Working Women

Monday, November 8, 2010

Final Video depicting Sexism in Politics!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-IrhRSwF9U&playnext=1&list=PL06DBE977903E0E41&index=18

This video from youtube shows how disturbingly sexism is prevalent not just in our society but in our media as well. Our media is definitely to be blamed for propagating gender stereotypes to millions of viewers everyday which in a chain of reactions has lating effects on the minds of the viewers. Our media needs to be more appropriate and if they do not change, then we should educate the masses about gender discrimination and its severe impact not just on women but in society in general. This video vividly illustrates how some men holding important positions in the media misuse their power by passing highly sexist remarks and openly demeaning a woman who according to them is not 'good enough' on national television.

References

Murphy, Evelyn. (2005). Getting even: why women don't get paid like men and what to do about it.

Sanders, Melissa. (2005). Sexism in the military- what the army brochure won't tell you. Retrieved from www.socialistalternative.org/news/article16.php?id=70
Segura, Liliana. (2008). Veterans decry institutional sexism in military. Retrieved from www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/79877
Wal-mart to get new hearing on workplace-bias class action case. (2009, February 16). The Los Angeles Times, Retrieved from articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/16/business/fi-walmart16
Abramowitz, Rachel. (2010, March 07). In hollywood, female directors are still the exception. The Los Angeles Times, Retrieved from articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/07/entertainmet/la-et-women-directors7-2010mar07
Bose, Debopriya. (2010, January 06). Gender discrimination at the workplace. Retrieved from www.buzzle.com/articles/gender-discrimination-in-the-workplace.html
Know your rights. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.workplacefairness.org/
Sexism in the workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.pipex.co.uk/legal/news./sexism-in-the-workplace.html
Sexism. (2010). Collins english dictionary- complete and unabridged. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from dictionary.reference.com/browse/sexism

Sunday, November 7, 2010

What YOU Can do about preventing Sexism!

If you want your employer to change, you can’t simply rely on a court to impose justice from above. Ending sex discrimination requires conscious and sustained effort: from the bottom up, from the top down, and from the outside in. From the bottom up, women employees (and their male supporters) have to document discrimination, collaborate with each other, and advocate for themselves individually and for all women where they work. From the top down, CEOs (or whatever title the top boss has) must commit themselves to closing the wage gap within their organizations. And from the outside in, women at large (and their male allies) must hold every employer accountable for closing the wage gap.

Government and plaintiff bias lawyers have come up with some constructive consent decrees in the past decade. In these judgments, employers “consent” to making agreed-upon changes in their workplace, sometimes supervised for a few years by court-appointed monitors. For instance, after some of the major class action lawsuits during the past decade, some financial services companies were forced to create objective measures by which new and old accounts would be distributed. Rent-a-Center’s consent decree required the creation of a human resources department that would write and enforce fair employment policies, and whose vice president would report directly to the CEO. Home Depot agreed to create an online job application system that enables anyone who’s qualified to apply for jobs and promotions, without having to know the “right” manager. Some consent decrees impose outside monitors (preferably more than one) who review reports, check on the climate, and measure compliance.

 From the bottom up, women have already documented the discrimination thoroughly; otherwise the company wouldn’t have lost the case (or settled before that could happen). Outside pressure should exist not just in the form of court oversight, but also as embarrassing media coverage and public protest by women’s organizations. Most important, the third bar of the triangle should be in place: the CEO must be persuaded to transform the organization. Why would a CEO agree to make changes? Sometimes, just to be fair. At other times, to rebuild community good will, or to woo back alienated shareholders or customers.

In other words, bringing a lawsuit will only do part of the job. To make real change, you’ll need to build allies—among other employees, with the media, and among women at large who want to close the wage gap. You don’t have to turn every payday into a national issue. But neither can you afford to tackle the big problem of workplace sex discrimination all by yourself.

Putting an End to Sexism at the Workplace

The company should have a clear, written policy that is provided to each individual upon hiring. During the orientation process, individuals should be asked whether they've read and understand the policy. The policy should include the manner in which any allegations of sexism (and other forms of discrimination) should be reported, to whom, what process will be used to determine whether the allegation is true, and what action the company will take in response.

Companies should regularly discuss discrimination issues with employees, either via emails or scheduled mandatory "in-services". It's likely there are people who don't realize their actions may be sexist so it's important to educate them. Everyone deserves a level playing field.


STEPS TAKEN BY EMPLOYERS TO END GENDER DISCRIMINATION

To prevent gender discrimination or sexual harassment from occurring in the workplace, more and more employers are adopting a zero tolerance policy towards all acts of discrimination. This usually includes the creation of an official written policy against discrimination that is circulated to all employees, as well as education and training courses for all managers (and often for all employees). In addition, the companies have to show that they are serious about implementing and enforcing the new policy by creating disciplinary standards for violations of the policy.

