Gender Discrimination in the Workplace - Literature review Example

Gender Discrimination in the Workplace Introduction Globalization has induced a range of diversities in the workplace. Diversified workforces are able to provide a larger number of solutions and meet market needs more effectively. Diversity at workplaces is seen to exist in the form of age, gender, race, nationality, sexual orientations, education and many more factors (Eitzen, Zinn and Smith, 2013). The current paper reflects upon the existence of gender inequalities in the workplace and how campaigning facilitates in inducing greater awareness in the minds of female employees to resist such practices actively. Literature review: Gender Inequality in the Workplace Although most organizations motivate employee unity and prevent discrimination of all types, at the operational level it is observed that employees often indulge in gender discrimination. Such discriminatory behaviour is also observed when managers hire employees. For instance, many transgender employees find it difficult to procure employment at international organizations as managers fear that they might not be able to adjust with the internal culture and other employees might pick up conflicts with them. If all commercial institutions begin discriminating on the grounds of gender, many employees would be rendered jobless. This would not be sustainable approach in the long run (Ridgeway, 2011). Gender inequality at the workplace has become a rising issue and a concern for many female employees. Female employees find it difficult to rise above male employees in terms of job position and secure more powerful designations (Bobbitt-Zeher, 2011). There is a general notion held by employers that female employees are likely to be more engaged in household activities and neglect the responsibilities associated with their workplaces. Employers also suspect that female employees are likely to take more leaves from work in order to meet household responsibilities. Sexual harassment incidences are also commonly found in modern day business organizations (Barak, 2013). The lower power position and the lack of status provided to women workers make them susceptible to such discriminatory practices. Adequate pay gap is also seen to exist between male and female workers. Some of the key findings in respect of gender discrimination existing in the commercial world are essentially as follows (Osborne-Crowley, 2014): Almost one amongst three employers does not recruit female executives at top positions. Approximately, 30% of the organizations worldwide are seen to employ no females. Majority of the international organizations are seen to possess only 20% female employees in their top positions. More than 45% female employees worldwide are seen to employ female workers on a part time basis. Only a meagre 14% commercial institution worldwide have a strategy to promote women related needs and support them with various facilities. Policies related to sex discrimination abolishment are mandatorily practiced only in 7% of companies worldwide. Only 18.5% companies worldwide have actually implemented pay equity as a fundamental requirement. The finance and the insurance industries are seen to possess the highest gender gaps. Transgender employees are hardly considered for decent position in international organizations. The above mentioned statistics critically reveal that gender inequality is a realistic phenomenon in today’s modern day business. Although most organizations would deny such aspects, but in reality, gender discrimination is strongly present and is visible during organizational decision making processes (Moore, et al., 2011). Modern day organizations must consider informing members of the organization that male and female employees must be regarded as equals. Female employees are no less than male employees in terms of productivity. If provided with the right opportunities and training, female employees have depicted improved and in fact better performance than male employees in many organizations (Karpowitz, Mendelberg and Shaker, 2012). Instead of motivating female employees, it is essential that organizations themselves consider adapting to procuring and working alongside of female employees. Most international organizations and public institutions as per the directions of the ILO (International Labour Association) are required to possess at least one-third of their net employee strength as females. Workplaces must be able to conveniently adjust with both male and female employees (Eitzen, Zinn and Smith, 2013). Women in the modern age have been seen to catch up with men in respect of procuring higher education. Women are seen to deliver equal results in almost every field of education depicting that they possess the equal capabilities of providing high performance results. In many nations, such as in the U.S, women are seen to perform even better than men. Although in terms of educational achievements, men and women are seen to be equally successful, the main issues lie in the commercial arena. Female workers are under greater pressures of striking a proper balance between work and job (Dorius and Firebaugh, 2010). This discourages many employers to recruit many female employees and prefer to keep their numbers low. Amongst most nations analysed, the U.S depicts the lowest