Power and Discrimination - Essay Example

Power and Discrimination Introduction: Professional and social guidelines and beliefs merge together when we talk about class differences and personal perspectives that professionals have regarding distinct social features. Every professional sphere has been faced by certain social evaluation based on social features such as creed, gender, social background/class, economic condition etc. Majority of the professionals from every walk of life whether in the silhouette of peer or clientele relationship have experienced powerlessness, discrimination and biasness at some point in their lives. This social differentiation on a professional level is perhaps highly dependent up on the kind of professional beliefs, values and attitude we possess. For instance, if a professional believes that capability has a lot more to do with a person rather than what he/she looks like. This may be a general perception but it would eventually help a professional in looking at the world with a broader perspective and it can also contribute towards setting a friendly and lined-up work environment. Class and gender are perhaps the most prominent social features which are mostly used or abused within workplaces in order to move ahead professionally. For instance, a male-oriented job such as that of a manager of a particular company is typically given out to male members of the society. The reason behind it is nothing but typical views regarding women and preconceived notions regarding if they can perhaps handle the pressure of the job or if they are any competent for the job solely because they are women. This is a typical instance where gender discrimination can immediately be spotted, but on the contrary such orthodox views regarding women are altering now as more and more women are proving their worth and qualification. Therefore, the most relevant aspect that can bring about a revolution in professional world is perhaps a professional’s own beliefs, values and attitude. We look extensively into the most apparent social features, gender and class and how these features have the tendency to bring about massive alterations within the professional world, on an individual/practitioner basis. Social features- Gender and Class: The relevance of gender and class is usually understood when these two social features are faced with certain conflicts and used in order to prove a social norm or personal preference. Gender differences can often be seen in places where equality is not quite agreed upon, especially in the case of women. Conservative social backgrounds acknowledge women as somewhat inferior as compared to men and this is perhaps a global issue now where women are judged and oppressed on the basis of their gender alone. Furthermore, there are fields where men are also oppressed and looked down upon because they stand on a position where they are surrounded by women as their colleagues within the work place. Take an example of a male nurse, who works within a health or social care centre/organization. He is bound to feel dominated as most of the workers in the sphere of nursing/health care are women. In this case it would be quite convenient for women to oppress the few men who work within the health/social care centre. Therefore, the notion of ‘majority’ and ‘minority’ plays a vital role when it comes to comprehending gender-based differences on a professional and personal level. On the contrary, social differences often emerge on the basis of class and backgrounds people belong to which includes preconceived notions regarding certain social classes and backgrounds. For instance, typically an individual who is rich and belongs to a very renowned family will be considered immediately first for an employment position that seeks for a professional, rather than employing an ordinary individual who maybe more capable but unfortunately does not come from a very elite part of the society. This is a case of direct biasness based on class along with the positive and negative evaluation of these classes. These class differences are usually based upon sub-factors such as wealth, social recognition, family background etc. Professional evaluation should involve capability and knowledge more than the social ranking of an individual, especially social dynamics such as class and gender. The theoretical understanding of these social features and their familiarization with each other is quite comprehendible because each individual has a social identity and this identity comprises of each one of these social features which are inter-related with one another. Immediate access to money, status and power draws a direct path towards inequality in every sphere of life, these class representatives come into play prominently whether during professional or personal evaluation of an individual. (Williams, 1999) Gender discrimination on professional grounds usually restricts a professional from being at his/her best because of the negative personal perceptions the governing staff might have about an individual. For example, a woman who works day in day out and perhaps works a lot more efficiently than the men working in a software company. The woman also has a flexible attitude when it comes to the timings of the job or the salary, but yet she is unable to excel professionally in this field solely because the field requires and prefers men over women. Therefore, this male dominion in certain professional fields contributes immensely towards gender inequality which is solely based on a notion that women may prove to be a weak link or perhaps lack the kind of experience and fast pace learning capability the job requires. Social differences emerge because of the apparent inequalities based on who has more or no power at all between social groups who are dominant or perhaps dominated. The major differentiation is drawn by race, gender, class, age and disability. The stratification stretches further evaluating social features such as religion, physical appearance, family system etc. These social features exist and interact with the primary divisions making oppression and discrimination a more complex and extended subject. (Clifford, 1995) Professional and personal experience: My own professional experience pertaining directly towards comprehending the effects of social class and gender has been nothing short of explorative and interesting. My job description involves my workplace being a social care organization that mainly looks after children from different backgrounds. These children were in some ways or other oppressed/physically abused and mishandled by their own parents or immediate relatives. These children require constant monitoring when it comes down to their psychological and physical state because the oppression and abuse they go through often leaves behind many psychological and physical marks and bruises. These children take a lot of time to recover and acknowledge themselves as accepted members of the society. My profession requires a lot of patience and composure because of the capricious behavior of these children that calls for a meticulous approach when it comes to handling them. My profession provides to me perhaps a very safe environment because 90% of the employees working within my workplace are women leaving not many men to