Another step employers can take is to conduct a thorough investigation every time a claim of discrimination or harassment is lodged. If a company identifies a situation where it believes discrimination has occurred and the company is going to be held liable, it can ease the amount of punishment handed down if it conducts a thorough in-house investigation that culminates in appropriate action taken against the person who committed the discrimination, up to and including dismissal of that employee.

When managers are trained to recognize instances of sexual discrimination or harassment, they should be told one thing above all others—not to try to handle the complaint by themselves. Instead, they should always immediately notify the human resources department that an incidence of discrimination or harassment has been reported and needs to be investigated. If the training is also provided to all employees, primary efforts should be spent on teaching employees what is and is not considered to be appropriate behavior and on helping employees understand each other better so that they can work together more effectively.

Sexism in the Military - What the Army Brochures Won't Tell You




Sexism is deeply embedded in military culture. Military life demands unquestioning obedience to superior officers who are overwhelmingly men, which reinforces time and time again the inferior place of women. Male soldiers are exposed to and become part of a way of life that constantly sexualizes and devalues women. It is an extreme, concentrated expression of the sexism underlying capitalist society generally.

For most women in the military, the torrent of sexual harassment starts in the academy. Female cadets are often treated with open hostility, enduring unwelcome sexual advances and repeated incidents of hazing. Some hazings are extreme and even life-threatening, including reports of women having their clothes set on fire.
According to one study, 70.9% of women in active duty report being sexually harassed. (i) Women are often sexually harassed multiple times while serving in the military, regardless of their rank. "This is not about sexual tension - harassment is about the abuse of power," explained one retired Air Force officer who had been in uniform for over 20 years and had been harassed on more than half a dozen separate occasions. (ii)

Female soldiers serving in Iraq have reported high rates of sexual assault and rape from fellow soldiers and superiors. To avoid sexual assault, women are starting to use the "buddy system." They stay armed and in pairs at all times, even when going to the bathroom, out of fear of being raped. Though grossly underreported, it is estimated that as many as 30% of female soldiers experience an attempted or completed rape. (iii)

Perhaps more disturbing is the military's treatment of women after the rape or assault has been reported. The victims are often given poor medical treatment and no counseling to deal with the trauma. While rape and incest are exceptions to the military's ban on abortions, rape victims are still forced to pay for the expensive, invasive procedure themselves. Many women also complain of biased criminal investigations, where the validity of their allegations is repeatedly questioned and they are forced to continue working in close proximity to the men who raped them.

Women can also face retaliation by their peers and superior officers if they report sexual assault. Women who complain of sexual assault are often viewed as troublemakers who have no place in the military, and some women receive dishonorable discharges and falsified medical leaves. In the words of former Army Captain Jennifer Machmer, the man who raped her "is now serving at Fort Knox, Kentucky, finishing out his career, while I'm here being raped out of my career." (iv) Instead of adopting fair procedures to address the allegations of rape within its ranks, the military suggests that the answer to charges of widespread sexual harassment is segregation of jobs by gender.

Female soldiers are also particularly vulnerable to sex discrimination. Women, who are now 15% of the armed forces, are subject to an extreme double standard in the military. Women who wish to become high-ranking officers are forced to make huge personal sacrifices. The majority of high-ranking female army officers are not married, and those that are often choose to adopt children instead of having their own because they can't afford to become pregnant.

Anti-war activists need to warn the young women who are being targeted by military recruiters about the harsh conditions they will face, because recruiters almost never warn female recruits of these realities. The anti-war movement also needs to support women in the military who are fighting back against the humiliation, violence, and discrimination they endure. To effectively defend themselves, women in the military need to get organized and to link their struggle against unfair treatment to the growing movement among military families and soldiers to end the occupation of Iraq.

Sexism in our Society


The article below describes how Wal-Mart is being sued by six female employees for lesser pay and lesser promotions than their male counterparts. The hearing has been delayed since it is going to be a joint class suit involving all six employees together which has landed Wal-Mart in big trouble, putting billions of dollars at stake. If taken proper action, even the biggest opponents can be brought to justice. What all women need to understand is that no matter how challenging it might be for them to get help, there are established laws that take immediate action against any gender based discrimination at the workplace. This article is an example of such laws are being implented in real life.

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/16/business/fi-walmart16

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Sexism in Hollywood


The year 2010 saw some fantastic performances by actors Meryl Streep and Sandar Bullock for which both were nominated for the Academy Awards, eventually Bullock winning the golden trophy. Not only do Streep and Bullock perform in highly character based roles but both have come of age playing powerful roles and at the same time being achieving great popularity. Despite their immense success, there are still many places in Hollywood where women still have yet to leave a mark such as directing. Not only are there very few female directors but also most major movie production houses do not offer ample directing opportunities to aspiring female directors. The very few women directors who have tasted success refuse to talk about sexism, making it a very touchy subject to discuss in Hollywood.
The article below mentions the lack of enough women directors in Hollywood, an area dominated by men.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/07/entertainment/la-et-women-directors7-2010mar07

Preventing Sexism at the Workplace

Preventing Gender Discrimination in the Workplace

Equal pay for equal work
Uniform policies for male and female employees (this includes all policies including the spouse of the employees)
Equal treatment at workplace with respect to promotions, pay raises, other medical or financial benefits
There are various acts like the Equal Pays Act (1963) and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act that came into effect through an amendment made in 1978 to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which aim at curbing discrimination against women at workplace.