level of such gender discriminatory practices. The pay scale differences existing between the male and the female employees in the nation are also relatively low. However, a disturbing fact is the lack of sufficient measures taken to eliminate pay scale differences completely (Schober, 2013). Critical Review: Awareness Campaign Most organizations are seen to continue with gender discriminatory policies at the workplace as female employees have lesser knowledge regarding their rights and do not consider it necessary to raise their voices. It is due to such reasons that awareness campaigns are perceived to be so important (Permanyer, 2010). The current awareness campaign will be implemented highlighting the following aspects: Educating Employees By launching various awareness campaigns, it is possible to raise awareness amongst female and transgender employees in respect of what gender discrimination is all about and why they are supposed to raise their voices against the same. Women employees must be made aware of the situations which must be perceived as gender discrimination. Not all types of discriminatory practices between male and female employees can be termed as gender discrimination. Only when female employees are not provided with better job positions and are deprived of higher pay even though their productivity and efficiency is comparable with male employees, it is possible to consider the same as gender discrimination. Gender discrimination also includes cases where a male and a female candidate possess the same qualities, but even then the male candidate is considered a better option for recruitment. Female employees must be aware of such practices. Hence, awareness campaigns conducted in this respect is considered to be highly beneficial. Similarly, transgender employees are also deprived of many advantages as they are considered to be an ill fit in a social setting where there exist mainly two types of genders (Branisa, Klasen and Ziegler, 2013). Educating the Organization Organizations must be able to adjust and accept the fact that women are equally capable of delivering high performance and valued results as men. Most organizations are under the prejudice that female employees are more involved towards household activities. In reality, it is observed that modern families insist upon sharing responsibilities amongst both male and female members. Additionally, the social and economic burden shared by male and female members is equal. Organizations must therefore reduce the tendencies of remained biased towards female employees. Organizations must consider developing an internal environment that motivates female employees to contribute equally as male employees (Juhn, et al., 2014). Changing the Perception The basic reason why conflicts arise in a diversified workforce environment can be attributed to the phenomenon of how individuals perceive others. Many individuals are not receptive or open about the gender differences existing in their work teams. It is important for employees to understand that it is a characteristic phenomenon of the human race to remain diversified from the context of gender (Ridgeway, 2011). Human qualities cannot remain similar due to diversity of gender, which ultimately influences their thinking pattern. Gender diversified workforces are required to respect the thinking and behavioural patterns of each other so that a productive work environment can be developed (Equality and human rights, 2015). Knowing the Legal Aspects A number of equality legislations have been passed by the governments of various nations for promoting gender equality. Sex discrimination at the workplace is considered punishable in the U.S and all medium and large sized organizations are required to follow the rules regarding employing a minimum of one third of their net workforce as female employees (Iversen and Rosenbluth, 2010). The gender equality rights are revised and published by the government from time to time according to the changes occurring in the social and commercial environment. Special guidance is also issued by the Human Rights Commission for organizations in respect of female employees who are pregnant or have recently given birth. There are also guidance’s which are published for single mother who also work. Female employees must be made aware of such rights and they must make sure that the organizations in which they work comply with such regulations (Branisa, Klasen and Ziegler, 2013). Campaigning Impact Developing such campaigns which popularise and promote the wellbeing of female employees at the workplace provides additional motivation to implement ethical practices. Campaigners would be involved in developing posters, videos, stage shows, brochures and seminars which speak about the rights of employees at the work place. Campaigns are expected to have a deeper impact upon the general mass due to the involvement of creativity and attractive presentation of social aspects. Individuals are automatically drawn towards paying attention (Beatson, 2015). Awareness Campaign Material (Audio and Poster) The campaign will be organized considering the following important aspects: Fruitful Research- Campaigners will be involved in detailed research before actually launching the campaign. Research would facilitate in collecting reliable data and providing an in-depth