face everyday. Gender differentiation is often an issue within the workplace because the few men who work with me consider the women strength of professionals as something that makes them feel inferior in distinct ways. However, when it comes down to any high positions and allocation of responsibilities within the professional sphere we would always find a male representative or employee welcoming professional facilities. For instance, one of my male co-workers was introduced as the manager of our workplace although 90% of the workplace is represented by women. This presents women of our society as incapable or inferior when compared with men since they are believed to be the leaders of the society. Class prejudice has long been faced by the people within my workplace, it mostly comprises of notions regarding certain classes in order to degrade them and to make them feel inferior and less important. Many professionals from my workplace evaluate one another on the basis of social class which represents how wealthy they are and perhaps their social status and recognition. For instance, a group of employees who also happen to be my co-workers often degrade people including myself who belong to middle-class/poor families, and don’t have an access to the modern way of living as such. Discrimination on the basis of social class is often destructive and tends to have a psychological impact on an individual/professional. Working within the health and social care sector, it took me less than a few years to realize that my professional position may possess many strengths and weaknesses. Astonishingly, female gender in social care proves to be a ‘power’ because women are acknowledged as the social care experts since the time it became a proper profession. Take the biggest and the most powerful instances of all time, Maya Angelou and Mother Teresa, extra-ordinary women who promoted social care and justice and acknowledged this objective as a reason for their existence. Therefore, with such reverent names in social care and justice it gives me extreme privilege and makes me feel powerful working in this field. This feeling of strength also comes from the dominancy that we women have over men in this field which is perhaps a vantage point for the women in any society. For instance, a male professional who joins my field of work would take a lot of time to adjust in an environment where 90% employees are women professionals. This would make him feel some what inferior and less important giving birth to many insecurities and upper hand inside him which are both attached with masculinity and superiority. Professional fields based on gender are often faced by inequality and prejudices followed by an experience that makes either gender feel powerless because of the upper hand that the other gender might have in that particular field. In my instance, the basic employee strength is of women but when it comes down to the managerial sector we often have to face male managers in case of any suggestions, feedback and problem identification. This puts the women majority present within my workplace in a vulnerable position when it comes to the women acknowledgement, but it is of course dependent upon the male manager’s professional morals, values, attitudes and social beliefs. This is a point where my feelings tend to go towards powerlessness, since the power of decision-making is in the hands of a male professional. In my profession, professionals from other spheres often are in constant contact with me such as doctors from distinct practices, police and other sorts of authorities, lawyers etc. The children my profession revolves around are often physically harmed and treated with extreme neglect which requires qualified doctors for their medical recovery, lawyers for their legal paperwork, police and other authorities for their security. My contact with these professionals often ends up making me feel inferior followed by many incidents who think of my profession as noble but also tend to think that it may not be the best career choice. For instance, a doctor who worked with me and hired by the organization for the medical needs of the children often looked down on my profession and how it requires not much of hard-graft. Therefore, feeling of powerlessness and professional inequality barges right in since professions such as that in medicine and law can never be compared with social care/health professions. My own professional values include humbleness, respect and equality at all times which would always restrain me from looking down upon any of the other professions and perhaps questioning their hard-graft and effort. My profession has taught me to treat every other professional or any individual for that matter equally. It also emphasizes on an individual’s view regarding another individual which should be free from any prejudices based on gender, class, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, profession, family background etc. Furthermore, my profession requires me to work with service users, especially the children with an anti-oppressive approach that can perhaps assist them when it comes to expressing themselves freely. That way it would be easier for me to identify when they feel powerful or powerless and how my anti-oppressive ways can perhaps contribute towards minimizing their feeling of powerlessness which could be hazardous for their health. Take an example of Cynthia in this case, a black young woman who left home and her parents while she was pregnant and started living with a man who physically harassed her. She went to a hostel exclusively for single mothers, where she was racially oppressed and as a repercussion she started doing drugs. She gave birth to a baby boy prematurely and waited for him to recover which compelled her to raise an appeal for financial assistance as she felt powerless and did not want to lose her child at the same time. The appeal was not acknowledged by the hospital and after her child was discharged she started taking drugs to cope up with the stress, right after which her son was taken back into care. She was advised to rehabilitate and prove herself as a responsible mother; meanwhile a black family started fostering her child but her child was given back to her under strict supervision directions. The mixed emotions consumed by powerlessness, lack of any support or assistance, loneliness compelled Cynthia to harm her own child. Consequently, her child was taken away from her yet again and this time she was not even permitted to visit him. This left her feeling powerless and highly incapable since the only reason she was left with to have her child back was the love for her child but the case was beyond repair because of her actions. In this case professionals like me need to work with an anti-oppressive structure with every viable attempt that my profession is capable of to regain her child. My professional norms would expect me to act out in an anti-oppressive manner which means that Cynthia should be viewed as a normal individual faced by many complexities in life rather than someone who’s an irresponsible mother and can prove to be a threat to her own child. Case analysis would be a very constructive tactic to comprehend the whole scenario and how everything from the beginning shaped her life till