Gender Equality in the Workplace

Posted: November 29th, 2013

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Gender Equality in the Workplace

            In every society, there exists a minority and a dominant group. A minority group refers to a social category of particular people based on observable characteristics such as religion, culture, gender, physical disability, politics, class, education, and race (Shepard, 2009). On the other hand, the dominant group can be identified by its superiority in the society due to the privileges, which the members have in accessing opportunities and honored roles. The dominant groups in the society are highly advantaged and considered, while the minority is marginalized because they have no power over their lives. Therefore, they suffer in silence. In most cases, their needs and rights are ignored leading them to struggle excessively to meet their goals.

In the aspect of power control, women are graded as the minority in any society. The stereotypical ideology that women are always subordinates to men has been a lingering thought in the minds of many (Oakley, 2000). Overtime, women adopted the idea and accepted the inferior status quo without friction to the point that most of them began trading within a comfort zone. Such a comfort zone caused them to be unaware of some of their rights and unfortunately, they were lured into conformity that is depicted by a compromise of their roles in the society. There is no doubt that most men have the required expertise in every role in the society. Most inventions and technological improvements are attributed to legendary men, and their reputable commands and directives are characterized by a stream of successes. Nevertheless, women have managed to destroy the intellectual boundary with their impressive efforts and enhanced expertise in fields that were earlier delved in only by men. Therefore, women in companies should be considered equally in managerial and executive positions.

It is commendable to realize that today there are groups of learned women fighting for their rights and inspiring innovation among the youth. However, despite the admirable credentials or educational background, inequality in occupations of managerial and executive positions in companies is still a major issue. Nearly half of the workforce in a company is represented by women but men occupy most of the positions in the top management. According to Laura (2012), the U.S Census Bureau indicates the half representation of women as workers in the U.S but the top management positions were left extremely unrepresented. The percentage of women employed in the field of science and engineering is notably small. The social norms and values inculcated in the upbringing of both sides are that men are ‘managers and women are mothers’, and this belief has greatly propagated the discrimination against women in the workplaces. It is obviously true that women are different from men that can be explained by the different lifestyle choices that women adopt in the course of their maturity. However, competitive environments are steadily molding women into strong-willed people who are eager to establish success in their different fields.

Hillary Clinton is among brave women in the United States to stretch the perspective of women leadership when she was in the presidential race in 2008. Unfortunately, she did not get enough votes to become the country’s leader. This incidence can be useful in measuring the role of women in the society and the perception of those to be led. Does the society view women leadership as mediocre? Would a multitude of people believe in the successful leadership of a woman? Narrowed down to companies, examining the criteria of promotions and appointments can give a clear explanation of the gender imbalance. Women are as significant as men are as shown by their interests in manly fields such as aviation, engineering, political leadership, computer science, and their venture into masters programs. This is an indication that women are trying their best to eliminate the inferior status quo and indulge in complex work to challenge men. Giving women opportunities to lead will encourage healthy competition that will steer many industries towards success. Furthermore, the country will benefit with a strong and consistent economic status.

Women in workplaces often become a minority group when they are less considered. Men have the power to stipulate measures and execute action in such ways that they believe are better for the company’s growth. Sometimes this results in biases at the top level because the coalition of the men subordinates and executives sidelines the interests and the ideas of the women workforce. It is agreeable that men at the top management level will have an affinity for ideas given by men for a particular project because they share majority of views and have a wider scope of familiarization. On the contrary, if there were a balanced number of female representatives in company’s executive board, strategies and goals will be set on equal grounds, and women workforce will not feel discriminated against. Men should not view the elevation of women as a threat but as a mechanism of upgrading the entire company through diversity and inclusion. The stereotypical perception of women’s roles in the society is outdated by the strong educational background of most women today. Therefore, they deserve appreciation for their relentless efforts in development.

The U.S government has attempted to face out discrimination in America through anti-discrimination legislation. However, women remain unrepresented in most high-level posts. It is understandable if women choose not to be given such roles because of other commitments but this should not jeopardize the dreams of a multitude of other women who have leadership aspirations. Women can also be encouraged into senior management positions. This will be a good gesture for establishing gender equality in the country and across the globe. It is therefore important to outline the factors affecting women’s decisions to occupy top-level positions and examine their validity. This will aid in coaching them to become effective leaders in the company. Well-designed executive coaching strategies can then be put in place to realize efficiently trained female personnel with the ability of leading the entire system if given the opportunity. Instead of dismissing them as people with odd personalities in relation to the company roles, they should be given attention and be motivated towards board level positions though sufficient coaching.

Concisely, discrimination against women in the workplace decreases the productivity of the company inadvertently. Whether covert or overt, legislation must support gender equality at all levels. Top officials should abolish stereotypes about women performance because they affect the roles given to women in the company. Currently, women are pursuing careers that show their tenacity and urge of accomplishments. Hence, they should be considered in the managerial and executives positions if they have qualifications in the respective fields. It is admirable how a woman can manage both her home and still desires to manage an office of a company. Women empowerment will not only serve to grace them with reputable roles in society but also nurture and expand innovation in every aspect. Incorporating women into the managerial system will bring about the emergence of new ideas that will increase industrial expansion, leading to the country’s economic boost. Therefore, there should clear ethical codes that ensure they are equally considered in top management positions. Women should also be aware and be vigilante on ensuring the recognition of their rights.

Works Cited

Ciancanelli, Penny. “Survey Research and the Limited Imagination.” Critical Perspectives on Accounting. 9.3 (1998): 387. Print. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1045235497901933>

Laura. Gender In equality in the U.S Today. Trust Women. 19 March 2012. Web. 9 July 2012. <http://www.trustwomenpac.org/2012/03/gender-inequality-in-the-u-s-today/>

Oakley, Judith G. “Gender-based Barriers to Senior Management Positions: Understanding the Scarcity of Female Ceos.” Journal of Business Ethics. 27.4 (2000): 321-334. Print. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/25074386?uid=3738336&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=56298845423>

Shepard, Jon. Sociology. Cengage Learning, 2009. Print <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0495599018/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0495096342&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=160PSVT9RT4N0ZT2Q7KX >