Class, Race and Gender - Essay Example

Making It Real: Race, and Gender Making It Real: Race, and Gender Introduction The ability of individuals to face various social problems is depended on a series of factors. The financial and the social status are common criteria for judging the potentials of people to respond to challenges of different types. In any case it seems that the perceptions of each individual in regard to the necessity and the value of particular social policies are differentiated. Current paper presents the personal experiences of the writer, a middle class female, in the workplace. These experiences are used as the basis for evaluating the effectiveness of sociological theories, such as the conflict theory and functionalism, when interpreting the responses of individuals or societies towards specific social problems. It seems that workplace is an area where the skills of employees are likely to be revealed – referring not just to the ability to respond to the demands of a particular position but also the ability to negotiate with the employer the increase of the employees’ rights – following the practices already established in firms of similar characteristics globally. 2. Personal experiences related to age and gender My personal experiences in the workplace can lead to the assumption that inequalities among people on the basis of their gender and age still exist even if employers often take measures for the elimination of such phenomena. Being white may be perceived as an advantage in regard to work; however, there are two other elements, which can strongly influence the prospects of employees in modern organizations: age and gender. Being female is often a burden in work limiting the chances for promotion. Also, being over 40 is another disadvantage for employees – no matter the gender of the employee involved. Personally, I have understood that my gender and my age are burdens towards my professional development. The use of the conflict theory and functionalism for evaluating my personal experiences in the workplace is considered as an appropriate method for emphasizing on problems, which are likely to be common among a high percentage of employees worldwide. 2.1 Description of burdens because of gender/ age I have been working in the same firm for about 12 years. My compensation has been kept at stable levels since my entrance in the organization. It was about 5 years ago that I asked the HR manager to re-consider the level of my compensation. He replied that I might have right to ask for an increase of compensation but the current financial status of the organization does not allow such initiatives. I have noted thought that there are male colleagues working in positions of lower value/ importance who are given a higher compensation – reaching even a percentage of 30% compared to my salary. The specific fact proves the inequality developed in the organization on the basis of gender. At the same time, my role in the organization has not been particularly improved; my duties and rights within the organization have remained the same – for the 12 years of my presence in the specific organization. I have asked the HR manager to increase the power of my role – meaning also the duties incorporated in the particular position. He replied that such decisions could be only taken when critical changes have been made on the firm’s strategy; as the HR manager claimed, no such issue exists in the organization where I work. In accordance with the above, my gender and age have become burdens towards my professional development in the specific organization. The specific problem should be reviewed taking into consideration the fact that the judge decides on the basis of the role of each of the individuals participated in the hearing of the case from the court. Up today, I have not been given the chance to support my claims for increase of my compensation and improvement of my position within the organization. The use of the sociology for interpreting the behavior of the employer could help to understand the actual causes of his decision to refuse the improvement of my position within the organization and to avoid any increase in my salary – considering the fact that the case could be set under risk. 2.2 Evaluation of life experiences using the conflict theory and functionalism My life experiences – referring especially to my personal experiences in the workplace – can be evaluated using the conflict theory and functionalism. It is derived that managing conflict can be a challenging task, requiring appropriate preparation and development of an alternative plan – in case of unexpected changes in the organization’s external environment. 2.2.1 How the conflict theory and functionalism apply to the personal experiences and on what grounds? The conflict theory is based on the perception that the position of each individual as a member of a particular social team is depended on the ability of individual to impose his views on the other members of the team, or else on his ability ‘to exercise influence and control on others in order to produce social order’ (Andersen 2007, p.21). On the other hand, functionalism is based on the view that society is ‘a set of social institutions that perform specific functions to ensure continuity and consensus’ (Giddens 2006, p.238). In the context of the above theories, my personal experiences in the workplace could be evaluated as follows: using the conflict theory my failure to fight for my rights in the workplace results from my inability in general to impose my views on others – in the particular case, the employer (Fine 1993). Being influenced by my perceptions on human behavior when the achievement of personal goals is initiated I have failed in promoting my position in the organization showing lack of confidence on my skills – a fact which has been probably made clear to the employer. At the next level, functionalism could be possibly used for the evaluation of my failure in improving my position in the workplace. With no support from the family I have been unable to manage daily issues, even if the support offered in the workplace in regard to various employee issues has been significant. At this point the following detail should be mentioned: in case of an individual with a different social environment, for instance a supportive family, the potentials for managing challenges in the workplace – meaning the compensation and promotion inequalities – would be different. 