knowledge to the general mass. Research would be conducted in respect of analyzing different cases of harassing female employees and injustice prevalent against them in various institutions. Creativity and Technology- Modern campaigns are based on the inclusion of modern technology to enhance its attractiveness. Creative message development and using the social media as a platform for promoting the campaign would be considered essential. It is generally observed that creative broadcasts and presentation of messages easily grasps the attention of the common people. Hence, catchy statements and creative depiction of the issue of gender discrimination requires to be designed (Ridgeway, 2011). Choice of Media- The campaign would be carried out using print media, social media and live seminars. Videos, live shows, banners and posters would be developed highlighting the aspects of gender discrimination. The focus would be on educating female employees regarding their rights and motivating them to raise their voices towards implementation of equality in the workplace. Employee participation- The general public would be greatly impacted when the participants of the campaign are real organizational members who have experienced such discrimination. Hence, female employees from various backgrounds would be encouraged to actively participate in the campaign and share their experiences with others (Ridgeway, 2011). Message content- The campaign would crucially focus on spreading awareness regarding the existence of gender discrimination at workplaces and why the same needs to be prevented. Female employees have equal rights towards earning higher income and developing a strong career as men (Beatson, 2015). The focus of the campaign would therefore be on empowering women and motivating individuals to work towards complete eradication of gender discrimination. Campaigning budget and duration- A net sum of $140,000 would be invested in carrying out the campaign. It would be mainly carried out in the city of New York. However, telecasts of the live shows and other videos would be circulated in the whole of the U.S. The budget for the campaign has been developed through funds from various commercial institutions and social activists. It is expected that the set budget would be enough for carrying out one week of live shows, stockade, protests and seminars. Campaign promotion through social and print media would be carried out for at least a month. Television and radio advertisements would also be carried out to popularise the campaign and encourage more people to join the event (Beatson, 2015). Poster- A number of posters would be made to highlight the importance of gender equality and invoke the sense of contributing towards the society positively. Creativity and impactful presentation of information would be key aspects followed while developing the posters. A sample of the poster prepared for the campaign is as follows: Figure: Poster for the campaign (Source: Author’s creation) Conclusion Gender discrimination and harassment of the weaker sections at workplace has emerged as a big concern for most organizations. It is a major threat for the liberalization and forward growth of women in the commercial arena. Hence raising voice against such social evils is a necessity. The current paper highlights the strong existence of gender discrimination and hence the need of eradicating the same. Campaigning is therefore a suitable method through which greater awareness regarding such issues can be generated and female employees can be motivated towards taking bold steps. Reference List Barak, M. E. M., 2013. Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. London: Sage. Beatson, M., 2015. Gender equality: organisations will need to change from top to bottom. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 12 May 2015]. Bobbitt-Zeher, D., 2011. Gender discrimination at work connecting gender stereotypes, institutional policies, and gender composition of workplace. Gender & Society, 25(6), pp. 764-786. Branisa, B., Klasen, S. and Ziegler, M., 2013. Gender inequality in social institutions and gendered development outcomes. World Development, 45, pp. 252-268. Dorius, S. F. and Firebaugh, G., 2010. Trends in global gender inequality. Social Forces, 88(5), 1941-1968. Eitzen, D. S., Zinn, M. B. and Smith, K. E., 2013. Social problems. New Jersey: Pearson Higher Education. Equality and human rights, 2015. Creating a fairer Britain. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 9 May 2015]. Iversen, T. and Rosenbluth, F. M., 2010. Women, work, and politics: The political economy of gender inequality. Connecticut: Yale University Press. Juhn, C., Ujhelyi, G. and Villegas-Sanchez, C., 2014. Men, women, and machines: How trade impacts gender inequality. Journal of Development Economics, 106(1), pp. 179-193. Karpowitz, C. F., Mendelberg, T. and Shaker, L., 2012. Gender inequality in deliberative participation. American Political Science Review, 106(03), pp. 533-547. Moore, M. E., Konrad, A. M., Yang, Y., Ng, E. S. and Doherty, A. J., 2011. The vocational well-being of workers with childhood onset of disability: Life satisfaction and perceived workplace discrimination. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(3), pp. 681-698. Osborne-Crowley, L., 2014. 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