The essay “Professions for Women” by Virginia Woolf highlights some of the challenges and barriers that hinder the development of women in the workplace. The analysis reflects on the imbalance that prevails in work setting. Woolf argues that women have been expected to act timidly in the presence of male individuals, an action that significantly limits their opportunities.
Dayton, Cornelia H. and Lisa Levenstein. “The Big Tent of U.S. Women’s and Gender History: A state of the Field”. The Journal of American History, no. 99, pp. 793-817.
This study decries the prevalence of ideological factors that hinder the realization of career goals among women in different professions. The author calls for the involvement of more women in research agendas and empowerment initiatives. Reigniting historical arguments on the empowerment of women, Dayton and Levenstein establish that the labor performed by women is critical to the sustenance of human life and progress. The article is an important resource in the current discourse because it offers insight on the subtle impositions that underlie dynamics in the workplace, which act against the interests of women.
Johns, Merida L. “Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Structural, Cultural, and Organizational Barriers Preventing Women from Achieving Senior and Executive Positions.
Perspectives in Health Information Management, no. 10, 2013. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544145/. Accessed March 20th, 2018.
This study argues that the realization of gender diversity in the senior and executive positions provides one of the major concerns in modern day work settings. Women are the victims of disproportionate male perceptions regarding the expectations and capabilities of the female individual. The author attributes the title “The Glass Ceiling” to refer to the artificial barriers that continue to hinder the progression of females in work places. According to the study, some of the causes of the glass ceiling include lack of confidence among women, gender stereotypes, absence of flexible work arrangements and the shortage of sponsors to help them scale the career wall. This study relates back to Woolf’s essay “Professions for Women” given that it reflects female suppression in the career fields.
Lipman, Joanne. That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together. HarperCollins, 2018.
This book examines the inequalities that occur in the workplace as a result of gender disparities. The author suggests that women earn less than their male counterparts in the same job group. The deficit is shown to be more among African American and Latina women. Additionally, women were only allowed limited participation in organizational decision-making processes. A woman who aired her opinions more assertively was considered to be less competent than her peers. Like Woolf, Lipman argues that men should reassess the biases that underlie their approaches towards the realization of efficient diversity in the workplace (271).
Nemoto, Kumiko. Too Few Women at the Top: The Persistence of Inequality in Japan. Cornell University Press, 2016.
This inquiry sought to address sex segregation in the Japanese business industry. Nemoto argues that Japan has a very small number of women in executive positions (19). The economic approach assumed by the author facilitates efficient examination of gender disparities witnessed in different economic industries within Japan. Using the gendered-organizations approach provided the author with the tool required to expose some of the underlying reasons behind such discrimination. The study was important to the current analysis because it is an extension of the concerns that were raised by Woolf regarding the suppression of women in the professional world.
Ziman, Rebecca I. “Women in the Workforce: An In-depth Analysis of Gender Roles and Compensation Inequity in the Modern Workforce”. Honors and Theses, no.
157, 2013, pp.1-31.
This article explores the disparities in pay levels and responsibility assignment among different genders in the workforce. Ziman argues that despite the increased accomplishments that women have been subject to in recent times, they continue to face pervasive imposition to their career growth (1). The large wage gap between men and women is a culmination of the artificial barriers to female growth in the workplace. To mitigate the pay and role imbalance in the workforce, the author recommends the initiation of mentoring programs (14). Mentors act to guide and inform mentees about available opportunities in the market.
Works Cited
Dayton, Cornelia H. and Lisa Levenstein. “The Big Tent of U.S. Women’s and Gender History: A state of the Field”. The Journal of American History, no. 99, pp. 793-817.
Johns, Merida L. “Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Structural, Cultural, and Organizational Barriers Preventing Women from Achieving Senior and Executive Positions.
Perspectives in Health Information Management, no. 10, 2013. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544145/. Accessed March 20th, 2018.
Lipman, Joanne. That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together. HarperCollins, 2018.
Nemoto, Kumiko. Too Few Women at the Top: The Persistence of Inequality in Japan. Cornell University Press, 2016.
Ziman, Rebecca I. “Women in the Workforce: An In-depth Analysis of Gender Roles and Compensation Inequity in the Modern Workforce”. Honors and Theses, no.
157, 2013, pp.1-31.
