Gender Discrimination in Relation to Promotion or Pay

Gender Discrimination in Relation to Promotion or Pay
By: Tonio Winkler

          For generations, hard working Americans have fought their way up the corporate ladder to achieve their dreams.  For some, they pursue degrees that consume time and money to help convert their dreams into reality. However, due to common workplace politics, the playing field is not level for both genders. Historically, women were underrepresented in the workplace and skepticism grew with increased involvement. Generations of this simple-minded thinking continued and have produced negative affects in the future. In today’s day and age, female employees are still being held inferior to their male counterparts. “Women are underrepresented in leadership positions, despite evidence that they can be effective leaders” (Paludi, 2011). As a result of gender discrimination in the workplace, women are at a disadvantage to men when seeking promotions or equal pay.

           To fully comprehend the issue, one must first understand what exactly gender discrimination is. “Gender discrimination is when an employer treats one employee or job applicant differently than another based solely on gender, rather than job requirements or work performance. Gender discrimination, including discrimination in hiring practices, is illegal in the United States and can result in a lawsuit against an offending employer” (Strain, 2010). Nonetheless, there are still loopholes that make identifying gender discrimination harder. Understand there are two forms of gender discrimination, direct and indirect. “Direct discrimination is when an employer may pass over a qualified female job applicant in favor of an unqualified male applicant because he or his business associates prefer to work with males” (Strain, 2010). Direct is the more mainstream version of gender discrimination based on its easier concept and easier to identify. However indirect is more subtle than direct discrimination. “Some recruitment practices may not even be a deliberate attempt to discriminate, but nevertheless have the effect of disqualifying female job candidates” (Strain, 2010). An example would be intense weight or height restrictions ideal for men therefore setting the bar to high for most women.

           Nevertheless, due to government involvement, policies have been set in motion to offset gender discrimination. “The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces laws prohibiting gender discrimination in the workplace. These laws include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, and the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits sex-based wage discrimination when women perform the same work as male colleagues. Title VII specifically prohibits gender discrimination in job recruitment, testing, hiring and firing. (Strain, 2010)” Although these laws will help deter companies from being biased, there still is a large grey area. “While there have been efforts to eradicate discrimination from employment, selective incivility can fly under the radar” (Fox, 2012). Not every company is committing gender disqualification by hiring a man over a woman. They might actually have high qualifications that represent a safety issue. For example, fireman tested on the ability to lift a lot of weight.  However, from an outside perspective this may be looked on as bad.

           In addition, gender bias can have a negative effect on promotions in the work environment. “Stereotypical views regarding gender can cause supervisors to engage in the illegal practice of passing a person over for promotion due to gender. While this can happen to both genders, supervisors most often pass over women for promotion due to preconceived notions about their roles and abilities” (Gluck, 2013). For example, every president of the United States has been a man. Although there has been a dramatic push in gender equality, Hilary Clinton ran for office in 2008, but people may not have voted for her because of her gender. There is a stereotype that only men can lead the American people due to its gender specific past. As a result, men or women could find themselves in a dead end job because they can’t get promoted.

           Furthermore, gender discrimination is affecting the overall pay of women in the workforce. Surprisingly, women who do the equal work of men are getting paid less. “Women are almost half of the workforce. They are the equal, if not main, breadwinners in four out of ten families. They receive more college and graduate degrees than men. Yet, on average, women continue to earn considerably less than men” (Hegewisch, 2012). This has produced a gender wage gap where the difference of pay based on gender is wide. Nonetheless, this is contributed by the stereotypical impressions that some have on women. Where the man is the breadwinner and deserves higher pay than their female counterparts.

           In conclusion, due to gender discrimination, women are at a disadvantage to men when seeking promotions or equal pay. The factors that lead to this are the generations of stereotypical thinking that affects the decision making of managers. The takeaway from this blog is that gender discrimination affects both men and women. As expressed in class, it truly is a downfall in the area of employee well-being. If promotion and pay can be tied to gender, employee morale in the workplace can drop. As a result, affecting the entire company in a negative way. Students can use this information in the workforce now and in the future to deter gender discrimination. They may find themselves in management roles and will no what not to do when discussing pay or promotions. Neverthesss, only time will tell if gender discrimination will meet its end.

References

Fox, S. (2012). Gender and the Dysfunctional Workplace. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.

Gluck, S. (2013). The Effects of Gender Discrimination in the Workplace . Retrieved February 2013, from Houston Chronicles: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/effects-gender-discrimination-workplace-2860.html

Hegewisch, A. (2012, September). Pay Equity & Discrimination. Retrieved February 2013, from Institute for Women's Policy Research: http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination

Paludi, M. (2011). Women as Transformational Leaders: From Grassroots to Global Interests. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Strain, M. (2010). Gender Discrimination in the Workplace & Hiring Practices. Retrieved February 2013, from Houston Chronicles: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/gender-discrimination-workplace-hiring-practices-36679.html