The Problem of Gender Stratification In The Workplace
Aleisha Brown
English 102
Jean Akers
The Problem of Gender Stratification
Gender inequality is present in many aspects of people's lives. Gender inequality in the workplace causes many problems for women including, unequal pay, unfair treatment, and more work-related obstacles. Gender stratification occurs when gender differences give men greater privilege and power over women (Fiorentine). The differences in gender-based expectations and treatment can be seen in many workplaces today. Occupational stereotypes are present in more egalitarian and developed countries (Breda, et al. par. 1). The unequal pay and unequal opportunities because of gender must be addressed. Gender stratification holds society back and allows inequality to remain in the workforce. Gender stratification in the workplace is still a big problem in the United States. Research suggests that gender occupational segregation will not decrease simply because societies become more developed. Since the problem of gender stratification in the workplace will not solve itself, it is up to the citizens of the U.S. and U.S. leaders to fight for equal rights regardless of gender. The occupational inequality present in today's world works as a deterrent to young women or girls who dream of working in competitive fields. Women are not being treated equally, even though they are putting in the same amount of work as their male counterparts. Gender stratification in the workplace also decreases the amount of representation and diversity in work. Putting an end to gender stratification in the workplace would lead to more diverse, equal, creative, and fair companies. The more people who understand what gender stratification is and how it affects daily life, the more people that can work towards an equal and fair society. Gender Stratification in the workplace is a problem that needs to be addressed because it is a deterrent to women in the workforce and decreases the amount of representation, equality, and diversity in the workplace.
In order to properly explain my thesis, I have centered my paper on proving the three points of my statement. The first part of my paper explains how gender stratification is a deterrent to women in the workforce and provides supporting details explaining why. Each point that I prove will include at least two subpoints of information. The second part of my paper provides a look at how women are underrepresented in the workplace. Finally, my third point provides an explanation of how gender stratification leads to less diversity and less opportunity. The entire paper is organized into points and at the end of my paper I provide a conclusion that ties all of my data together to restate my thesis.
THE DETERRENT
Gender stratification has been shown to be a deterrent to women who wish to work in competitive careers. Work is the way that people make their living and afford necessary essentials. Gender stratification makes it so women make less money than men for working the same job. This can cause a problem for women who need to afford to pay for living expenses. If women cannot afford living expenses or do not make as much as men then it can deter women from working certain jobs or choosing certain career paths. Gender stratification is the cause of pay gaps and less pay for women in the workplace. Women still do not earn the same amount as men for completing the same work. In 2010, American females only earned 81 percent of what their male coworkers earned (International Labor Organization, pp. 4). According to Kalsen and Lamanna, Employment gaps impact economic performance greatly. This is not a great surprise considering how big a difference missing out on twenty percent of a salary can make. Gender stratification in the workplace doesn't just affect the women working, it affects their family and their spouses as well. Think about this, if a woman is the main provider of the family's finances and she makes twenty percent less than all of her male counterparts then does it affect the family financially? It holds them back and potentially causes them more hardships for the simple reason of gender inequality in the workplace. There should be no reason that a woman cannot support her family just as easily as a man. Gender inequality in education and employment has a significant negative impact on reductions in fertility, child mortality, and undernutrition (Popescu pp. 2).
Not only does gender stratification affect the pay that women are given, but it also affects the rate at which they are employed in certain careers. Women usually also have fewer opportunities for employment, "In the U.S., thirty-three percent of women work in part-time positions compared to 12 percent of all men" (Young). Many companies are biased or prejudiced against hiring women for certain jobs due to their gender beliefs. Gender stratification can cause bias and judgment against women in the workplace, which can be another cause for women to avoid certain careers or job opportunities. Gender stereotypes and biases can cause a lot of pain for women in the workforce and can make working very difficult. Scholars have explained the deeply rooted gender stereotypes, which are especially prominent in places like the U.S. and other developed countries, as the reasoning behind the"gender-equality paradox". The Gender-Equality Paradox is the fact that gender segregation across occupations is more pronounced in more developed countries (Breda, et al, p. 1). Gender stereotypes and traditional beliefs about the role of a woman in the family dynamic also affect how women are treated in every aspect of life. It wasn't until recently that jobs even offered maternity leave and even now there are strict rules for such things regarding women. Women are treated worse off because they are assumed to have existing or expected family commitments that will interfere with their work. There is bias against women due to sexist beliefs that are socially taught, like the belief that women are too emotional, it is for this reason that some employers might hold off promoting women to high positions of authority. Women are not offered raises or positions of power nearly as often as men in the same position. Workplace discrimination occurs for a number of reasons, including workplace norms that show the value of men over women in the workplace, such as clubs or meetings that exclude women (Young). Companies and establishments need to abolish gender stratification and create new norms that value women just as much as men in the workplace.
UNDERREPRESENTATION
Women are underrepresented in the workplace. Statistics show trends of women sticking to health or educational career paths while men choose to work in labor or scientific career paths. Growing up, people might imagine construction workers as strong men and scientists as men in lab coats. When asked to imagine a nurse, people would probably imagine a woman in scrubs. The statistics actually do not show this as far off from the truth. Most construction workers are men and most nurses are women. Women represent high percentages of the health and education service jobs but only represented 43.2 percent of the professional, scientific, and technical services sectors and 8.9 percent of the construction sector of the workforce as of 2010 (International Labor Organization). When thinking about why women are not represented in certain workforces, consider the lack of opportunities that women are presented with. As explained before, women are often presented with fewer opportunities which leads to less experience and fewer women in certain workforces. When gender norms and biases are taught to men and women with the purpose of keeping women from working certain jobs and keeping men in positions of power, it keeps society from progressing. Hard-working women deserve positions of power the same as hard-working men. Women are shown to be overrepresented in precarious work settings, yet underrepresented in positions of power. Despite the challenges, there are still women who have worked toward their goals and made it to very high CEO positions. These women overcame gender-based obstacles that they should not have faced in the first place. Women currently hold 8.2% of the CEO positions at those S&P positions and Fortune 500 companies (Catalyst).
