Discrimination in Organisations - Essay Example

? Discrimination in Organisations The contemporary world has seen equal rights gain much significance among men and women. Nevertheless, incidences of gender and/or sex discrimination are still being reported from various parts of the globe. Have you ever been subject to workplace discrimination? Have you ever been subject to sarcastic gestures and comments or lecherous looks? A yes to this questions means that the issue of sex/gender discrimination should be of greater concern to all people and should not be tolerated. Gender discrimination is described by Gelfand, Nishii, Raver and Schneider (2007) as a serious form of workplace employment that should not under any given circumstances be dismissed. This paper explores the issue of sex/gender discrimination in organisational set-ups, providing a detailed theoretical background while citing an article in relevance to the subject’s manifestation in an organisational framework. Discrimination in Organisations Today, sex or gender discrimination at the workplace is still evident despite the prevailing talk of gender equality Cortina, Kabat-Farr, Leskinen, Marisela and Magley (2011). Discrimination based on sex can be defined as acting undesirably or treating a person differently; a case that would not have been the same had the person been of a different sex. In most parts of the globe, gender discrimination is considered unjust towards the recipient and thus is illegal (Cortina et al., 2011). The objective of this study is to examine the gender discrimination that occurs at the workplace and increase the organisational awareness of the grave issue. Hypothesis Sex or gender discrimination at the workplace is still widespread. Background A host of research exists regarding the gender discrimination of employees at the workplace. Three court cases have been reviewed by Buchanan (2005) on the issue of sexual harassment. In the findings, women were often subject to dire treatment from their male counterparts who device different excuses and or ways to come into physical contact with them as well as asking them for bodily favours. Furthermore, she reveals that women from these court case studies were subject to unethical sexual images and jokes which not only psychologically affects their minds but also makes them feel uncomfortable at their workplace hence some may decide on resignation as their escape route from insecurity. Another study by Davidson and Eden (2000) examined the issue of gender pay gap based on the 1999 National Faculty Survey Data. This study was aimed at determining the wage gap between male and female employees with similar responsibilities at different public and private institutions. The study revealed that women earn 20.7% less than what men of similar responsibilities earn (Davidson & Eden 2000). In addition, the duo found out that women receive less compensation and benefits as compared to their male employees. A study conducted by Khoreva (2011) to estimate the gender wage gap in the Pakistani labour market has similar findings to those of Davidson and Eden. The study took into account a sample of ninety one thousand three hundred and nineteen men and women of average ages 36 and 32 respectively. The women were fewer than the men; accounting for 48.4% of the total sample. According to Khoreva (2011), the wage gap is continually increasing mainly because of educational differences between men and women as well as the experience of female employees. In addition, the research revealed that women were subject to reduced incentives and benefits as compared to their male counterparts. In his research Lissenburgh (2001) employs the National Survey Data and Human Capital Theory in determining the level of discrimination based on gender in the UK labour markets during the 1990s (Gelfand et al. 2007). The data revealed that women were subject to a 10% pay rise in the event that they pay close attention to human capital factors. Furthermore, some job specifications are more biased towards men with respect to strength as women are considered weaker than men in general. In addition, Gelfand et al. (2007) revealed that female employees working part time were subject to numerous benefits and wages issues as opposed to their male counterparts working in the same position. Another researcher, Grohol (2009), carried out a study regarding the health sector’s perspective of sexual harassment. The study involved two private and two public hospitals accounting for 141 female employees aged between 29 and 59. The findings of the research revealed that female employees not only experience psychological and verbal harassment, but their male counterparts also physically touch them. Furthermore, their concerns were ignored; a sign of the level of male dominance or rather the disproportion of power between men and women. Unavailability of proper laws results in insecurity and fear in the females’ minds which eventually leads to reduced production, hence resignation or job termination (Benokraitis 1997). Article: Employment: Workplace Discrimination Charges at Record High Jennifer Green, a computer-aided technician in charge of drafting at Childress Engineering Services revealed that she was the only female employee at her department. According to Wong (2011), Green was subject to a working environment that was sexually hostile and persistently insulting as a result of her sex. These discriminatory actions included audacious sexist comments with respect to women, masturbation, gay jokes, oral sex and anal sex by her male workplace counterparts. This is in line with Buchanan’s findings in the court case studies where the women involved were subject to dire treatment by their male employee workmates. Green further affirms that these acts of gender discrimination were not a one-off incident but were happening in succession, day after day (Wong, 2011). The research conducted by Grohol (2009) in the health sector revealed that incidences of discrimination based on gender were reported but nothing was done about the then situation. Similarly, Green raised her concerns to the company and upon realizing that no action was being taken, she complained to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) but his move resulted in her immediate sacking (Wong, 2011). However, Green was later compensated after the EEOC sued Childress Engineering Services and demanded that the company installs new policies regarding sexual harassment as well as provide its employees with training running annually for five years regarding the retaliation in workplace as well as the laws against sexual harassment. This move was aimed at controlling the levels of cases reported in Texas regarding workplace discrimination. The year 2010 saw 99, 922 charges of workplace discrimination reported where only 20, 149 of them received merit solutions nationwide (Wong, 2011). This is an indicator that sex/gender discrimination still exists in the equal-rights era. Conclusion Women live in hostile environments both at work and at home. Men earn higher than women for the same job; women are harassed sexually by workmates, and are subject to debasing jobs that often pay lowly (Gelfand et al., 2007). Today, many talk about gender equality but as research reveals, gender discrimination at the workplace is still widespread in some professions. The emergence of trade unions and worker tribunals forms a significant part of the measures being taken to curb the ever-present gender workplace discrimination (Wong, 2011). However, this only serves as a reminder to those subject to gender discrimination that they should not brush off the matter and label it as unimportant as any form of gender discrimination is illegal with respect to human rights and the law in general. References Benokraitis, N. V. (1997). Sex discrimination in the 21st century. In N. V. Benokraitis (Ed.), subtle sexism: Current practice and prospects for change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 5-33. Buchanan, N. T. (2005). The nexus of race and gender domination: The racialised sexual harassment of African American women. In P. Morgan & J. Gruber (Eds.), In the company of men: Re-discovering the links between sexual harassment and male domination. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 294–320. Cortina, L. M., Kabat-Farr, D., Leskinen, E. A., Marisela H. & Magley V. J. (2011). Selective incivility as modern discrimination in organisations: Evidence and impact. SAGE Publications. Davidson, O. B., & Eden, D. (2000). ‘Remedial self-fulfilling prophecy: Two field experiments to prevent Golem effects among disadvantaged women.’ Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 386-398. Gelfand, M. J., Nishii, L. H., Raver, J. L. & Schneider, B. (2007). Discrimination in organisations: An organisational-level systems perspective (CAHRS Working Paper #07-08). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labour Relations, Centre for Advanced Human Resource Studies, 1-35. Grohol, J. M. (2009)"Gender Discrimination in the Workplace." Psych Central. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/10/09/gender-discrimination-in-the-workplace/8868.html Wong, V. (2011). Employment: Workplace Discrimination Charges at Record High. Bloomberg Business Week: Lifestyle. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/workplace-discrimination-charges-at-record-high-07292011.html Khoreva, V. (2011) Gender pay gap and its perceptions. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. An International Journal, 30 (3), 233-248. Read More