The Issue Of Gender Inequality In The Workplace

Supporting and encouraging diversity in the workplace plays a very important role in management. It goes to show that the organization values the differences and embraces diversity. By opening doors to diversity and allowing cultural differences into your organization it keeps the reputation of the organization ongoing. However, there are still organizations out there that have not been able to realize the benefits of a diverse workforce due to lack of an inclusive work environment where everyone feels like they are able to participate and earn the full potentials of equality. One of the diversity issues that still currently occur in workplace is gender inequality. This issue continues to be a serious problem in the corporate world, by which employees are treated discriminately based on their gender. Female employees were particularly affected by this issue in the workplace for many years, regardless the numerous efforts by women’s rights groups. The underrepresentation of women characterize organizational hierarchies, with fewer females securing entry-level jobs, less likely to be promoted, paid less than men, and women have limited opportunity for career advancement and development.

Description and Analysis of the Issue

Gender inequality in the workplace is a multifaceted phenomenon. The issues fueling it are also diverse and remain a challenge to organizations. One compelling justification of the persistence of gender inequality is the continued treatment of women differently from their male counterparts. The main factor fueling gender inequality in organizations is unequal pay. Research shows that men earn about 24% higher than women and sometimes just 81% of what men are paid (Abendroth et al., 2017). Today, more women have acquired education than men, and there has been an influx of women into the workforce for the past two decades. For example, on average, American women have attained higher levels of education than their male counterparts, with many of them attaining at least a bachelor’s degree in various professions. Shockingly, women in the U.S. workforce are still paid less than men. Bibi (2016) found that women are paid 49 cents for every $1 that men earn. Women earn roughly 20% less than men on average, and the situation is not getting better for them. In addition to this, female workers are afraid of asking for salaries that match their qualifications. They find it difficult to ask for pay increment due to fear of discussing money matters with their employers. Sharma (2016) noted that 71% of women accept the salary they are offered due to fear of being labelled as greedy or desperate.

Sexual harassment is another factor fueling gender inequality. Sharma (2016) argued that sexual harassment is another challenge that many women encounter in the workforce. It has led to the rise of women’s lobby groups such as the #MeToo, which fights for women who experience sexual assault in their places of work. Research shows that approximately 39% of women had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, with 81% having experienced sexual assault in their lifetime (Dilli, Carmichael, & Rijpma, 2019). Sexual harassment is also rampant in medical professions and among women working in law firms, with 58% of female surgeons suffering sexual assault (Dilli, Carmichael, & Rijpma, 2019). Women who are at higher risk include those who work in the hospitality sector and rely on tips for extra income, those lacking legal immigration status, and women with temporary visas or private workers. It is estimated that 75% of women who report sexual harassment ordeals at work experience retaliation, including demotion and being fired.

Racism is yet another facet of gender discrimination. Race influences companies’ policies on women’s remuneration and treatment at work. The salaries women receive largely depend on their race and ethnicity in some organizations. For example, Hispanic women have the lowest median annual earnings ($28,000) followed by Native American women($ 31,000), then White females ($40,000), and then Asian/Pacific Islander women ($46,000). These earnings also vary by race and ethnicity relative to earnings by male workers. Women are also promoted less often than their male workmates, yet they are more educated than them and make almost 50% of the workforce. It has also been reported that about 4% of leaders at S&P 500 organizations are women as most of them resign for various reasons (Abendroth et al., 2017). Reports also show that women of color are worse off because they are invisible in S7P 500 and Fortune 500 companies’ boards (Dilli, Carmichael, & Rijpma, 2019). For example, women of color only constitute 10% of first-and middle-level managers and officials, 5% of executive and senior-level managers and officials, and 4% of board positions.

Historical Context of Gender Inequality

One of the historical explanations offered for gender inequality in the workplace is motherhood myths. Verniers and Vala (2018) assessed the validity of this claim, arguing that gender inequality persist despite numerous policy efforts to tackle it. The findings of the study demonstrate that sexist and maternity misconceptions influence objection to women’s involvement in the workforce. Women experience resistance to their career progression after birth. There is still less approval egalitarian gender roles and women perform most of the household chores and childcare in nations with high levels of gender equality (Verniers & Vala, 2018). Many communities around the world believe in the specialization of gender roles in the family and participation in the workforce threatens the existence of the family. The authors concluded that motherhood myths shape gender structures in different countries and either exacerbate or reduce gender inequality.

