Women in the Work Environment
Women in the Work Environment
If anyone plans to celebrate Equal Pay Day, they should understand that it is a travesty compared to what women actually have to face with in real life. It is true that society has improved the way it treats women overall. They are no longer limited to household work and have the right to vote. However, that does not stop society from using stereotypical ideas from an older and patriarchal system into the work environment, and indeed, everything in life. In the end, women, from the beginning of civilization up to now, have struggled with gender prejudice in the work environment in a world dominated by a patriarchal society.
Many businesses have been more brought up for a world in which men were the main “bread winners” while the women stayed at home to take care of the house and children. Even if women did work, they were always given menial jobs. Nowadays, though modernity has allowed women to gain more freedom than they had before, society has invariably preferred to uphold certain stereotypical ideas that still limit the opportunities that women should be able to have access to. “…all the facts point towards equality in the workplace, it is more the attitude that makes the genders unequal” (Unruh). One reason women are seen as unequal to men in the workplace is that they can become pregnant. Because women get pregnant in the middle of their career, they have to take time off and go on maternity leave. Another reason is that raising children requires them to work fewer hours and not be able to work overtime or travel frequently. Both reasons bring an inconvenience that can cost the company money and time for a mere three months.
Because of this cultural phenomenon, women are often paid less than men. Though the Equal Pay Act specifically prohibits discrimination based on gender in the workplace and requires equal work for equal pay that is not the case. “Women across industries are paid less than men who do the same work, but in
If anyone plans to celebrate Equal Pay Day, they should understand that it is a travesty compared to what women actually have to face with in real life. It is true that society has improved the way it treats women overall. They are no longer limited to household work and have the right to vote. However, that does not stop society from using stereotypical ideas from an older and patriarchal system into the work environment, and indeed, everything in life. In the end, women, from the beginning of civilization up to now, have struggled with gender prejudice in the work environment in a world dominated by a patriarchal society.
Many businesses have been more brought up for a world in which men were the main “bread winners” while the women stayed at home to take care of the house and children. Even if women did work, they were always given menial jobs. Nowadays, though modernity has allowed women to gain more freedom than they had before, society has invariably preferred to uphold certain stereotypical ideas that still limit the opportunities that women should be able to have access to. “…all the facts point towards equality in the workplace, it is more the attitude that makes the genders unequal” (Unruh). One reason women are seen as unequal to men in the workplace is that they can become pregnant. Because women get pregnant in the middle of their career, they have to take time off and go on maternity leave. Another reason is that raising children requires them to work fewer hours and not be able to work overtime or travel frequently. Both reasons bring an inconvenience that can cost the company money and time for a mere three months.
Because of this cultural phenomenon, women are often paid less than men. Though the Equal Pay Act specifically prohibits discrimination based on gender in the workplace and requires equal work for equal pay that is not the case. “Women across industries are paid less than men who do the same work, but in
Cited: Casserly, M. n.d. n. page. . Fairchild, C., “Nearly 100 Percent of American Women In Jobs That Typically Pay Men More: Analysis” Huffingtonpost 9 Apr. 2013: 1. Print. Gorman, L..N.P.. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. . Unruh, S.. N.p.. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.