Discrimination in the Workplace Based on Gender - Coursework Example

Discrimination in the Workplace based on Gender The paper analyzes the issue of gender discrimination from various points of view. The first part is dedicated to the theoretical aspect of the problem. The text features definitions of key terms, types and causes of gender discrimination at work as well as jobs which are most likely to feature gender discrimination. The second part explores the meaning of glass ceiling, examines the notion of sexual harassment and analyzes ethical, economical and social effects of gender discrimination. It examines each aspect of the effect on examples and provides analysis of the general impact that they have. Introduction It would not be a mistake to point out that successful integration into the social environment is inseparably connected to having a job. That is why it is rather obvious that work plays a significant role in lives of the people. Nevertheless, there are may be situations which turn workplace into a hostile environment that has negative effect on a person. One of the examples that can be mentioned is the issue of gender discrimination. In spite of the fact that the contemporary society promotes diversity and equality, the above mentioned problem still exists in the workplace. Theory about Gender Discrimination Definitions of Gender Discrimination To begin with, it may be particularly important to provide a comprehensive analysis of the key terms that will be widely used throughout the paper. The first one is obviously gender discrimination. It is often defied in broad terms as “the practice of treating a group of people differently based upon their gender” (“Strengthening Communities,” 2011). In other words, this as a peculiar state of affairs when one of the participants of social relations is not able to enjoy the same amount of rights and power if compared to other participants which is conditioned by belonging to a particular gender. One would make no mistake that the latter is a rather complex notion which is closely connected to the notion of sex. Thus, the former, gender, is often regarded as the biological difference between males and females, while the latter, sex, is seen as the social aspect of the above mentioned relationship. Nevertheless, one should note that gender discrimination is not limited by man and woman pair: those who struggle with their gender identity may also become victims of gender discrimination to a certain extent. Finally, the concept that is largely used to explain the current state of social affairs and should be engaged in the relevant discussion is patriarchy. If translated from directly, it means “power of the father” and reflects an organization of the social environment in which males are able to enjoy more power and a higher status if compared to women. Indeed, from the dawn of civilization, men were seen as the driving force of the society: they waged wars, served as priests and became first politicians. One would make no mistake arguing that this inertia which started from the primitive society can be easily traced in the contemporary society. Types of Gender Discrimination Speaking of types of gender discrimination, one is able to mention quite a few. First of all, it is direct discrimination. For example, a certain company might have a rule that Chief Executive Office may only be a man. In other words, the rules of it treat female workers unfairly and do not allow them to occupy a higher position in the organization in spite of the fact that they might outperform their male colleagues. It must be noted that one can hardly find any signs of direct discrimination in the contemporary society as there has been a series legislation that made it unlawful. The next type is indirect discrimination. As one can easily guess from the term, it is more difficult to identify since it does not treat people differently in a direct by, but in the long run it provides individual with unequal chances. For example, a requirement for a job may include being six feet tall. While it does not say explicitly that men will have more chances than women, the former are more likely to be that tall if compared to the latter (“Sex discrimination”, 2010). Finally, there is another type which, unlike the previous ones, involves violence. Thus, gender discrimination might be manifested in form of harassment and victimization. The former can be broadly defined as a kind of behavior which contains sexually inappropriate elements and causes discomfort to a person (“Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment,” 2014). The latter is connected to the previous terms and describes a situation when a person is suffers from the fact that one pointed out gender discrimination. In other words, it reflects a situation when the majority turns hostile to the minority who challenges the already establish negative practices. Causes of the Gender Discrimination at Work Speaking of the causes that contribute to the emergence of gender discrimination at work, one should mention the following ones. First of all, it is the kind of cultural beliefs that are shared by the majority of the employees, namely the patriarchic approach towards organization of work (“Patriarchy & Power”, 2011). Indeed, the practice shows that most companies are being managed by men and there is an establish stereotype that women will always be inferior to men no matter what position they hold. As a result, in spite of being formally equal, female employees are being discriminated against since this kind of actions contributes to reinforcement of patriarchic system of the society. The next important cause which can not be omitted is objectification of women. One would not make an exaggeration suggesting that any workplace should be seen as a part of social environment that is experiencing a tremendous impact of media culture. The latter often promotes the image of a female as an expensive accessory or an object. That is why discrimination which manifests itself in hostile action is not seen as something terrible since it is to directed against a “real” person (a man), but against an objectified person (a woman). Finally, as for the causes that often result in gender discrimination, one should name lack of proper enforcement of relevant policies. Thus, if a woman is being discriminated against and reports this to a superior male, the latter is likely to reconcile with her avoiding the formal procedures. This holds a specific danger for investigation of this phenomenon since it conceals the real scope of the problem. In other words, though companies