By: Meghan Davis
"The wage gap persists in much of the country, and that record-breaking number of female CEOs was only 3.6%" said the study of Discrimination In The Workplace Against Women May Depend On Men's Marital Structure.
In today's economy, many women, even men experience discrimination. This discrimination may depend on variables like: age, race, ability, job, or even marital status. Most cases involve women because society tends to devalue women in the workplace. In the past few years, women have been attending college and receiving more bachelor's and masters degree then men. As soon as women enter the workplace, it is like none of that matters anymore. If women can climb the ladder of success in education, why can't they in the workplace?
The following video provides effective examples about discrimination of men and women in the workplace. (Todd)
This illustration depicts that women get paid less then men do even though they are as qualified, if not more qualified then men (Ura).
|
This photo depicts a woman underneath a glass ceiling, trying to get promotions at work but is restricted by the "glass ceiling effect" (Moony). |
This picture shows a book that is about men being discriminated against (Ford).
|
"A woman earns only 80 cents for every dollar a man earns"(Hsu).In today's workplace, it is a proven fact that women are paid twenty cents less then men are paid. This is true in most workplaces except for businesses that women dominate. Examples of businesses that women dominate for the most part is the teaching fields, nursing fields, and the beauty departments. This type of discrimination even occurs in the United States where it is illegal. This happens because an article states, "Society norms, rules, and roles instruct and encourage men to devalue women in the United States even where there are anti discrimination laws in place to discourage such attitudes" (Corporations Sued For Gender Discrimination Against Women and Men). These laws may discourage some businesses from discriminating against men or women, but there are the few businesses that don't follow these rules what so ever.
|
"The "glass ceiling" is also a form of gender discrimination. The term refers to the invisible barriers that prevent women from climbing the ranks of management because upper level and executive positions are given to men. Glass ceiling policies are unwritten" (Corporations Sued For Gender Discrimination Against Women And Men).The glass ceiling effect plays a huge role today's society. The glass ceiling effect mostly effects women, and rarely effects men. Glass celling policies are unwritten and sometimes called "the old boys network". The glass ceiling was put in place to prevent women from climbing too far up on the ladder of management. The glass ceiling mostly effects women because the men are usually given upper level and executive positions.
|
"A male employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is suing the agency for gender discrimination, claiming that a physical fitness test to become an FBI agent is biased against men" (Corporations Sued For Gender Discrimination Against Women And Men).Most gender discrimination cases involve men discriminating against women. It is very rare for men to be discriminated against. Some cases where this may happen are if men are working with a makeup company, and the women employees are hesitant to hire them because they are men. Another case is if men are involved in a job that requires a physical test to get hired like the scenario above. I can imagine that some companies may expect men to be more physically fit then the women who are applying for that type of job.
|
Recommendations
In order to improve workplace equality here are some steps that you can follow to ensure happiness of all employees:
Get Educated: "Why doesn't a women's success in school translate into success in the real world" (Hsu)? The truth is that success in school does translate into success in the workplace, you just have to work at it.
Educate Others: "The modern American workplace simply doesn't reflect the fact that women are equally qualified for the same jobs as men" (Gender Inequality in the Workplace). I agree with this statement because in a study that Harvard did they proved that more women have bachelor's and master's degrees, and are clearly more qualified as of now.
Get Educated: "Why doesn't a women's success in school translate into success in the real world" (Hsu)? The truth is that success in school does translate into success in the workplace, you just have to work at it.
Educate Others: "The modern American workplace simply doesn't reflect the fact that women are equally qualified for the same jobs as men" (Gender Inequality in the Workplace). I agree with this statement because in a study that Harvard did they proved that more women have bachelor's and master's degrees, and are clearly more qualified as of now.
Works Cited List:
- Wolfe, Lahle. "Corporations Sued For Gender Discrimination Against Women And Men."About.com Women in Business. About.com, 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
- National Partnership for Women and Families. "Because Actions Speak Louder Than Words." Workplace Discrimination. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013
- Hsu, Cindy. "Gender Inequality in the Workplace." The Harvard Independent. The Harvard Independent, 1 Dec. 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.