This leads me to my next point, which is that women do not hold as many leadership positions as men. Research shows that there is a lack of promotions available to women compared to the availability of promotions to their male counterparts in many occupations (Samuelson et al, pp.2). Gender norms and biases contribute to the fact that women are not promoted or trusted with higher positions as often as men are. Eliminating the biases and gender-based norms in the workplace could help create a more comfortable and equal environment for women. If more women held higher positions of power, it could lead to gender stratification becoming less of a problem because women could be in better positions to fight for equal pay and could make changes within their companies. Sadly, there are simply not enough women in positions of power within companies or workforces. The lack of representation of women in leadership positions is a reason for the problem of gender stratification continuing, with fewer female leaders there are fewer people fighting for gender equality in the workplace and less opportunity for proving sexist gender norms wrong. This is not just a problem for female employees, a lack of female leaders has been linked to consequences such as reduced satisfaction and a decrease in diversity, and a lower number of organizational strategies (Samuelson et al., p.4). It has been proven, however, that the lack of women in leadership positions is not due to a lack of talent or skill. The real problem is gender inequality and unfair treatment in the workplace.
LESS DIVERSITY AND OPPORTUNITY
Gender stratification leads to less diversity and less opportunity for new ideas and different points of view. Since gender stratification leads to fewer people being hired and fewer opportunities for people other than men, it is not surprising that it also leads to less diversity in the workplace. Underrepresentation and lack of diversity can also be due to the organization's entry or hiring systems, which often discriminate against hiring women in many fields or job requirements. Diversity is an important aspect of work because it leads to more ideas and a more unique and diverse workplace. Different people bring different skills or talents to the job, which can lead to the company doing better in general. The more diversity the more unique ideas, which can lead to more productivity in the workplace. Just as increased diversity in the workplace can lead to a good outcome for the whole company, a lack of diversity in the workplace can lead to less company productivity. A lack of diversity leads to a lack of ideas. Gender stratification affects all of society. Underrepresentation and a lack of diversity hold all of society back. As discussed earlier, gender stratification and barriers cause disadvantages for women and economic inequality affects all of society as a result. Abolishing gender stratification would eliminate some of the representation and diversity problems present in today's society. Researchers have studied how women have to go through different processes than men when trying to advance in their careers. Men are known to climb the career ladder while women go through the career "Labrinth". These struggles and added obstacles caused by gender stratification can stop women from advancing and cause a lack of representation and diversity in workplaces (Samuelson et al.). This creates an unequal workplace for men and women.
The workplace should be an equal and fair place for everyone to work and contribute, but due to gender stratification, there are gender barriers that make this difficult. Gender stratification causes inequality between men and women and causes conflict or resentment in the workplace, as shown when looking at HR reports (Stamarski, Son Hing.).
Equality boosts collaboration because it makes all members of the company feel comfortable sharing ideas, but inequality in organizations teaches men that they should be more valued than women (Young). Equality in the workplace should be a goal that all companies strive for and work toward. Employees look on hiring websites for reviews on equality in the workplace. When companies value women and men equally, it often leads to fair and ethical work. Critical thinking skills and creativity are often shown to be higher in places where equality is valued (Duta, pp.2). Equality enhances reputation by showing how companies are safe and respectable places to work and how they treat employees fairly (Dutta, pp. 3).
There is still sexism and judgment in the workplace that is thought of as acceptable and many companies are not doing enough to discourage these behaviors. Some companies' actions actually prove to follow gender-based courses of action and biases to work against women in some cases. The gender biases and sexist norms that are established in many workplaces just increase the tension and resentment between men and women who work together. Teaching people that certain jobs are designated to certain genders only holds society back as a whole. Gender stratification and gender inequality ultimately lead to more struggle and conflict and less productivity.
CONCLUSION
Gender Stratification in the workplace is a problem that needs to be addressed because it leads to inequality. When gender stratification is prominent in a society it leads to more problems and less productivity. Gender stratification and gender norms teach women to avoid going into certain careers and stick to what society thinks is acceptable for women to do. Gender stratification causes struggles for women based on their gender and makes it difficult for women to even obtain a job. Once they get the job, women still are not paid the same amount of income as their male coworkers. To make it even worse, when their male coworkers are being promoted to higher positions of power in the company, the women there will probably still remain in the same positions they started in. Gender stratification holds all of society back because it leads to less diversity and fewer opportunities for individuals in a society. Less diversity in the workplace results in less representation. Gender stratification is not just a problem for women in society, it causes financial problems for all of society because of the inequality and pay gaps. Gender pay gaps and gender-based inequalities are major issues because they lead to more struggling families and more income-based struggles that should not exist in the first place. Gender stratification is prominent in the United States because gender inequalities in occupations are actually more common in developed countries. Although women are gaining more equality and are gaining more rights, there is still a lot to be done to eliminate biases and gender-based ideas that hold society back from achieving true equality.
Works Cited