have detailed and well developed policies with regard gender discrimination and punishment for it, they may not be used by male managers. Jobs Most Likely to Gender Discrimination While considering the issue in question, it may be particularly important to analyze jobs that are most likely to feature it. Thus, one of the most obvious examples is the position of any chief officer. Indeed, despite the fact that the contemporary society puts emphasis on the values of equality, a female CEO is still a rather rare phenomenon. The majority of companies explain the fact that senior management consists exclusively of men with the idea that a male possesses qualities that might contribute to the prosperity of a company in a free market, such as aggressiveness or assertiveness. The next job that used to be dominated almost entirely by men is a lawyer. According to the statistics that was collected by American Bar Association, in 1980 ninety two percent of lawyers were man, while the remaining eight were women (“Lawyer demographics,” 2012). Nowadays, the situation has changed significantly: the number of female lawyers has almost tripled. Nevertheless, male lawyers still outnumber their female colleagues which shows that one can hardly find any equality in this particular area of social life. One of the most viable explanations that can be engaged in this case is yet again patriarchic views on legal system. Finally, an array of jobs that is connected to law enforcement may also feature gender discrimination. For example, in police women are rather rare since they are thought to be physically inferior to men. In spite of the fact that the training of a female police office is not different from a male police office, the latter are more welcomed in the society which thinks that women should deal with the paper work, while men should exercise their physical force and deal with criminals. As a result, it contributes to a gap between two genders. The Discrimination Based on Gender in the Workplace Meaning of the Term “Glass Ceiling“ Now, it may be particularly advantageous to analyze the concept of gender discrimination not theoretically, but in practical dimension. Thus, such discussion will inevitably include the idea of glass ceiling. The latter phenomenon may be defined as “unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements” (“Recommendations of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission,” 1995). As one can easily see, the analogy in this case is perfect: glass represents the invisibility of barriers that a person of a particular gender might face; ceiling reflects the limit of one’s development. It must be noted that this term is often used in the corporate environment. As it has already been noted earlier, path to senior management is full of obstacles for a woman since the latter are seen as less capable of contributing to the success of a company if compared to men. All this results in the fact that at a certain point a women feels that it reached her limit in an organization and no matter how hard she tries she will not be able to pass it. As for the way in which the above mentioned phenomenon is reflected, one might mention two of the most important aspects of every job. On the other hand, glass ceiling does not allow a woman to receive a promotion which means that she is likely to be inferior to other man in the organization. On the other hand, lack of promotion means less chances of securing a sufficient source of income. As a result, her payment in not likely to rise in the future which means that she might need to look for an additional job. The Sexual Harassment could be Considered a Form of the Gender Discrimination As it has already been noted in the previous part that dealt theory, sexual harassment should be seen as a type of gender discrimination. There are several reasons that should be noted while making this connection. First of all, the above mentioned action is primarily directed at women (“Sexual Harassment At Work,” 2015). Indeed, in the patriarchic organization of social environment men are considered to be the driving force of relationships. In other words, the public encourages men desire to interact with women. Secondly, sexual harassment in particular, just like gender discrimination in general, reinforces inequality that exists in the social environment (“Gender equality,” 2012). Indeed, there is some kind of a double standard according to which when a men expresses sexually colored behavior towards a woman, it is considered to be appropriate, while if women are active this is seen as something improper. In other words, the fact that sexual harassment is accepted by the majority of employees and is concealed to a certain extent by them shows that they are able to enjoy more power with regard their role in the social environment and workplace. Finally, the very nature of sexual harassments brings the researcher once again to the notion of patriarchy. Thus, by some people the above mentioned phenomenon is seen as manifestation of excessive masculinity. In spite of the fact that this is a clear violation of workplace ethics, sexual harassment might even be approved by the senior management since it shows that a particular employee behaves like a genuine man. One would make no mistake that it would take a considerable amount of time to eliminate such perception of it, since this approach is approved by the public the opinion of which is primarily formed by males. Ethical Effects of the Gender Discrimination Now it may be useful to examine the effects that gender discrimination has in various dimensions. The first one that will be analyzed is the realm of Ethics. To begin with, one can not omit the fact the gender discrimination have a considerable negative impact on women, contributing to their lack of confidence, stress and feeling of a victim (“Victimisation,” 2015). In other words, having encountered discrimination against them, women can not fully understand why they have to put up with this kind of treatment. Another aspect that should be noted with the above mentioned regard is the excessive power that is granted to men. As it was articulated before, there are instances when organizations tend to conceal the fact of gender discrimination which contributes to the feeling of impunity that is felt by men. Indeed, at first men see that they are able to get away with some inappropriate remarks and later their actions become more serious. Keeping in mind that they are not likely to be severely punished by management, it allows them to gain experience of being more important that they actually are. All