“Doing gender means creating differences between women and men or girls and boys, differences that are not natural, essential, or biological” (West & Zimmerman, 1987).
Women labor have been growing due to the improved access to education and equity legislation to women in the world. Despite the fight of the gender equity and transformation in many nations in the world but workplaces are still unsatisfactory to women. There is encouragement on female (supporting women financial in education) to reduce the historical domination of the male occupations (England 2010). The issue women face in the attempt to persevere and penetrate in a workplace that is historically dominated by male came from traditional gender norms and hierarchies which prevail in the society and family, rather than “essential sexual natures” of the human being (Goffman, 1976). Thus, this can depict the concept of doing gender which means “creating differences between women and men or girls and boys, differences that are not natural, essential, or biological” (West & Zimmerman, 1987). Despite gender empowerment and equity, the household units have the structure and still make male dominant. Traditional opinion role that organization should develop practices and policies that will maintain females marginalize roles, and this become entrenched in the gender-biased in the culture of the organization. The organization should develop policies that would encourage working condition for women to motivate female employees.
Initially, males were dominating policies development in the institutions and organizations. They are still structured and functioning in the way that does not support the career of the women patterns, and there is need to integrate those jobs with family responsibility. There are changes in the institutional culture to empowerment strategies of the women, but still, women are marginalized. Therefore, according to (Cunningham, Fennimore 2005) males have predominantly documented the history of the women, and they work through their eyes.
There is the need for the governments to think different means about the impact of the gender on the career aspirations and trajectories in men dominated environments by males. The focus of the women in the male-dominated occupation will remain in concern in the light of the studies which point out to the negative social consequences the women face in the hands of men. There is the need to be aware of the effect of work-family conflicts and also women responsibilities at home and at work on how they affect their health; this gives cautions against the consequents of the problem in the family relationship.
Women in the world experience differently on how men take their responsibility in the workplace. Normally desire for power, status, and social comparisons always drive men to do their work. However, women are motivated by the good working environment and performance of the organization she is working in. Women have unique working experience which coupled with archaic on the role structure of working life based on gender. In this case, career-driven women are general and more focus on their jobs, but sometimes they are harassed by men.
When women and men are working side by side; they are tackling the same problems of business, walking similar hallways and sitting in the same meeting, both can perform relatively the same if they are given equal opportunity. New research on the working women shows that the common ground ends there. Men normally win promotions, access to the top leadership role and challenging assignment than women do. It is this way because men are more likely to feel more confident to their role assigned and they are strong to undertake their responsibility than women. The researchers suggest that many men can work in any environment despite weather condition or situation and they are easy to adopt any environment that women. It is why many men dominate working in many organizational structures. Women responsibilities at home and workplace need consideration; some factors may affect their performance and health condition. The research illustrates that 30 percent more men are likely to be promoted than women in the management roles. The continuation of this in the career leads to a large number of men move up the ladder. But women hold fewer leadership positions and management role.
Women working in men dominated the environment, they are subjected to many challenges that are developed by men. Some of the issues they face are sexual harassments, performance pressure, coworker doubting their competence and low support from coworkers and management. As the issues persist, research shows that women will experience dysregulation in their stress responses that lead to the creation of vulnerability for future illness and also raise the risk of mortality. Therefore, it’s important that this condition of the environment should change that will encourage women working in this organization, to prevent this in the institution, the organization should reevaluate their structure and develop a smooth communication strategy that will enable easy report of complaint from the employee and quickly respond to the complaint. This will help to reduce harassment of the women in their working environment. Women will continue exploring the field that is mostly occupied by men, such as engineering position, scientific field, and tech industries if the environment is set suitable them. Therefore, everyone should change the way to respond to those women undertaking men dominant career.
For the organization to encourage to gender equity in their working environment, there should exist strategy that assists the performance of the women. This may be possible if the women are included in the top management of the organization. Many women are good leaders, but the problem is that they don’t get the opportunity to practice it. Therefore it’s important for the management of the organization to encourage women leadership so that they can handle their issues in the organization. Women who are in the executive role should find ways to mentor other junior women to the leadership role by developing unions that will handle their issues. Women should be encouraged to take further education to have required skills and knowledge like their men counterpart. This will give them a chance to compete equally with men on the top management position. Women can take same responsibilities as men if they are educated and encouraged. But the main issue to the success of women is the traditional culture that hinders the progress of women.
References
Candace West, D. H. Z., 1987. Doing Gender. California: Sage Publications.
England, P., 2010. The gender revolution. Gender & Society. Career Development International.
Finnemore, M. &. C., 1995. Women and the workplace. Industrial Sociology.
Manago B, T. C., 2015. Occupational Sex Segregation and Physiological Stress Exposure. American Sociological Association Meetings.
Schein, V. E., 2006. Women in management: reflections and projections. Pennsylvania, USA.