this day. Such cases are relevant in my profession since it gives me a chance to acknowledge the importance of social care and justice and reminds me how it contributes towards having a fair and just society. Power is perhaps a social notion based on an extensive exploration of the public and private part of lives. Power is highly influenced by social, ethnical, economic, racial and psychological dynamics. All these dynamics need to be scrutinized in order to come up with an evaluation regarding how individuals gain stratified access to distinct resources and rankings of power. (Barker and Roberts, 1993) Moving ahead, the core of my profession is the children my work revolves around and they belong to distinct social backgrounds/classes. The statistics shows that majority of them belong to the working class families/poor families who have unfavorable living conditions and not a lot among them are educated and capable/willing enough to earn a livelihood. Since these children belong to such family backgrounds, my views regarding their parents and living conditions are not very pleasing. Therefore, the decision of taking these children under a more responsible roof is justified because their parents who cannot support themselves should not be burdened with their responsibility. Since, these children belong to a working-class background my views regarding their personalities and mental approach can be perhaps that they must be scared and not very expressive. The way these children were treated by their parents and immediate relatives would have shattered their inner self which requires immediate rehabilitation. Middle-class refers towards the intermediate living standards, this class system comprises of people who have white collar jobs. White collar jobs represent a part of population who work for wages, but the work environment is rather safe and comfortable as compared to the blue-collar jobs. There are a few dynamics that make it easy for someone to identify if he/she belongs to a middle-class background. The dynamics include achievement of professional/higher studies and qualifications, secure jobs which are safe and convenient and a firm belief in bourgeois values. Basically, individuals coming from a history of people who earned their livelihood on the basis of the pre-requisites of the job or perhaps what we call an ordinary lifestyle. My middle-class background and my upbringing and the general way of living, everything is perhaps very different from the working-class/poor social class system. Since, the children my work revolves around belong to working class/poor background, the way they perceive me in general is distinct because normally they were shouted upon and not treated with love and humbleness. The humble ways that my profession requires me to work with often puts them in a rather questionable state regarding why were their parents not so receptive and loving towards them. Because of the way these children were treated they feel very envious when they look at me since, my parents lovingly raised me in the best way viable. These children feel envious because they wish they had normal childhoods with their parents acting responsibly and providing to them as most of the parents in the world do. These children may often feel powerless as they are dependent up on us for their basic sustenance which their parents were unable to provide them with. They would feel powerless at various stages, for instance when decisions regarding them are taken by the organization on behalf of their own families or loved ones. When they cannot do what they would like to do like every other kid does having the liberty to do most of the things they would like to do under a roof what we call a ‘home’ which was not a part of their childhood. All these insecurities tend to make them feel powerless and governed because the social care organization plans everything from their living conditions to food selection. They must often feel that they do not have their own say and the liberty to say that they would not like to do what is required as scheduled and planned by the organization. Whereas, other children they see are protected and loved unconditionally by their parents and loved ones. This tends to put them in a rather difficult position which lingers on for the longest time and makes a strong impact on them on a psychological level. My own professional values, morals, beliefs and attitude require me to act as a pacifier and prove to be of help while reaching out to them on a psychological level. Class is the central structure carrying forward an organizing principle of an advanced and more modern form of a capitalist society, a structure that institutionalizes the procedure of power, resources and prejudice. People often argue that class is a less relevant aspect contributing towards social inequalities as compared to more relevant aspects such gender, race, ethnicity and family background. This may not be true because of the strong impact that social class and differentiation have over increased social injustice and acts of prejudices. Social class has the tendency to affect an individual’s personal, social and professional life. Moreover, social class is the first element that helps us perceive people and have vague ideas regarding their living conditions, wealth, family background and attitude etc. (Rogers, 1995) Poverty plays an integral role when it comes to an individual feeling powerless and becomes more likely to depend on someone else. The feeling of powerlessness is often seen among the people living under conditions identified as the working/poor class. Powerlessness is also accompanied by frustration, anger and low self-esteem. Hazards of class system have the potential to expand because of a simple phenomenon of the modern age ‘the poor seems to be getting poorer and the rich grows even more by the minute’. Conclusion: The basic aim of this essay was to highlight the relevance of professional values, attitudes and beliefs and how they can either contribute towards building a constructive or a very disturbing work environment. Social features such as gender and class have the strength to tailor and alter an individual’s professional and personal life. These social features for the most part contribute towards social inequalities which tend to make an impact on an individual’s psychological and physiological well-being. Gender and class inequality has been one of the many ways that the modern world functions; it is all about who possesses the ultimate power and who stands on powerless grounds. These social features are the only way through which we can form vague ideas regarding other people but at the same time personal beliefs and the same ideas stand as barriers towards achieving a socially equal and unprejudiced professional environment. Bibliography: Neil Thompson, anti-discriminatory practice, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006 Rudolf Dreikurs, Social equality: the challenge of today, Contemporary books, 1977 Bell Hooks, the feminist theory: from margin to centre, Pluto press, 2000 Leslie Stephen, social equality, Harvard University press, 2006 John Atkinson Hobson, towards social equality, Oxford University Press, 1931 Martin Marger, social inequality: patterns and processes, Mayfield Pub. Co, 1999 Read More