Gender Inequality Essay

It is not up for logical argu last forcet whether wo custody ar discriminated against in the mildewplace it is evident in census data in 1998 women made 73 cents to the dollar compens able to men. counterbalance today, in that respect is keep mum a make up come to the fore gap that exists between women and men. It is verbalise that the organizations that ar pro- agree brook, including whatsoever unions, support the idea that the authorities should set engage for whole line of merchandises. To the contrary, the organizations that be proponents of come to cede atomic number 18 not for telephone circuit salary being set by the government-they wish to expect the favoritism eat upn out of give in scales from indoors the telephoner. Comm precisely, this compensation gap is attri thoed to the fact that women in the linked States atomic number 18 lock in expect to attend to familial obligations over work.Data shows that women do attend to family obligatio ns, standardized having a child, caring for a sick family member, or caring for an elder scarcely they alike do not give up on work. Yes, women often chose small-scaleer paying jobs in exchange for tensile hours and do spend a lower digit of hours per week long-term at their jobs than their ph everyic counterparts. Be rationality women be socialized to be the primary c atomic number 18 givers they atomic number 18 kept at these lower paying jobs that ar much ductile, the jobs allow them to care for their family however unruffled retain an income (possibly a second income for the household). Womens ever-changing roles in society has resulted in this workplace problem.Women are allowed and often further to work but they are not rewarded or compensated at the homogeneous train, for their exploits, that men in the work force are. The pay gap would be narrowed if companies were much conducive to family schedules. Men and women would receive equal pay for the correspo nding job. Companies would benefit by retaining look employees. Men and women take up to start out making the alike marrow of money for the alike(p) job, companies need to offer women good maternity move on, families need to be offered child care (or childcare compensation), there needs to be a flexible work environment, and men should never be deter from taking paternity leave.It seems that women workers have reached a plateau in society. In order for women to be regard as men are) in the workplace there needs to be a redistribution of domestic and family work. Its accept fit now for women to work but this acceptation into the workforce has not drastically changed what they, women, are expected to perform at billet. There is no panache for women to move forward to equation in pay if they are not recognized as contributors to their job (i.e. women are still expected to perform outdoor(a) of work in the family setting as thoroughly in a way that men are barely expecte d to perform at work and not at home).As soon as more than than domestic and family work is allocated to men than women pass on be able-bodied to attain equal pay. Women, with slight work at home, give be able to commit to full time jobs, have to leave the workforce slight, take less leave, and be able to climb the corporate ladder good as men are today.Since 1942, sexual practice inequality, at least in pay, can be traced. In 1942 the guinea pig state of war Labor Board issued a oecumenic order that authorized employers to gravel voluntary adjustments in salaries or pay in order to dispute gender equality (at least in jobs were women and men worked the exact same job and had comparable quality and quantity of work) (CNN). Rates of women in turn over unions has been increase since they have entered the workforce. Even with the increase of women union amount this inequality of pay still exists. Women are encouraged by unions and new(prenominal) organizations to sue their employer if they are being treated unfairly in the workplace. Women are flimsy to pursue this option against their employers because of limited resources, i.e. money and time. sexual practice discrimination in the workplace is not simply evident in the pay gap but also in sexual harassment and the crackpot hood in organizations. The term glass cap began as a reference to discrimination against women in the work force. Glass ceiling encompasses some another(prenominal) contrasting kinds of discrimination against women workers including but not limited to differences in pay for comparable work, sexual harassment in the workplace, and companies that do not have family-friendly policies. The glass ceiling is an unwritten rule in many businesses.The ceiling is an unseeable barrier that usually affects minorities and women. This barrier is passing debilitating for women in their job because it makes them emotional state lowly and that their bosses do not take them serio usly because of their sex. Women feel that their bosses arent taking them seriously because the bosses do not view them as potential candidates for the closely(prenominal) honored blots in the establishment. The glass ceiling is another dictatorial means used by corporate the States to keep women out of powerful positions and keep them from raking in a lot of money in damage of their gross income. A study done by the U.S Department of Labor in 1991 followed nine contingency 500 companies and the results confirmed that workers in these companies, minorities and women especially, came into contact with the invisible barrier, the glass ceiling, very early on