Free essay about factors differentiating male and female workforce and its impact

Within the modern world, inequality between males and females in the working environment is becoming a serious matter. This is usually assumed as a part of our past while, in the current world, men and women are recruited into the working environment in equal numbers (TRENTHAM & LARWOOD, 1998). Despite this assumption, this is not yet a true. For instance, 98% of CEO positions in big organization are held by men while women hold 2%. Therefore, it is worth noting that inequality in leadership is a true issue that ought to be considered and focused on. Based on this, it is evident that women experience restrictions and obstructions that vary significantly to that of their male colleagues within the working environment (ADLER, 1994). The community usually creates their own assumptions related to women’s capabilities based on traditional gender duties and responsibilities assuming that women are not best suited for the leadership position since they do not possess traits connected with those positions. Therefore, it is vital to recognize basic assumptions and factors which prevent women from achieving their own goals and developing inequality in male-dominated working environment (SCHOLARIOS & TAYLOR, 2011). Despite continuous fight and achievement of equal numbers of men and women within the working environment, it is evident that women still experience disadvantages in improvement in the workplace as a result of social implications. Therefore, factors affecting women include leadership, power, and perception.
All the way through history struggle for equality has been the order of the day. The suffrage actions and thereafter affirmative actions were all struggles to eliminate this epidemic of gender imbalance within the workplace. Due to the industrialization of different countries there was a need for increased workforce. As men were involved in the war, there was increased demand for more war workers (TRENTHAM & LARWOOD, 1998). As a result, females decided to assist with war efforts and therefore taking control of the job left behind by men. This was a great step for women and recognition of female’s potential within human resources.
As this went on, women were now becoming more and more available in the workforce and therefore diversifying the population of employees (MANO-NEGRIN, 2004). This entry of women into the workplace led to the introduction of new theories via research, assessment and more so assisting the availability of inequality for women in the working human resources.
Additionally, gender differences in the working environment usually originate from social factors that control the behaviors of men and women. Some organizations embrace gender diversity and promoting the involvement of all sexes in the decision-making process and even giving promotional chances (ADLER, 1994). However, it is worth noting that other organizations discourage gender involvement in decision making and encourage biasness on such activities as promotion within the workplace. High number of organizations believe that embracing gender diversity add value and changeable perspective to an organization.
Gender difference takes into consideration both physical and emotional factors. This involves the traits that influence male and female behaviours in the working environment. The influences can originate from psychological factors which include upbringing or even physical factors such as an employee’s capability to carry out his duties (CANN & SIEGFRIED, 1990). The difference can also originate from gender stereotypes associated to men and women. For example, a stereotypical evaluation is that women should remain at home while men go to work and offer support or be the bread winner (WALSH, 2012). This usually leads to sex discrimination within a working environment.
Men and women usually have different perception within the working environment. Based on research, it is evident that an employee’s sexual characteristics can show differences in perception related to organizational structure, problem-solving style and his or her perception to work-associated conflict. Additionally, difference in personal working style is recognizable (CANN & SIEGFRIED, 1990). Often women perceive that personal work styles should be two-way, in that all people work as part of a whole. On the other hand, men assume that the work should be done and completed individually with little or no assistance from other colleagues. It is evident that women are usually more supportive managers whereas men are viewed to be more direct.
Taking the example of Civil Rights Act forbids employment discrimination in such areas as recruitment, selection, and hiring, firing or not promoting a viable applicant or employees as a result of his or her sex or gender. Therefore, this calls for all employers to offer special accommodations for gender-linked matters such as pregnancy and nursing. Another law that ensure equal treatment of both genders is Equal Pay Act that ensures men and women are compensated equally for carrying similar job with same job descriptions (EQUAL PAY ACT TURNS 40, 2003).
As a result of gender discrimination, there has been many consequences. Based on different research conducted it is evident that women have huge earning gap in relation to men as a result of sex-segregated traits at a professional level. The study also depicts that women often work at poorly paying jobs and are rare to exercise authority in those occupations (CANN & SIEGFRIED, 1990). Additionally based in research it is evident that men hold higher positions, higher supervisory authority in relation to women. Females have little or no access to power and authority in the workplace. Therefore is true to say that policy developers and supervisors make the same rules that apply to all workers. However, women exercise less power than men (HOPKINS, O’NEIL, PASSARELLI & BILIMORIA, 2008). Often this problem of genders inequality can be associated with women own perception. For instance, some women perceive that they are less suitable for high positions. This is based on the assumption that they are linked to masculine traits of men.
