Gender at Work

GENDER:

“The behavior or patterns of activities or society or culture are deemed right for men and women. These behavioral patterns may or may not be related to sex and sex roles, although they often are.

SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION:

Gender is a social construct, and it refers to the characteristics of men and women. Gender is a result of sociocultural influence. These are shaped by society and culture; and they vary from society to society and can change over the long haul.  According To Butler and Postmodernists, sex and gender cannot be separated. Gendering is the process of socialization according to the dominant gender norms.

SEX:

It is biological, which is determined by physical characteristics. It includes sex chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones, reproductive structures, and genitalia (Shockley et al, 2017).

1. Sexuality is a social expression of desire and other sexual relationships, like erotic relationships and sexual orientations like gay, lesbian, bisexual, Trans, and queer.
2. There is significant discrimination against them. A RESEARCH SHOWS THAT 7 OUT OF 10 LGBT WORKERS HAVE FACED AT LEAST ONE TYPE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE.

GENDER ROLES:

The way we are supposed to act, speak, and behave based on our sex is referred to as gender role. The traditional view prescribes that woman should behave in ways that are nurturing.

GENDER STEREOTYPES refer to certain traits that are adhered to men and women in society that define these genders. These are formed at age of 57 years.

1. Women are considered nurturing, caring, and emotional. They are supposed to have jobs such as secretaries, teachers, and
2. Men are considered aggressive, unemotional, and they are the principal wage earners. Men are not responsible for taking care of children. Moreover, they do not perform housekeeping (Peih et al, 2020).

SEXUAL HARASSMENT of women in the workplace occurs around the world, but so many cases go unreported. Both men and women can be sexually harassed, however as a matter of fact; women are the most common victims.

The effects of sexual harassment on mental health include problems such as stress, anxiety, poor performance, depression and loss of the job. Sexual harassment is common, especially on construction sites.

According to studies, everyone perceives sexual bribery, unwanted touching, or pressure for sexual activity as harassment (Kelan, 2018). However, there is disagreement about behaviors such as sexist comments, and sexual jokes that are perceived as sexually harassing by many individuals. In some countries, sexual harassment is a crime and punishable by jail. In some other countries,

“ SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS A CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION.

Employers who violate or tolerate violations of rules and regulations can face financial penalties.

TYPES:

There are two major types of sexual harassment.

SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION against womens work is that the quality of womens work tends to be undervalued. One potential consequence of undervaluing womens work is that women receive less credit and less pay for their work. Job applications or resumes are particularly likely to trigger prejudiced evaluation (Feeney, 2019). Some discrimination against women’s unemployment is rooted in the old notion that they do not have the same right as men to be employed. All these reasons are linked by gender role expectations.

According to the MenCare campaign,

“True equality will only be reached when men

take on 50% of the world’s childcare and domestic work.

TYPES:

Pratto and her colleagues proposed

1. Hierarchy Enhancing Values

Jobs or roles that promote the interest of powerful groups.

1. Hierarchy Attenuating Values

Jobs or roles that promote the interest of oppressed groups.

MASCULINITY:

It is an important factor for both employers and employees as it has a significant role in the way people interact with one another. Employed women still undertake the majority of housework.

According to studies conducted by the DIVISION OF LABOR within United States households,

“Employed married women do less housework than their unemployed counterparts, but their spouses do little or nothing to make up for the difference.

FORMS:

There are four forms of masculinity.

Men have faced difficulties adjusting to changes in women’s roles and responsibilities. At work, they had to adjust with women. According to some people, women were taking positions that should have gone to unemployed men (Game, 2020).

RESEARCHES:

1. During COVID19, 62% of employed men were more likely to work from home than 47% of employed women.
2. From 20068 to 2013, in terms of fulltime employment,
   • The black men and black women faced the highest drop. Black women are less likely to be accepted as team members.
3. There is a significant disability pay gap by gender.
4. A study by Bell and Nkomo in 2001 showed that racism and sexism affected black women, while white women had greater job opportunities but still faced gender barriers.
5. According to the labor statistics, 2014b

“WOMEN MAKE UP 98.1 PERCENT OF PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS, 95.3 PERCENT OF SECRETARIES, AND 90.6 PERCENT  OF REGISTERED NURSES IN THE UNITED STATES.

• According to Gladman and Lamb, in 2013, worldwide, 11% of women are members of corporate boards of directors worldwide (Barrientos, 2020).
• Women’s labor force participation decreased from 57% in 1990 to 55% in 2012. (men 82%)

GLOBALIZATION:

Diversification of economies and encouragement of MNC.

DEFICIT MODEL:

Focus on “fixing the women not changing structures and processes.

STRATEGIES:

1. Create a diverse environment.
2. Teach employees about sexual harassment.
3. Create networking initiatives.
4. Support on basis of shared identity.
5. Follow strict rules for protection and safety of employees.
6. Always emphasize the importance and respect of the opposite sex.
7. Create equal opportunities for both males and females.
8. Having a diverse interview panel.
9. Be culturally sensitive.
10. Avoid prejudice.
11. Pay and other incentives should be equal for both men and women.
12. Take regular feedback.

References

Barrientos, S., 2019. Gender and work in global value chains: Capturing the gains?. Cambridge University Press.

Game, A., Pringle, R. and Grace, H., 2020. Gender at work. Routledge.

Feeney, M.K. and Stritch, J.M., 2019. Familyfriendly policies, gender, and work–life balance in the public sector. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 39(3), pp.422448.

Kelan, E.K., 2018. Men doing and undoing gender at work: A review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(2), pp.544558.

Pieh, C., Budimir, S. and Probst, T., 2020. The effect of age, gender, income, work, and physical activity on mental health during coronavirus disease (COVID19) lockdown in Austria. Journal of psychosomatic research, 136, p.110186.

Shockley, K.M., Shen, W., DeNunzio, M.M., Arvan, M.L. and Knudsen, E.A., 2017. Disentangling the relationship between gender and work–family conflict: An integration of theoretical perspectives using metaanalytic methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(12), p.1601.