigeria, there were 7 female students for every ten male students. These statistics accentuate the urgency to address gender sensitization. RESEARCH METHODLOGY- DRAFTING A SOLUTION PLAN In order to address gender mainstreaming and equalize opportunities for both men and women employees, a management plan needs to be drafted that can stigmatize gender issues and propose recommendations. Strategies on the following areas of management should be revised: Recruitment of women Despite the success of women in education, this has not been translated into employment (Brooks 2006). In order to encourage women to work, the organization needs to remove impediments to women justice. This can be done by encouraging schools and universities to adopt a more balanced and gender-neutral approach in training students. The potential for public procurement processes to encourage equality through post-contract compliance with the labor laws is very promising (Anon. 2007). Recruitment can be done if more number of women applicants is selected. Thus, the selection process needs to be transparent and encouraging for women to apply. Recruitment of women employees can be encouraged by setting a certain minimum quota of vacancies for women. The company has to provide women with certain incentives so that it can attract maximum number of female employees. This can be done by encouraging promotions of women employees and providing them healthcare benefits. Offering women job security will also lead to an increment in the number of women applicants. Promotions for women employees In many organizations, women are often involved in jobs with a low pay-scale. By promoting women equally as men, the organization can create more gender balance. Managers need to have an impartial approach, and not favor men over women. In order to encourage women promotions without creating bias, notices should be circulated that give an outline of the job skills employees need to be adept at in order to qualify for the vacancy. Therefore, women can focus on the development of those skills in particular and can be compete with men fairly for the promotion. Also, by promoting women in their own specific job can also help eliminate gender imbalance. Despite the fact that legislations have been adopted to increase gender equality, women still do not have equitable access to leadership positions (International Labor Force 2009). Therefore it is important to increase promotions for women. Incentives for women Gender mainstreaming can also be achieved by providing women with incentives. The organization should made adjustments for the provision of maternity leave for female employees. Also granting equal pensions to both women and men will promote gender equality. Some tertiary organizations provide housing loans to their employees; gender-neutrality needs to be maintained in the provision of loans as well. Equal healthcare benefits for men and women can also go a long way not only on recruiting women, but also in reducing gender disparity. Many organizations offer perks such as car, free housing, payment for utility bills etc. Organizations need to ensure that these perks extend to women as well. Staff that is physically impaired needs to be supported and a neutral approach for both men and women is expected in order to bridge gender gaps. Protection against sexual harassment It is of great importance that the organization incorporates legal consequences of issues of sexual harassment in their policy. This will provide women with more security and will substantially reduce the criticisms leveled at women by men and exploitation of women in the company. By having such laws in the policy will create more moral awareness amongst the employees about the importance of gender equality. If men treat women equally, women will feel respected. Training and development of skills of female employees Certain laxities need to be made in the recruitment policy of the company in order to entertain women CVs which do not present a very impressive and well-ground history of training. The company could fix a small amount of budget for on-the-job training and encourage peers to help new recruits in enhancing their job skills. Also, it needs to be noted that male employers often experience less difficulties in going for job-training out of city, whereas since families are dependent on women, they can not move that easily. Thus, women should be provided affective and standardized job training on their job, without having to move out of location. Also, in order to promote their job skills, women need to be provided with refresher courses. Recognition of the work done Managers and male employees should give recognition to women on the tasks that they accomplish. Berating and criticizing them will be disastrous to the goal of gender sensitization. Women employees need to be appreciated if they are performing well, thus improving the outlook of men regarding women. Role of male employees The co operation of male employees is important in maximizing the output of the implemented changes. This includes compliance with the introduced changes. Male employees are required to treat women equally, and accept the fact that they can be equally competent as they are. They need to inculcate the fact that women are as hardworking and assiduous as they are. The idea that women’s role is circumscribed to the house and family inherent in the thinking of most men needs to be changed and a more liberal approach adopted that accepts women in employment roles, contributing to the family earnings. Thus male employees are expected to give due respect to their female counterparts and collaborate with them in achieving shared goals. Better interaction between the two genders will promote teamwork, thus ameliorating the performance of the business. Role of line managers Line managers also play a role in regulating gender equality. Working in conjunction with theories that define effective leadership styles that promote productivity of the employees like the Path Goal theory and the Contingency theory, line managers should formulate a strategy to increase gender mainstreaming. Firstly, they are the chief people who can introduce the afore-mentioned changes in the company. Therefore, their cooperation is very crucial to the sensitization of gender. Secondly, line managers are required to encourage more awareness of gender issues amongst the employees. By doing so, they will promote an understanding amongst the employees of legal obligations to their fellow peers, and their moral responsibility as dictated by the code of ethics. The managers are role models for their subordinates; thus if they practice gender equality in their conduct, male employees will naturally follow suit and respect their female colleagues. The managers can also be instrumental in creating a healthier and gender neutral working environment for female employees to work in. as discussed above, certain attitudes of the line managers and their indifference to gender issues can discourage female workers not only from applying, but the current employees will be given due rights. Therefore, managers need to assess their attitudes as well, correcting them in case they are detrimental to the gender cause. Gender experts can aid the managers in developing a deeper insight into the strategies of effective gender management. By making a draft that encompasses the aforementioned changes, the managers can have a structural framework to initiate the change process from. However before proceeding knowledge of the views of both males and females are important. This can be done through two methods: 1. Questionnaires Questionnaires can be circulated amongst the employees to get their views on the level of gender imbalance present in the organization. Special importance should be given to those filled by women since they would truly illustrate the problems faced by women in the company. 2. Surveys Surveys that include personal interviews with women can further provide a comprehensive analysis of the situation and give the managers information to be more problem-specific, focusing on issues that are more urgent. To make the change process effective, constant monitoring of the system is necessary. This can be conducted by getting employee feedback through questionnaires, feedback forms etc. Also, women can fill out satisfaction forms, providing contextual evidence to either the success or failure of the strategy. In case the plan is not faring well and not producing the required results, a more detailed survey needs to be conducted to identify the root of the problem, and subsequent steps taken to reinforce the plan of action with revised strategies. CONCLUSION Human resources are still under-utilized and in order to maximize the organizational output, optimum use of human capital needs to be done (Sobehart 2008). This can only be done through sensitizing the organization to gender. Gender equality can have wide-spread effects on both the profits of the organization as well as the productivity of the employees. It can be achieved by implementing a management plan that highlights the problems faced by women and addresses these issues. It also seeks to increase recruitment of women and encourage their job performance by incentives, promotions, security and training. The role of managers and male employees is important since their cooperation can affect the success of the plan. Reference List Aksornkool, N., Cindy, J. & Elaine, T., eds., 2004. Gender sensitivity: a training manual for sensitizing education managers, curriculum and material developers and media professionals to gender concerns. France: Unesco. Anon., 2007. Record of proceedings Issue 96. Geneva: International Labour Organization. Brooks, A., 2006. Gendered work in Asian cities: the new economy and changing labour markets. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Harish, R. & Harishhankar, V. B., 2008. Re-defining feminisms. Rawat Publications. International Labor Force 2009. Gender equality at the heart of decent work: sixth item on the agenda. Geneva: International Labour Organization. Sinha, A., K., ed., 2008. Bio-social issues in health. New Delhi: Northern Book Centre. Sobehart, H. C., 2008. Women leading education across the continents: sharing the spirit, fanning the flame. Plymouth: R&L Education. Storey, J., 2007. Human Resource Management: A Critical Text. 3rd ed. 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