Describe the Roles of Men and Women in The Workplace (Essay Sample)

Roles of Men and Women in The Workplace
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Introduction
Despite all the efforts, the world has not yet been able to achieve complete occupational gender neutrality. This gender neutrality involves men and women being in a position to get employed in different fields and not being discriminated because of their gender (Korvajärvi, 2011). There have been multiple efforts by different parties to eliminate the barriers which prevent people of a certain gender to perform a certain task just because it is perceived as belonging to the other gender. However, cases of concentration of specific sexes in particular occupations are still evident. In a way, the different roles of men and women in the workplace come out as gender inequality (Holmes & Flood, 2013, pp. 239). These inequalities are evident in factors such as wages, economic decision-making, and the types of jobs women and men perform. The imbalances in the workplace roles by the two genders tend to favor men and disadvantage women. The result is that men mainly end up overrated, and women underrated. Individuals in the United Kingdom have a reputation of stereotyping women and men based on their genders. The people still have strong opinions that particular jobs belong to men and others to women. However, these sexist and discriminatory views vary in different regions in the UK. Surveys show that London exhibits the most cases of gender discrimination whereas Wales has the most open-minded perspectives on men and women’s career choices (Gender, 2016). Gender equality in workplaces will be achieved when all individuals will be in a position to access and enjoy equal rewards, resources, and opportunities regardless of whether they are a man or a woman. This essay aims at showing how the society categorizes professions according to gender, despite efforts to try and curb the same. The essay will evaluate occupational gender stratification by considering the roles of men and women in the workplace.
Gender Stratification by Occupation
The roles of women and men in the workplace are continually changing. Traditionally, reactions on other people decisions to pursue certain courses were influenced by cultural beliefs. In the past, women had few or no chances in workplaces. However, the number of women in the workplace has increased hugely in the last 60 years as they are getting more and more roles (Gender, 2016). Women are mainly venturing in roles that are supportive such as nursing and teaching. Men are still engaging in masculine jobs which they are associated with. The percentage of women in the workplace remains lower than that of men worldly. Many women work as part-time employees or casual workers. Women have fought for gender equality in the workplace for decades, and their efforts are bearing fruits. In a bid to attain equality in workplaces, men are advised to think like a woman and the women are advised to act like men. It is through such endeavors that stereotypical traits about the two genders are reinforced. Men may be brought out as aggressive and the women empathetic. It is these traits which display gender characteristics in workplaces especially when they are exaggerated. For centuries, men have been privileged in workplaces and women have been associated with roles of homemaking.
Although it is ideal to achieve a gender balance in the workplaces, studies have shown that men can do some jobs better than women, and women too can do other jobs better than men. Men are known to be linear in thought processes and have a narrower focus (Holmes & Flood, 2013, pp. 236). This is an indication that men solve problems by breaking them down into their counterparts. Women, on the other hand, tend to view problems holistically and are in a position to comprehend a situation without the need to explore the individual parts. These characteristics of both sexes show that a balance of the both in workplaces can work out well for decision-making processes. The culture of today’s businesses tends to tie masculine jobs to men and the supportive jobs to women. The gap between feminine and masculine roles is partly driven by differences in males and female’s attitudes. Today, the men tend to feel a sense of being entitled in workplaces and women tend to feel like underdogs. The fact that women and men perform different roles in the workplace can be advantageous or disastrous. Everyone in a workplace expects to be judged according to how they fair at their job and get recognized for their unique talents and accomplishments. The world is aiming at achieving this and eliminating discriminating and sexist views.
According to studies, men tend to get assigned to critical assignments which make them advance more than women. A catalyst study performed on 1660 business school graduates indicate that projects assigned to men had budgets twice or thrice as big than those assigned to women (Banyard, 2010). The reason behind this could be the trait of confidence believed to be possessed by men. Studies show that men are and feel more confident in the workplaces than women. This trait is evolutionary but more of a privilege trait. Men are seen as more willing to undertake tasks even if they are not prepared for them. However, women tend to feel incapable of delivering even when they have prepared adequately. Men have more chances of being mentored by senior executives because of their confidence.
Men also dominate economic decision-making processes (Lindsey, 2015). It is evident through companies’ success declarations. A glance at the Chief Executive Officers in the top 200 publicly listed companies shows that only 3.5 % of the CEO positions are occupied by women. The other 96.5% is occupied by men (Asx200list, 2016). This is, however, an improvement from how the situation was a decade ago. Looking at the top 500 companies, 90.8 % of the board members are men. These statistics indicate that despite the efforts to fight for gender balance in workplaces, men still continue to be in command of the top parts of economic power. Reasons behind this could be the confidence in men or lack of trust in women by business owners. These data also show that gender divide is still experienced in workplaces. There is a notion in individuals that “the job is not for girls”. Leadership positions in the UK are associated more with the men. Currently, 43% of big companies lack women on their boards. 34.7% of smaller companies have women directors (Gender, 2016).
The role of men in the workplace is rapidly changing. With the entry of more females into the workplace, the scenario is changing for both men and women. However, despite all the changes, men still maintain their male privilege. This means they still have an advantage at the workplaces. Studies show that the level of men negotiating starting salaries is 7.6 higher than in women. Reports show that only 7% of women ask for more money whereas 50% of men does it (Banyard, 2010). This is an indication that women perceive themselves as the underdogs in the workplace hence they are contented with whatever amount the management is offering. Men, on the other hand, feel superior and hence, fight for more compensation when necessary. They value their work more.
Today, women are venturing in broader occupations and are not only focusing on supportive and nurturing roles. Women are mainly associated with roles such as teaching and nursing. In the modern society, however, women are found in industries, sectors, and roles that were previously viewed as solely belonging to men. Currently, women represent 47% of the UK workforce and 55% of graduating university students (Gender, 2016). Women have succeeded in breaking their stereotypical role of a housewife. However, this has not guaranteed them an equal opportunity with men in workplaces. They are still viewed in the perspective of caretakers, and higher recognition is still being given to men. Today, females are part of the pursued workforce. However, their jobs are still undervalued and low paid.
Women in the workplace mainly hold positions that are assistive to the administrators (Lindsey, 2015). Many women are found in occupations such as secretaries or personal assistants. This is supportive to how they are viewed as caretaking. They mainly venture in occupations that entail doing social good. This includes teaching in schools and working as social workers. Although they always hold things together in workplaces, women are still viewed in the traditional viewpoint of the roles they should play. In the workplace, men are viewed traditionally as the leaders. This explains why it is mostly men who are involved in administrative and managerial jobs. Men are also associated with heavy duty jobs such as construction, electricians, or plumbers (Lindsey, 2015). This is mainly due to their masculine nature and the need for much energy by such jobs. Jobs such as firefighting, pilots, Football coaches, and engineering are mainly viewed as manly. Jobs such as hairdressing, receptionist, midwife, and flight attendants are viewed as feminine. Studies show that the career fields dominated by women have lesser pay and also commands little respect. Men who venture in these fields tend to get a higher pay and also advance more rapidly than women. Women have a higher possibility than men to work in agriculture and in services. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to work in manufacturing jobs. Women are highly represented among unpaid and wage workers and in the informal sector. 44 % of the total global workforce is women. They also account for 58% of all unpaid work, 50% of informal employment, and 44% of wage workers.
There are several reasons as to why there exist a difference between the roles of men and those of...