Sexual harassment in the workplace
Sexual harassment in the workplace remains a significant obstacle for women in their professions. Women face racial harassment in the workplace on a variety of grounds. They face difficulties in getting recruited by certain organisations even though they might be qualified to do so. Women often face abusive workplace environments as a result of derogatory feedback received from male workers. Swanson argues that "Gender inequality in the workplace appears to be a significant concern in the workplace after the passage of time after legislation such as Title VII or the Equal Pay Act has been passed to address this question" (Swanson 6). Besides, Gregory reports that the probability of women being fired from work is high compared to that of men. Additionally, women are less likely to be promoted to advance higher executive positions even when they qualify for the management positions. Gregory documents that women receive low pay compared to men and are less likely to be entitled to job benefits and compensation. All these forms of sexual discrimination have worked against women and undermined their goals in life. Historically, sexual discrimination in the workplace has presented to be damaging to women and it still remains to be a devastating feature to women employees.
Sexual Discrimination in the Workplace
Women still face sexual discrimination on promotional grounds in the workplace. According to Fevre sex discrimination in the US has resulted in only 34% of women to be hired by the organization in the leading positions (Fevre 340s. The same study indicated that numerous organizations still consider women to be unsuitable in handling their jobs effectively. Women are less likely to be promoted in their lines of work. Segrave writes that “Although women have made clear they have the ability to perform with the same skill and success in every endeavor engaged in by men, the issue of sex discrimination still holds many back” (Segrave 15). Sexual discrimination is particularly rampant for women who are in the science field of work. In a study done by Segrave, he reported that 46% of women report being sexually discriminated in their jobs. Segrave further noted that 55% of these women opt to handle the discrimination themselves while 40% told the discriminators to stop (Segrave 17). 7% were forced to quit their jobs due to the hastily of sexual discrimination and 3% asked for transfer within the company while 2% choose to file legal action against the discrimination act (Segrave 18). Indeed, women sexual discrimination leads to a hostile working environment particularly when the employer tolerates sexual discrimination conduct from men in the workplace.
Male domination
In a society characterized by male domination, women have remained to be tools of sexual discrimination. Swanson ascertains that men to women sexual discrimination in the workplace are driven by the quests of men to protect their ego and status against the women in higher positions (Swanson 28). Men who feel their ego threatened discriminated women through sexual discriminatory comments and jokes and thus causing unhealthy working environment. Cultural stereotypes have remained to be a devastating act to the women. Moreover, women who are in big positions are still considered by the society to be unfit. Fevre documents that women desperately suffer from stereotypic treatment arising from sexual discrimination (Fevre 20). Many discriminatory claims that women are unable to balance their motherhood roles with the roles presented to them at work and thus are not productive. This is one of the impediments that is evident in the hiring and offering promotions to women (Segrave 11).
Societal rules and norms
Societal rules, norms, and role instruct still encourage men to devalue women in the workplace despite the anti-discriminatory laws that have been put in place to curb the acts of discrimination. Qualified women have been denied promotions basing on their gender. The glass ceiling is also a primary problem facing women who wish to climb up in their careers. Glass ceiling is the invisible barriers which inhibit women in finding the management position because the high executive jobs are thought to be designated to only men (Segrave 29). Many employers greatly use women pregnancy to be the basis of sexual discrimination. As a result, jobs are offered to the less qualified men. Glass ceiling challenges have also worked against women in relation to benefits and compensation at the workplace. Swanson reports that gender discrimination causes women to received unfair treatment when it comes to compensation and receiving benefits.
Unequal pay
Women across the globe suffer from unequal pay. This is also one of the rampant sexual discrimination in the workplace that undermines women. According to Swanson, the substantial pay gap between men and women who perform similar work still exist. Also, Segrave reports that the wage ratio between men and women still remains to be high. Fevre cites that there is ill-treatment of the female staff at workplace due to their low pay and that the quests for equality in pay in many companies still remains to be a far policy. It is a high time that employers should take responsibilities in bringing a change to the sexual discrimination in the workplace. This could be done through implementing a policy for equality in payment to both genders and not favor men more than women. The pay gap has to be sealed as it presents to be a damaging aspect to the women.
Progress and Conclusion
Progress has been made towards realizing gender equality and curbing sexual discrimination in the workplace. Notably, laws have been enacted and identified sexual discrimination in the workplace as being an illegal aspect. Women are currently able to report any form of sexual discrimination to the court of justice. Ministries have started to embrace equality and aim at protecting women against acts of discrimination in the workplace. Besides, the companies that paint poor work records in women hiring and treatment face investigation from Commission for Equality and Human Rights (Fevre 23). Thus, significant progress has been made in the line of ensuring that women are treated equally in the workplace. Swanson indicated that "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides strong protections against sex discrimination in employment" (Swanson 45). The act makes provision that employers should not fail to hire or discharge any individual basing on their gender. It drives at limiting the acts of segregation basing on gender. Gender equality is a vital component of the fundamental rights protection. However, despite the great progress of realizing equality in the workplace, sex discrimination and inequalities in the still persist in the current society for women. The compounded discrimination against women in the workplace prevents women from enjoying their rights.
Conclusion
Certainly, sexual discrimination in the workplace for women still remains to be a big challenge. Despite the enacted protective anti-discrimination laws put in place to stop discriminatory actions, management practices at both small and giant corporations are still in favor of men in the workplace. The modern society has tried to prove that women are more capable in handling their complex jobs. Nevertheless, discriminations against women basing on gender are still rampant in many societies. Discrimination on the job standards, unequal pay, and promotion are the sexual discriminations that are still perpetuated against women in the workplace.
Works Cited
Fevre, Ralph et al. "Discrimination And Unfair Treatment In The Workplace". British Journal Of Industrial Relations, vol 49, 2014, pp. s207-s235. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1111/j.1467-8543.2010.00798.x.
Gregory, Raymond F. Women And Workplace Discrimination. 1st ed., New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University Press, 2013.
Segrave, Kerry. The Sexual Harassment Of Women In The Workplace, 1600 To 1993. 1st ed., Jefferson, N.C., Mcfarland, 2013.
Swanson, Paul A. "The Persistence Of Sexual Discrimination In The Workplace". International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER), vol 2, no. 7, 2011, Clute Institute, doi:10.19030/iber.v2i7.3819.
