Men Vs. Women in the Workplace

Women - Discrimination in Workplace

8/7/2010

Women have struggled with discrimination in the workplace for the past two hundred years. Discrimination against women in the workplace is exhibited in a variety of ways. Sexual harassment, inequality of pay, exclusion of women from "the old boys' club", maternity leave and the infamous "glass ceiling" are some examples. In this paper, the causes of discrimination and the inequality of pay will be explored along with actions that can be taken. I will begin by giving a brief history of women in the workforce.

In 1890, less than one half of one percent of women was employed gainfully

outside of the home. "Women's participation in the process of change was significant" and would continue over the next hundred years. (1) Women have not only gained

access to jobs outside of the home, but also fought for equality in the work

place. These struggles have not been easy by any means as women have overcome

many obstacles in their journey into the work force, none greater than the views

of their male peers. Many males thought (and continue to think) that there is no

place for women in the work place. Women made their strides into the work force

by not only following examples of their courageous pioneers, but also by banding

together to show their strength.

WWII brought many new opportunities for women as there were labor shortages. More than six million women took defense jobs. They worked as welders and electricians, on assembly lines and in munitions plants. (1) The symbol of America's new working woman was Rosie the Riveter. The strong, independent woman defense worker, wearing overalls and doing her part to help the U.S. win the war. Government posters featured women rolling up their sleeves and affirming that "We Can Do It." (1) The number of women rose from 11.9million in 1940 to 18.6million in 1945. Although these jobs paid very well, wage discrimination was rampant in the defense industries, where women earned far less than men in the same jobs. Employers and labor unions rationalized the accusations by saying that men had seniority, put in more overtime, and did the really "skilled" work. In 1945, the female factory worker earned $32.00 per week, compared to $55.00 for men. Though more women than ever remained in the workforce.

Susan B. Anthony was the first women to publicly speak out against this gross injustice towards women. After being hired to replace a male teacher fired for incompetence, she was paid one third of the salary he had received. She went on to become one of the great leaders of the women's movement.

A principle many people would agree as just is the idea of "equal pay for equal work." (2) The idea that a woman would be paid less for doing the same job as a man strikes most people as ethically unfair. (2) The Equal Pay Act prohibits unequal pay for equal work performed by men and women and is illegal. Despite the numerous laws and organizations developed to protect women and minorities in the work force, there have been some improvements. The median weekly earnings of women age 35-44 as a percentage of men's increased from 58.3 percent to 73.0 percent from 1979 to 1993. A rise of 14.7 percentage points. (3) If we take a look at women's earnings over the past twenty years, we would see a mixed picture of progress. Women's inflation-adjusted earnings have increased nearly 14 percent since 1979, whereas men's have declined by approximately 7 percent. But while women's earnings have improved relative to men's, full-time working found themselves making about 76 percent of what men earned in 1998. (3)

Employers need to pay more attention to the Equal Employment Opportunity, EPA and other guidelines in regards to unequal/unfair pay. Most importantly, managers, at all levels, who control salaries and budgets, need to make a commitment to paying people, regardless of gender, the same amount of money for comparable work. (3) If a woman knows she is making less money than a man, and all other issues appear to be equal, she owes it to herself to take the case to her boss and to the company's Human Resources representative. This helps to create a more gender-friendly workplace and promote her own worth. However, a woman should make sure she has gathered as much proof as she can, keeping notes and other records of all relevant conversations and situations before reporting the matter. (4) Also, consult the Employee Handbook on how to proceed. Other resources would include but be limited to hiring an attorney and consulting a labor union steward.

The Women Employed Institute recommends women are more aware of careers that offer higher paying opportunities. Most women's jobs are clustered in "female" occupations that pay poorly. By educating themselves on higher paying opportunities, women are better prepared to pursue the higher paying positions. Catalyst, which monitors the progress of women in the workplace, reported that as of 1998, only 2.7 percent