these aspects are summed up in the third one: the emergence of distorted relations between two parts of the staff. This means that women gradually accept their inferior status and men tend to abuse their newly acquired power. In other words, the healthy balance which could have become the basis of productiveness in an organization is lost. So, lack of proper reaction towards treating incorrect behavior of employees leads to a crisis within the workplace that would have been easily avoided if the spirit of gender equality was not only actively promoted, but also actively enforced. Economic Effects of the Gender Discrimination Speaking of the economic effects of gender discrimination, one might engage wage gap that exists between male and female employees (“Pay Equity & Discrimination,” 2010). It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that there is no objective basis to pay a woman less for a job if compared to man. Nevertheless, it is often pointed out that wage gap may be found in the majority of organizations. One might suggest that this can be explained by the previously mentioned patriarchic approach towards organization of the workplace which is likely to be distorted if women were paid as much as men. In addition to that, economic effects of gender discrimination might be identified on the stage when a woman wants to enter the workplace. Thus, while being interviewed male applicants have higher chances of being accepted if compared to their female counterparts because of a range of factors. For example, male employees are not going to take maternity leave; their emotional stability is not likely to be influenced by various biological conditions. In addition to that, male employees are not likely to become objects of sexual harassment which means that there will not be possible accusations for a company. Finally, gender discrimination is largely responsible for the fact that in the contemporary society women tend to be economically dependant on men (“Facts and statistics on gender inequality,” 2012). Keeping in mind that they are not likely to be paid as well as their male counterparts and they might experience some difficulty in looking for a job, women have no other way but to see men as their stable source of income. This means that the inferior place that is being imposed on them is conditioned by economic conditions. Therefore, adequate measures in this dimension might be rather effective in resolving this problem. Social Effects of the Gender Discrimination The third aspect that should be taken into account while examining the effect of gender discrimination is the impact that is has on social environment. One of the most obvious consequences of it is the reinforcement of male dominance. As one can easily see from the examples which were brought up in the paragraphs above, men tend to enjoy much more power and privileged if compared to women: a situation that can not be justified. What is more important is that this state of affairs led to creation of patriarchic society, the elements of which can be identified nowadays. If one takes a look at this situation from a different perspective, one can not help noticing that due to gender discrimination women become less active in the social environment (“Why gender?”, 2015). They tend to adequately realize their chances to move up the social ladder alone and see that marriage is the only way for them to contribute to their social capital. It is beyond doubt that such state of affairs is completely unfair towards women since it does not allow them to exercise their abilities to their fullest and have a direct impact on the society. Finally, the above mentioned male dominance and lack of activity of women result into changes in the social environment in general. For example, political or economic world may become more aggressive and more competitive as these are the qualities that characterize men and their manner of interaction. One would not make a mistake pointing that those societies which feature an increased role of women tend to be more moderate, stable and comfortable for the people who live in them. This can be explained by the impact that women have on social environment. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence, one is able to come to the following conclusion: gender discrimination is a negative phenomenon which focuses on unfair treatment of a person bases on one’s gender. As a rule, women are discriminated against by men. The primary cause that contribute to the formation of it include established system of patriarchic beliefs which enshrines that women should be seen inferior to men; objectification of women to a certain extent as well as lack of proper enforcement of policies that makes sure that gender discrimination does not happen. Workplace is the environment that is likely to feature the above mentioned phenomenon. References Facts and statistics on gender inequality. (2012). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://ukfeminista.org.uk/take-action/facts-and-statistics-on-gender-inequality/ Gender equality. (2012). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.gadnetwork.org/storage/csw/Violence Against Women and Girls - Gender Equality.pdf Lawyer demographics. (2012). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/migrated/marketresearch/PublicDocuments/lawyer_demographics_2012_revised.authcheckdam.pdf Patriarchy & Power. (2011). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.apiidv.org/violence/patriarchy-power.php Pay Equity & Discrimination. (2010). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination Recommendations of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. (1995). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/reich/reports/ceiling2.pdf Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment. (2014). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/sex-discrimination-and-sexual-harassment-0 Sex discrimination. (2010). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1814 Sexual Harassment At Work. (2015). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.equalrights.org/legal-help/know-your-rights/sexual-harassment-at-work/ Strengthening Communities by putting an End to Gender Discrimination. (2011). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.pciglobal.org/gender-discrimination/ Victimisation. (2015). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/discrimination_w/discrimination_unlawful_conduct_e/ge23_victimisation.htm Why gender? (2015). Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.fao.org/gender/gender-home/gender-why/why-gender/en/ Read More