Women are also disadvantaged on the past measures of parity. Dilli, Carmichael, & Rijpma (2019) noted with great concern that in the face of policy reforms, female employees remain underprivileged by their household engagements and limited access to well-paying positions. The authors introduced a combined measure of gender inequality in selected countries for the period 1950-2003. The parameters of interest in the study are health, political, household, and socioeconomic statuses of women. The study found that cultural norms and social values that influence the position of females in society persist in organizations. According to the findings of the study, gender inequality is rooted in family systems, power distance, masculinity, limited investment in women education, and a country’s level of involvement in international gender initiatives (Dilli, Carmichael, & Rijpma, 2019). These findings show that gender inequality is deeply rooted in national cultures and a country’s commitment to gender equality.

Additionally, the social status of women has also been at the center of the gender of inequality. Seo, Huang, and Han (2017) studied the impact of social status on women underrepresentation in the workplace. The authors argued that gender segregation persists at the top management levels in many organizations. The study results indicate that gendered social status results in women’s delayed progression to higher level roles. It has also been ascertained that family roles, work-life balance, and social class determine flexible work schedules for women (Chung & Van der Lippe, 2018). Work-life balance and family outcomes discourage women from accepting job offers in distant places. Padavic, Ely, and Reid (2019) posit that work-life balance affects both men and women, yet it impedes women's advancement and not men's. Women struggle to strike a balance between family obligations and professional job's extended hours. Consequently, they are underrepresented at senior managerial and leadership levels in organizations. Kossek and Buzzanell (2018) further emphasized that women face issues of motherly and work confidence, limited work-life support for leadership goals, family-work interferences, and riskiness in leadership selection, differential leadership expectations, and occupational commitment.

Moreover, there are organizational factors that have been weighing women down for many years. Gender inequality has also been explored from the perspectives of organizational systems, procedures, and culture (Stamarski & Son Hing, 2015). The authors asserted that HR orientations, including guidelines and policymaking influence employment, preparation, payment, and advancement of women. The promotion of sexist ideals by leaders of companies influences their probability of engaging in gender-biased behaviors.

How the Issue Is Currently Playing a Role in the Management of Diversity

The need for gender equality is shaping how companies are managing diversity. Many organizations are creating and implementing comprehensive plans for supporting and promoting the progression of women. Kossek and Buzzanell (2018) reported that employers are reviewing their companies’ structure, procedures, and culture to curb discrimination and ensure equality in hiring, training, and compensating women. According to the authors, gender inequality is forcing firms to adopt diverse career and leadership processes that are more gender-inclusive. Sharma (2016) highlighted the role of gender equality or lack of it in improving leadership. Organizations are building capabilities of their managers and leaders to address women issues in the workplace and promote equality at work. Undoubtedly, the need for gender equality is shaping the rethinking of vocation, management, and business structures to make them more inclusive of women.

Companies are also working to advance women careers and reduce the gender wage gap. Wu and Cheng (2018) noted that companies are focusing on gender equality because women are vital to their success. Human resource managers are reexamining their current human resource development (HRD) strategies for women's professional progression to senior management jobs in their companies (Seo, Huang, & Han, 2017). Bibi (2016) stated that employers are working to remove hurdle that women face on their way to upper-level positions in their careers as a way of promoting diversity and enhancing productivity. What is more, companies are focusing on integrating more women with high qualification into managerial and supervisory roles as a way of reducing the gender earnings gap.

Implications of Gender Inequality in the Future

Workplace gender disparity has affected the world’s economy for several years. The international labor force is likely to lose out on skills, diverse perspectives, ideas, and improved decision-making if gender inequality is not solved by recognizing women as an important part of the workforce (Padavic, Ely, & Reid, 2019). One implication is that organizations will have to alter their hiring practices. They can achieve this by creating gender-diverse workforces, using gender-inclusive job details, establishing culturally-diverse interviewers, proactively poaching and training gender-based managers, and implementing equal compensation schemes (Dilli, Carmichael, & Rijpma, 2019). They will also consider leadership roles for both men and women equally. Besides, gender equality means that employees will need to pay workers based on job role and consistent pay structures.

Additionally, it implies that employers will prioritize work-life balance by offering support facilities for childcare and providing paid paternal leaves to fathers. It further means that the future workplace will have stringent and effective policies against sexual harassment and workplace violence (Dilli, Carmichael, & Rijpma, 2019). They will take measures to counter misdemeanors such as racism, sexual assault, bullying meted against women in the workplace. The call to action is that organizations should nurture an open-minded work environment where employees are appreciated for their talents and performance and their individual preferences respected.

Conclusion

Gender disparity is a common diversity issue in modern organizations. It affects women more than men regardless of the fact that more women have acquired education and joined the workforce as compared to men. The main forms of gender disparity are pay gap, sexual harassment, unequal promotion, and racism. The issue affects current management of diversity in that companies are striving to offer equal opportunities to female employees, support their professional development, elevate them to higher posts, and facilitate childcare. In the future, gender equality will be a driver of success for progressive organizations given the enormous contribution of women to productivity and growth of businesses.