2.2.2 How the personal life chances were limited in my life – use of the sociological concept of collective behavior and the sociological theory of social and political change (Karl Marx); use of the status construction theory The behavior of individuals within their social environment – meaning the family/ friends but also the workplace – is likely to be influenced by a series of factors. The existing social trends usually establish standards, which are difficult to be eliminated or alternated. The sociological concept of collective behavior is based on the view that the freedom of individual to act independently within the society is limited under the influence of collective behavior, meaning the perceptions and the behavior of the majority of people in the particular community. Through collective behavior standards of individual behavior are likely to be established, leading often to the limitation of personal rights – in favor of the rights and the interests of the public (Kirkpatrick, Katsiaficas & George, 1987). Through a similar perception, Karl Marx has noted that the patterns of social behavior developed in each era are strongly depended on the political trends of the relevant period (Jayapalan 2001). In other words, even if inequalities appear in one or more aspects of social life, the existence of political practices and rules that justify these inequalities – usually for promoting the public good – can lead to the development of these inequalities, even if they are clearly opposed to one or more rights of the individuals involved. In other words, social inequalities can be considered as the result of the development of problematic political concepts – capitalism is the most common framework on which the views of Marx on social behavior are based. At the same time, the status construction theory (Burke 2006) which supports the existence of social inequalities under the influence of the wealth of each individual, can be also used for explaining the burdens I have faced trying to improve my job position – as a role but also in terms of compensation. In accordance with the above theories, my potentials in regard to my professional development should be characterized as limited – from the first instance, i.e. my entrance in the workplace – due to my low financial status, my gender and my age, as the role of these factors in the development of employees is increased under the influence of the political conditions and the collective behavior trends developed within each society. 2.2.3 Suggestions and recommendations about the potential involvement of local communities, of the state and the federal governments in the improvement of life chances for all groups in society The inequalities described above – referring to my personal experiences in the workplace – could be possibly avoided if the local community had developed appropriate plans for support of employees with similar characteristics – gender/ age. Indeed, local communities are able to press the politicians for promoting practices and regulations that ensure fairness and equality in the workplace (Jenson 2007). Having to respond to the claims of a collective body, such as the community, the political powers of each country – meaning the various authorities and the federal government – would be more willing to promote schemes that secure fairness and equality, for instance the periodical review of the practices and the rules of organizations for checking whether they promote equality or not. Of course, self-awareness would be a prerequisite for evaluating whether a specific organizational practice is discriminatory or not (Pelletier 2009). In any case, all employees should be given the chance to participate in the decision making process of their organization – even at a low level, meaning the development of decisions of minor importance; such perspective is promoted through the job authority concept promoted in the study of Smith (2002). On the other hand, the use of standards for evaluating the potentials of employees to perform successfully in a particular role can hide many risks (Benjamin 1996); most commonly, the ability of employees to respond to the various challenges of their role is not revealed immediately when they enter a particular organization. Thus, allocating critical tasks and decisions to employees who have been in the organization for a short period of time can be a risky practice. 3. Conclusion Sociology cannot explain all aspects of human behavior within a particular social environment mostly because the responses of each individual to various social challenges are likely to be differentiated being influenced by his personal skills, his background and his willingness to align his decisions with the rules of his social environment. My personal experiences in the workplace can be partially evaluated using appropriate sociological theories and concepts, like those presented above. However, in the long term, the effectiveness of these theories and concepts could be challenged having in mind the fact that the political trends and the social ethics in countries worldwide, as these trends and ethics can influence the personal beliefs or the public response (for example, the community) in regard to one or more critical social issues, are not standardized. References Andersen, M. (2007) Sociology: understanding a diverse society. Belmont: Cengage Learning Benjamin Singer. "In defense of standards as a sociological concern." Canadian Journal of Sociology 21.3 (1996): 423-6. Academic OneFile. Web. 25 July 2011. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.nmc.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA30215484&v=2.1&u=lom_nwmichcoll&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Burke, P. (2006) Contemporary social psychological theories. California: Stanford University Press Fine, Gary Alan. "The sad demise, mysterious disappearance, and glorious triumph of symbolic interactionism." Annual Review of Sociology 19 (1993): 61+. Academic OneFile. Web. 25 July 2011. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.nmc.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA14538275&v=2.1&u=lom_nwmichcoll&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Giddens, A. (2006) Sociology. London: Polity Jayapalan, N. (2001) Sociological Theories. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Dist. Jenson, Jeffrey M. "Neighborhood and community effects on individual behavior and social functioning." Social Work Research 31.4 (2007): 195+. Academic OneFile. Web. 25 July 2011. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.nmc.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA173925211&v=2.1&u=lom_nwmichcoll&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Kirkpatrick, G., Katsiaficas, G. & George, R. (1987) Introduction to critical sociology. New York: Ardent Media Pelletier, Jillian. "Money does not buy happiness: using the sociological imagination to move beyond stressful lives." Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge 7.3 (2009): 173+. Academic OneFile. Web. 25 July 2011. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.nmc.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA219589535&v=2.1&u=lom_nwmichcoll&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Smith, Ryan A. "Race, gender, and authority in the workplace: theory and research." Annual Review of Sociology (2002): 509+. Academic OneFile. Web. 25 July 2011. Document URL http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.nmc.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA92528475&v=2.1&u=lom_nwmichcoll&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Read More