Despite the efforts to eliminate this epidemic, it is evidence that understated biases of gender still contribute on discrimination on women within working environment on areas dominated by males.
Leadership and power is one of the factors and traits that hinder the development and reaching of gender equality. It has for a long period of time be assumed that leadership and power are characteristic linked with the male sex. Other areas being generalized are power and authority (KATZ, 1987). As a result of this, women in the workplace are usually placed or alienated into professions that usually reduce the possibility of exercising autonomy and supervisory authority. It is often witnessed that when women are being considered for a given positions, they usually subjected to biasness that reduce their attempt to build equality and fair judgement. Often, employers who carryout the recruitment usually prefer masculine gender traits as compared to feminine traits (KATZ, 1987).
It is, therefore, worth noting that what was perceived in the past concerning managerial position or traits has not changed. However, what has changed is the way women perceive themselves in a managerial position (JAFFEE, 1989). Therefore, what could be thought to have changed is misleading. Despite the fact that behaviours have changed, the notions held by managers still uphold the conventional attitude involving the skewed ideas of what the best qualification can be.
Therefore, today in the workplace sexual discrimination and sexual biasness is well and real. It is an epidemic hindering high number of female’s rights and giving an opportunity for an unfair and unjust benefit for males (SCHOLARIOS& TAYLOR, 2011). In this regards, so as to eradicate this problem of injustice and biasness we ought to find out new ways apply a politically acceptable attitude towards those people of the fairer gender.
Next is perception. Recognizing perceptions of society, stressing on perception of women in the working environment, may add to the differentiation in treatment and appointment to leadership between sexes in the workplace. Based on research to investigate impact of power and willingness to discriminate in the workplace, it was evident that individuals have a predisposition to discriminate against women (TRENTHAM &LARWOOD, 1998). From the research, it was evident that individuals in top management of an organization have a higher tendency of discriminating against women in relation to people in lower levels. Often through the influence by the top individuals, the persons in the lower levels are forced to act completely opposite of their beliefs. This is a clear indication of the existence of biasness against women as a result of superficial influence of power commands in the workplace.
Taking into consideration perception and attitude of the past events and anticipated measures put into action to decrease the gap between genders in the workplace, it is evident that men feel that past measures had a negative impact on their career. However, it is evident that both genders had equal dissatisfaction with these measures (SCHOLARIOS & TAYLOR, 2011). Men normally are for elimination of barriers that hinder women advancement but not for any preferential considerations. This is a clear indication of self-interest among the two genders. For instance, women need assistance to rise up the ladder but on the other hand men view this as a threat to them and therefore disapproving it. It is, therefore, worth saying that personal interest by men is a major hindrance to gender equality within the workplace.
Taking into consideration self-interest, perception in regards to equality varies. Over time, the perception of gender and leadership has changed. From research, it is evident that social perception and believe on men were linked to such terms as hard, strong and aggressive. On the other hand, women were considered soft, sentiment and delicate. Despite the changes that have increased association of women to leadership, it is not significant as the relation of men and leadership. Therefore, it is evident that despite efforts being put to close the gap, inequality in a position of leadership is still there (KOCH, LOFT & KRUSE, 2005).
Additionally, it is evident that people still assume that leadership is more linked with masculinity and structure as compared to femineity and conception. Generally people have an assumption that leadership is male oriented. Women’s traits that are linked to femineity until now are not viewed as positive associated with leadership traits. This is clearly brought out on research to find whether conceptions of leadership exist between genders in perceived conception, structure, masculinity, femineity, androgyny and general leadership ability (JOHANSON, 2008).
On research regarding cognitive ability, job development and interpersonal and performance skills, potential of performance in managerial positions, it was found out that in spite of women being rated higher than men on performance technique dimensions, they were rated lower in management potential. This is a clear indication of gender bias in the workplace (TED H. SHORE, 1992).
In conclusion, based on the above discussion, it is evident that gender bias takes place as a result of individual’s values, perceptions and out of date conventional and traditional views about men and women (TRENTHAM & LARWOOD, 1998). It is evident that in case of gender bias many issues are within the context of females being culprits of workplace discrimination. Also it is worth noting that to deal with this issue, there is a need of understanding gender bias taking into consideration diversity training and exposure of a given number of women within the workforce. Additionally, it is important to understand different things that motivate male and female employees (HOYT, & BLALSCOVICH, 2007). For instance, money and other financial rewards have a similar effect on both sexes. Despite these similarities, differences may come up as a result of motivational differences among men and women

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