For many years, gender discrimination, especially against women, has been a menace in the job market. Women have been the major casualties of this vice largely due to norms and culture that promote the old-fashioned perception of women’s inferiority in comparison to their male counterparts, which has affected not only their delivery of duties but also the ranks they hold. However, it’s high time that we address this and bring it to an eventual end through a series of solutions.
The author argues that there are three main forms of discrimination that women have suffered in the workplace. These are overt discrimination where gender is used as a criterion for employment, leading to a refusal to higher and denial of equitable pay. Research shows that women are more concentrated in lower-earning industries and are underrepresented in executive positions with powerful decision-making and influence, which is male-dominated. (Cain, 1986 & Blau, 1986) Only an average of 5% of women occupy executive positions, compared to almost 90% of men.
Women also suffer sexual harassment, which is either quid pro that is majorly done by their male supervisors and managers due to the immense power wielded over the women; they use bribery or threats to gain their compliance. There is also the use of a hostile environment where the offensive and hostile work environment is used to intimidate the women into giving in (Gelfand et al. 1995). The third type of discrimination is the glass ceiling, where women are denied access to power and status(FGCC. 1997). More women thus resort to female-dominated careers such as nursing, secretaries, and flight attendants and enormously earn less compared to their male counterparts (Glinow, 1990).
However, there is a need to look at women executives as a tool to prevent the same. Women who wield powerful administrative and policy-making positions are more responsive to such issues. Women employed as supervisors and managers are better experienced in handling such issues. Statistics show that 90% of the cases in court involve men assaulting women sexually compared to the inverse (EOCC, 1995, Keyton 1996). There is more willingness to report such cases compared to men employed in such positions as males and females interpret sexual harassment differently.
To overcome this habit, there is a need to increase the number of women in powerful and executive positions to be able to address the issues of sex discrimination effectively. Equality should also be observed in appointments to positions wielding power and policy making. Policies need to be not only created but fully implemented to ensure the satisfaction of all parties, especially women. More importantly, the issue of sex discrimination should be addressed from the feminist view since they are the major casualties of the same other than the norm that enhances viewing it from a masculine perspective.
Even though the author has highlighted sex discrimination among women in society, he has actually ignored the male discrimination that is glaring in society today. The concept of contra-power harassment, where junior officials harass their seniors, is almost completely nonexistent in society with the emergence of ethics and moral codes of conduct in the job industry. To some extent, increasing women’s positions wielding powerful influence in policy levels to levels greater than 50% is likely to bring resentment and successive tilting of the balance to female dominance and superiority. There is a need for zero consideration of gender in issues of executive positions but strict adherence to the ethics, moral code of conduct, and reputation, which determines the treatment of junior officials and approach to matters of sex discrimination. Merely increasing the number may not help curb the rise in gender discrimination. It is also important to note that the preference of women in managerial and executive positions is practically almost impossible to execute in the current society that champions equality and equity with an emphasis on professional qualification.
All in all, it is evident going by statistics of glaring gender discrimination and sexual harassment as exhibited by the author. The 90% of cases of women’s sexual harassment must stop. I still agree with the author that women should be offered more powerful positions to address this vice effectively. Consequently, better policies must be developed and implemented, and the indifferent perceptions of the different genders on gender harassment must be harmonized to provide a better position for addressing the challenge. Feminist ideals and the empowerment of the girl child must continue to take center stage to address this better. Women must be encouraged to stand up for themselves.
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