Abstract Despite significant improvements in the socioeconomic status of working women, research reflects that gender inequalities continue to exist throughout the world. In this paper, the author attempts to examine the prevalence of sexism in the American workplace and in various sources of media outlets. By utilizing empirical secondary data and primary data collected specifically for this report, the author endeavors to prove that although much work has been done to improve the status of women in society, there continues to be a significant inequality. An Examination of the Prevalence of Sexism in the American Workplace and in Media When the forefathers of our great nation were composing the Declaration of Independence to succeed from Great Britain, they envisioned a nation where “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This immortal declaration has come to define our country, and has led many individuals to immigrate here in search of this “American Dream”. Nevertheless, during the relatively young history of America, many social issues have served to pose a direct threat to the attainment of these “unalienable rights”.
Be that as it may, implementing creative activities and providing trainings that focus on communication skills and active listening skills, as well as bringing awareness about different types of conflicts can create a better working environment, hence, ultimately decreasing or even ending workplace conflict. American society has come a long way when it comes to prejudice and racism. However, cultural diversity and racism continues to be the dominant cause of conflict in the workplace; it is an underlying issue that unless dealt with destroys workplace morale, communication and relationships. According to the Psychological American Society, “racial diversity tends to create more difficulties for team process as well as performance” (Mannix & Neale, 2005, p. 35). It is apparent in office settings that racism and prejudice are prevalent between people of diverse cultures.
Believing sexism will go away without putting major changes in place, is not a reality. Sexism blatantly exists in the work place. Obvious (and most common) examples of this would be: women are often paid less than their male counterparts for the same position, men often receive rapid job promotions in comparison to women and women are usually the targets of gender based harassment. Women frequently struggle with the lack of pay they receive, in comparison to their male counterparts. A woman working in the same job as a man will usually earn less, despite the fact that she may have the same or better training, education, and skills required for the job ("Study Shows Female Managers in Britain Earn Less than Men, and Equality Could Be 57 Years Away."
Changes in gender and age of workers has had a significant impact on the culture of today and influenced the pattern of work related standards such as work ethics (Chicago Tribune Business 2014). Stereotyping is the act of ascribing a set of traits to a person or group of people based on cultural preconceptions (Forbes global post). When stereotypes persist in the workplace, candidates for promotion may be overlooked, work teams do not function properly and the corporate culture erodes. In many cases, lawsuits are brought up, thus damaging the public perception of the company. Most companies deal with stereotyping in the workplace by educating as well as a clear directive to treat every worker as an individual.
Discrimination is highly discouraged in the workplace and perpetrators of such inhuman acts are subject to criminal offences. In several occasions, unfairness involving age and sex have led to people quitting their jobs as well as engaging in unlawful acts. Furthermore, diverse cases of discrimination have been observed in several places of work. First and foremost is the prevalence of sex discrimination against women. Since men are the most principal stature in the current society, they are therefore entitled to additional jobs, contrary to their female counterparts.
The Struggle Continues Many feminists addressed the plight of African American women during the New Negro movement in the US. They shared the same problems and visions but some differ in strategy. The African American educator Elise McDougald’s essay “The Struggle of Negro Women for Race and Sex Emancipation” employs an interesting strategy to gain individuality amongst African American women. While displaying the direct issues similar to those of her allies, McDougald approaches her antagonists with an unusual method. This was an extremely audacious essay and a great subject to debate for that reason.
Discrimination against women For decades, the status of women in the workplace has been debated everywhere from the boardroom to the courtroom. Working women are sometimes subjected to bias because of sex, in spite of numerous laws and regulations that prohibit employment discrimination targeting women. Court cases from district courts all the way to U.S. Supreme Court cases render decisions based on discriminatory employment practices against women and other protected groups in the workplace. Issues Concerning Traditionally Female Occupations Historically, women were relegated to office support and administrative positions such as clerk typists, secretaries and administrative assistants. Employers who engaged in unfair hiring practices attempted to justify making discriminatory hiring decisions for several reasons.
African Americans By Crystal E. Jenkins Axia College University of Phoenix Many years African Americans have experiences racism, prejudice, and segregation through out our. We also faced many obstacles in the job market due to racism and prejudice. Hiring of the underrepresented groups into higher positions in the public sector continues to present controversy while the same is true in the academia: Racism and discrimination in America are undeniable historical facts; however, these two evils persist, in disguise, to playing a part in hiring and recruiting of minorities including women. But some have argued that racism and discrimination are just allegations that minorities continue to use in securing positions at places where they do not belong. Though these allegations might affect or be a factor in the hiring and recruiting of the underrepresented, the resisters of diversity question the legalities of deliberate attempts or programs by institutions to reach out to minorities.
However, discrimination is much more than a distinction. Rather, it is an action that is based on prejudice, and it results in the unfair treatment of individuals or a group of individuals. In the business environment, discrimination is based not only on age,
This is for companies to have equal opportunities for men and women. The federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, prohibits employers from discriminating against any persons seeking a job in any field. It not only prohibits discriminating against race, religion, nationality but also gender. I believe the sad reality is that there is still a fair amount of inequality when it comes to a women’s role in the workforce. I believe that if you look at the hard facts and basic statistics you will not be able to ignore the frustration and discrimination that women face on a daily basis in the work place and business were they are working.