Sexism and Gender Inequality in The Workplace in The Us

Introduction

Inequality in the workplace has been a prominent part of every culture. Employees can be treated differently based on their class, gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, or religion. Women are more likely to face prejudice compared to their male counterparts. On a daily basis, women are expected to care for most, if not all, caregiving duties. In doing so, they are not able to work as much as their male colleagues. Employees that face discrimination are normally given less opportunities to move up in their position and some may have a pay gap. In the United States, women tend to only earn 80% of what their male counterparts earn. Many problems in America have an affect on sexism in the workplace.

History

The United States government has now put laws in place that do not allow the discrimination of women in the workplace, but it has not always been this way. In the early 1900s, it was expected of women to “not work outside the home, and those who did were primarily young and unmarried” (Yellen). However, many duties of women at home were to take care of family business and the production of goods that they would sell. Though some women may participate in the workforce, they would quit after marriage to go take care of their responsibilities at home. Most women did not have the necessary education, but if they did they were more likely to be placed in factory jobs that were often dangerous and dirty. Even though there are many more women working today, on average, they “work fewer hours than men, usually to care for children or other family members” (Benokraitis). Although men and women are no longer stereotyped the way they were in the early 20th century, the effects of those earlier stereotypes still exist.

There have been many efforts to try and end or reduce gender inequality at work. One effort by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission amended the Civil Rights Act to not allow “discrimination against an individual because of gender identity, including transgender status, or because of sexual orientation is discrimination because of sex in violation of Title VII”. Thus making it illegal to discriminate when it comes to promotions, pay, hiring, firing, or anything related to employment. Even with this law in place, there was still inequality because there was no enforceable action until President Barack Obama enacted the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which “enables an employee to sue more easily for wage discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964”.

Successes and Failures

In 1956, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act. As the name of the law suggests, the act was intended to legislate equal pay for equal work. Unfortunately, the law did not do what was intended. More recently the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was passed. This act successfully gave women the right to sue for wage discrimination. Many opponents of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act expected there to be an increase in the number of lawsuits related to a gender pay gap. However, “ A review of the number of charges of gender-based wage discrimination claims filed with the EEOC from the five-year period of 2010-2014 shows a slight overall decline in genderbased wage claims” (Wade 31). So, this legislation was successful in lessening the discrimination against women. Despite many efforts that have been made in the United States, gender inequality at work continues to be a major issue. One major factor that has affected gender equality is the birth rate. This can truly be seen in the country of Japan, where culture affects many parts of women’s everyday life. For example, “The cultural emphasis on being the ideal mother, along with a corporate culture that demands long work hours, makes motherhood very difficult for women with careers” (Brinton).

One way to end gender inequality is to give women access to the same opportunities that men are given. For example, they should be given equal access to nontraditional jobs; for many years, women have typically been hired to work in low paying jobs such as teaching and clerical. With the help of the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional (WANTO) grant many more women will be allowed the chance to work in the jobs not normally taken by females. The WANTO grant “helps to expand pathways for women to enter and lead in all industries” (WANTO), and in 2019 alone, they gave over one million dollars “three community-based organizations to increase women's employment in apprenticeship programs and nontraditional occupations” (WANTO). This grant has helped many women all over the United States who have felt discouraged to pursue careers outside of the stereotyped jobs females feel obligated to take. Also, companies and organizations should adopt Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies.

It is very important for companies “to create a pluralistic climate and culture, to train employees and managers, to orient new members, and to increase the involvement of women in decision making” (Cleveland). In order for women to be included in decision making, they must be in positions of leadership and authority. The glass ceiling has hindered women from reaching levels of authority at work. Women have historically been the caregivers at home and are the ones that stay with their children when they are sick, it is important to enact a family friendly legislation. The Family Medical Leave Act allows up to twelve weeks of leave, but not all is paid. Therefore, more needs to be done; for example, some companies do not allow paid maternity leave. Although this would be expensive, it is quite doable: not all of it has to be paid leave. Since the main reason for maternity leave is to give a chance for a woman’s body to heal and most have to wait for their doctor’s approval to go back to work. So, it is not the woman’s choice and they should be paid for a few of the weeks they are out.

Summary

The stereotypes that have been placed on men and women in the workplace does not help the problem of discrimination based on gender in the workplace. With the help of many Acts and laws, women have not faced as much inequality as they would have in the early 20th century. Today, most women have jobs and end up surpassing men in the level of education they pursue. However, no social problem can disappear overnight, so it is important to remember that these things take time. In short, gender inequality in the workplace remains to be an issue, but there are many ways to help lessen the discrimination of women at work.

References

• Benokraitis, N. V. (2017). SOC 5: Introduction to sociology. Boston, MA.: Cengage Learning.
• Brinton, M. (2014, July 31). Gender Inequality and Women in the Workplace. Retrieved August 02, 2020, from https://blog.dce.harvard.edu/summer/gender-inequality-women-workplace
• Cleveland, J., Stockdale, M. S., & Murphy, K. R. (2000). Women and Men in Organizations : Sex and Gender Issues at Work. Psychology Press.
• Sex-Based Discrimination. (n.d.). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination
• Wade, M., & Fiorentino, S. (2017). Gender Pay Inequality: An Examination of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Six Years Later. Advancing Women in Leadership, 37, 29–36.
• WANTO Grants. (n.d.). Retrieved August 02, 2020, from https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/grants/wanto-grants
• Yellen, J. L. (2017, May 5). Speech by Chair Yellen on 125 years of women's participation in the economy. Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/yellen20170505a.htm