Women are still viewed as inferior compared to the male counterparts regardless of colour or educational qualifications. However, the perceived glass ceiling paced for women by the male dominated society can be obliterated when appropriate policy interventions are put in place to address the gender inequality issue (Amis et al., 2018). The following paper will address key recommendations and strategies that can be implemented to provide the desired results.
Recommendations
Re-evaluating Job Specifications for Senior Management
One thing that female minorities encounter in their workplaces is discrimination based on their gender which significantly affects their salaries and promotions to senior level roles. Therefore it is recommended that companies should aim to identify what barriers exist within the workplace that have led to fewer job applications from the women applicants (Amis et al., 2018). A much as the working conditions need to be changed to accommodate women freely, it does not necessarily mean that job requirements for various top management positions are changed to favour them. For instance, the company can ask for 15 year experience but consider 10 years which is a positive step to opening such positions to more women. Ultimately, companies should also strive to consider whether including other types of experiences can broaden the pool of applications for a desired position (Newman, 2016). The case of Ms Cheryl Hughes demands that leaders to be more accommodative of women applicants especially if they qualify for the positions they are applying for in the organization. The denial of Ms Hughes an opportunity to represent the company at the highest level and curtailing her enjoyment of liberties and packages that come with senior management levels should not be allowed to happen. Therefore, the organizational management did wrong in denying her what she deserved.
Removal of the Gender Pay Gap
The management level should provide a conducive environment that enables employees to thrive. Another of ensuring that the gender pay gap is eliminated is by ensuring that the company adopts a policy that encourages secrecy especially with on employee salaries. Introducing a new culture of transparency would, therefore, promote inclusivity. Through the culture of transparency, challenges of a company to investigate pay gaps and illegal deductions can be effectively investigated. The company, through its top level management, can help bridge the pay gap between women and men and stop discriminating candidates because of their gender (Newman, 2016).
Introducing a policy that stops the management from asking candidates their last salary can also help to eliminate equality because it sets the ground to discriminate applicants. Instead, the senior organizational managers should aim at presenting each position with a corresponding pay bracket which outlines the salary for roles stipulated within those roles. Additionally, it is imperative to publish and make public salary details for each cadre so that prospective candidates know what to expect. Unfortunately, this was never the scenario in Ms Hughes case who was denied accurate information on her wages and had to conduct a personal investigation to reveal the salary discrimination she underwent. Transparency, therefore, eliminates any kind of biasness and make people equal since they are paid according to the stipulations of their respective job groups (Amis et al., 2018).
Alternatives Considered But Not Pursued
Identification of Harassment Deterrents
Identification of forms of harassments and stopping them can help the women employees achieve a level of equality which can then be translated into how they are paid. The management has an undeniable responsibility to ensure that steps are taken early to identify and stop any form of harassment, be it sexual or physical, to promote equality. In some cases, companies ignore what is happening to the women employees because of the wrong perception that their work is more of a favour than merited (Newman, 2016). Overlooking instances of gender inequality can grossly affect efforts to eradicate gender inequality.
Conclusions
The issue of gender inequality at the workplace remains a traumatising issue that has far-reaching consequences to the people who are affected. On the other hand, the minority groups such as African American remain victimized because of their colour. Inherently, women suffers the most among this group due to gender inequality at the workplaces. The adoption of effective policy interventions can help companies embrace equality at workplace.
References
Newman, B. J. (2016). Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Local Gender‐Based Earnings Inequality and Women's Belief in the American Dream. American Journal of Political Science, 60(4), 1006-1025.
Amis, J. M., Munir, K. A., Lawrence, T. B., Hirsch, P., " McGahan, A. (2018). Inequality, institutions and organizations. Organization Studies, 39(9), 1131-1152.