in their vocations.The U.S. Supreme Court has designated two polar types of sexual harassment in workplaces Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is harassment that straight off results in an employment outcome (ex. the harasser would judge that if you dont do X you volition lose your job). Sexual harassment of Type 2 is not nearly as direct but creates a hostile work environment for the peeved worker. This hostile in environment can be created by rude gestures, sabotaged work, inappropriate name calling, blunt jokes, unnecessary touching, comment on the appearance of others (physical attributes), and so forthWomen are now surpassing men in the amount of education, in years and higher degrees, they have. If the workforce does not allow them to pursue executive career options then they go forth find themselves unable to film these positions. Women in 1996 pull in 1,255,057 college degrees as compared to men who earned 992,638 degrees (Career Planning). The ever increasing amount of women furthering their education makes them more likely to want to enter the job market. Also, the extended a woman is in school the longish she go forth be in the workforce, when she enters it, because it is likely that she will delay childbearing.Even though female graduates may be even more qualified for a position than her male counterpart the woman will be much more likely to be recommended for a job as an companion or secretary job than the man. She will be told that this assistant or secretarial job is her way to bushel her theme in the door at the company. The employers will act like this is a typical entry-level position when in fact a man in the same situation will immediately deject at a much higher level in the company. Women are over represented in the lower paying jobs in the company- almost all assistants and secretarial positions are filled by women patch men crowd the top and fill the most prestigious positions in the company. This concentration of men at the top and women at the bottom is called occupational requisition.I began the Intro to Critical Feminist Studies furrow with a very clear idea of what womens lib is yet I was hesitant to call myself a womens liberationist. A feminist, to me, is psyche who advocates for womens rights and their equality as compared to men. W omen and men are equal yet two are very different. A feminist is someone who capitalizes on and embraces the differences between men and women. Anyone can be a feminist but feminism, to me, means only advocating for womens issues like gender discrimination in the workplace. Through the semester my definition of feminism has not changed drastically yet I am much more willing to associate myself with this movement/name. My hesitation in calling myself a feminist was based on worries about the social implications of the word feminist.I dont judge people only if because they attach this label to themselves or associate with other feminists so there must have been some deeper concern about the social implications of being one, a feminist. I dont think that somebodys needfully associate being a feminist with prejudicial things but that socially, in group situations and in the larger context of society and politics, being labeled as a feminist will limit your options. Specifically, I a m concerned with the implications of being a feminist in the workplace. The workplace, to me, is the center of the politically correct and in some way labeling yourself a feminist makes you politically incorrect and socially awkward. Labeling yourself a feminist, ironically, attributes a male characteristic to you, i.e. confidence. Because feminists are labeled with this confidence and that they have such a clear idea of what darknesss against women are they are outcasts.This bailiwick, gender discrimination in the workplace, is related to a topic in my previous papers, women and healthcare. The job market is likely the most influential factor in an individuals ability to obtain health insurance. This job-place discrimination against women indirectly affects the quality of healthcare available to most American women. Its important to me to have equality in the workplace because I am a women and I dont deserve to make less money than a male-counterpart just because of my sex. Eve n if it is the case that women are in and out of the labor force (more than men) because of familial obligations there is no cause for this discrimination in the workplace. Women are in and out of the labor market caring for men, mens children, and mens relatives yet women get nonrecreational less than men for the same job. There is even more cause for the wage gap to be closed because womens roles are changing many women are both mothers and workers. In the past, maybe it was OK (not just but socially acceptable) for women to make less money than men because men were the providers and the womans income was play money. This is no longer the case. Women are now equal providers for their family, possibly the bigger earner, and frequently the bushel provider for their household (single moms etc.).A female that just graduated from college with a major in market calls an substance to schedule an interview. She gets to the interview on time, swell dressed, and ready to be hired. The interview proceeds and the interviewer is strike with her resume but is very interested in her typing speed. The interviewer takes the recent grad to another room, a computer lab, where she is sat down and prepared to take a typing test-to determine her words per minute. age typing, she sees an acquaintance of hers from school and he is applying to work for the agency as well. Her male acquaintance is interviewed by the same person yet he is immediately suggested for a position in the company without taking a typing test. The interviewer suggested the taping test for the female grad because having good typing skills would help her get her foot in the door, i.e. she could start out as an assistant or secretary. Even though both prospective employees, the woman and the man, had equitable educations the woman was not encouraged/allowed by the interviewer to enter the ranks of the business as anyone but a secretary (Career Planning).Some examples of gender discrimination in the workpl ace are women not being hired for a position (which they are qualified for) because the companys long-time clients feel more comfortable dealing with men, during company cutbacks men with the same job with less seniority keep their job over a woman who has been working for the company for a long time, and women not being able to attain a promotion even though they qualify for it (the womanhas exemplary check up ons and has earned many awards in her position (like employee of the year, etc.) the promotion is given to a less qualified male).After the National War Labor Board issued general order xvi the fight for equal pay continues. President posterior F. Kennedy signed the commensurate Pay exploit in 1963. This Act signed by JFK applied to 27.5 one million million million workers (both men and women) and required employees doing work requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility- and work performed under similar working conditions-be nonrecreational equal wages (CNN). In s ubsequent years, hobby both the general order sixteen and the Equal Pay Act, numerous bills and acts have been passed to guarantee women and men equal pay for the same job yet the pay gap still exists today.A more recent statistic on the pay difference, from 2000, found that women still make .80 cents to the dollar thats give to their male counterparts (GAO). A few women have been compensated for their illogical wages. The Department of Labors Office of federal official Contract Compliance Programs, OFCCP, began reviewing corporate management systems in 1993. The OFCCP began the review process after President observance Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act. This Act protects workers jobs guaranteeing them at least twelve months of unpaid leave collectable to the birth of a child or extremum family circumstances (someone is very ill, etc.). These reviews of corporate management systems has been instrumental in paying back wages to women. angiotensin converting enzy me of the OFCCPs reviews included an evaluation of Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. The hospital, as a result of its preliminary review by the OFCCP, agreed to pay over $425,000 in back wages to 52 female workers these workers were busy in the top six grades of the hospitals personnel structure (CNN).Also, after the hospitals review they gave 44 out of the 52 women pay raises, which gave these individuals more than $178,000 (extra) in total. These raises account for more than $4,000 a year extra income for each woman. Out of all the corporate reviews by OFCCP, the largest settlement was with CoreStates Financial grounding in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a result of their review CoreStates paid more than 1.5 million dollars to women and minorities to compensate them for (past) pay discrimination. In addition to paying the 1.5 million dollars to workers CoreStates paid more than 334,000, in salary adjustments to 76 women and 66 members of minorities (CNN). The monetary compensation does not address the outset of why women are paid less than men. If companies are willing to settle with the OFCCP and pay lost wages to female workers then they obviously recognize the injustice they are committing in the pay scales. Even with the release of numerous acts that require employers to give equal pay the gap still continues between women and mens salaries.From the 1960s when JFK signed the Equal Pay Act the number of women workers was at an all-time high. From the beginning of the 60s to the mid 70s more than half the increase in the amount of workers in the labor force was made up of women. most(prenominal) of these women were married and delayed having children so they could stay in the labor force longer. Even though womens primary obligations are to their families they still do stay put in the workforce after having children. Families cant make it without the second income provided by the female. Women are in and out of the labor force but only to recover from c hildbirth the number of working moms in 2006 was over 2.6 million. More than 72 percent of mothers in the Unites States, with children under the age of 18, are either occupied part or full-time.Women are in hostile environments at home and at work. Women are paid less than men for the same job, are sexually harassed at work, and are cornered into low paying demeaning work. Even though women are expected to be equal providers for their family they are also expected to be the primary caretaker of their family. It is impossible for women to travel by in both arenas if they are not apt(p) equality. This equality would include either redistribution of domestic and family work (while women continue to work in the office) or equal respect for womens work (women staying at home while men work in the office).