Gender discrimination in the workplace is not only harmful to the professional growth of an individual but also limits the growth of business firm. There are laws to prevent violation of employees, be it on the basis of gender, age or race. However, these laws may vary depending on the laws of the state where the business firm is registered. There may also be a time limit between the act of discrimination and time of bringing the act in front of the legislation. To maximize one's chance of stopping such harassment at workplace, timely action on part of the victim is crucial

Sexism in the Workplace Continued

Effects of Gender Discrimination in the WorkplaceThe most evident effect of gender discrimination in the workplace reflects in the performance of the company. An organization in which gender discrimination is rampant, compromises on the quality of work of its employees. Surely the affected individuals cannot work under stressful conditions. For those whose rights haven't been violated may also get demoralized on witnessing the company's apathy to gender discrimination. Also as the negative image of a company's discriminatory policies spreads, its relationship with present and potential clients may also be hampered. This is due to the fact that discrimination on the part of an employer is a sign of unhealthy business ethics. Also gender discrimination may result in poor retention and the company may lose potential employees due to its negative image.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Youtube Video displaying History of Sexism in the Workplace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yK_bGK0WmQ

Laws protecting Women in the Workplace

Can an employer pay me less because I'm a woman?
No. Both Title VII and the Equal Pay Act (EPA) 29 U.S.C. § 206(d) make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex in the payment of wages or benefits. The laws against discrimination in compensation cover all forms of compensation, including salary, overtime pay, bonuses, stock options, profit sharing and bonus plans, life insurance, vacation and holiday pay, cleaning or gasoline allowances, hotel accommodations, reimbursement for travel expenses, and benefits.
The EPA requires that men and women be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. It is the content of the job, not job titles, that determines whether jobs are substantially equal. Unlike the EPA, Title VII does not require that the job of the person claiming discrimination be substantially equal to that of a higher paid person of the other sex, nor does Title VII require the person claiming discrimination to work in the same establishment as the higher paid person. However, Title VII, unlike the EPA, requires proof of intent to discriminate on the basis of sex, while the EPA does not require proof of discriminatory intent.
Under the EPA, employers are prohibited from paying unequal wages to men and women who perform jobs that require substantially equal skill, effort and responsibility, and that are performed under similar working conditions within the same establishment. The law defines these terms as follows:
  • skill: measured by factors such as the experience, ability, education, and training required to perform the job. The key issue is what skills are required for the job, not what skills the individual employees may have.
  • effort: the amount of physical or mental exertion needed to perform the job.
  • responsibility: the degree of accountability required in performing the job.
  • working conditions: encompasses two factors: (1) physical surroundings like temperature, fumes, and ventilation, and (2) hazards.

Is it illegal to give different benefits to male and female employees?
Yes. Even though differences between the sexes may result in different benefit costs to an employer, it is against the law for an employer to discriminate between men and women with regard to benefits.
Employers are also not allowed to condition benefits available to employees and their spouses and families on whether the employee is the “head of the household'” or “principal wage earner” in the family unit, since that status bears no relationship to job performance and discriminatorily affects the rights of women employees.
An employer cannot make benefits available:
  • for the wives and families of male employees where the same benefits are not made available for the husbands and families of female employees;
  • for the wives of male employees which are not made available for female employees; or
  • for the husbands of female employees which are not made available for male employees.
It is also against the law for an employer to have a pension or retirement plan which establishes different optional or compulsory retirement ages based on sex, or which differentiates in benefits on the basis of sex.


Can an employer treat me differently because I can or have become pregnant?
No. Pregnancy discrimination, defined as discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, is illegal under Title VII. In 1978, Congress passed the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (P.D.A.) §2000e(k) of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 amending Title VII to clarify that discrimination based on pregnancy is a form of sex discrimination.
Under the law, pregnancy is considered a temporary disability, as are related medical conditions such as severe morning sickness, doctor-ordered bed rest, childbirth, recovery from childbirth, and any other related medical condition. Title VII prohibits employers from treating pregnant women differently from other temporarily sick, injured or disabled employees. Employers must therefore give pregnant employees and temporarily physically disabled new mothers the same treatment and benefits that they give to employees with other temporary disabilities.

Can an employer treat me differently because I am unmarried or married?
Marital status discrimination is not prohibited by the federal laws generally applicable to private employment, which prohibit discrimination based on race and color, sex, religion, national origin, age and disability. However, several states have laws making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of marital status.
However, marital status discrimination and sex/gender discrimination can often coexist. If, for example, as a married woman you are rejected for a position involving frequent overnight trips with male coworkers because it is assumed your husband would be jealous, and the position is offered to a married man, the problem may be sex/gender discrimination instead of marital status discrimination. It is illegal for your employer to make assumptions based on gender stereotypes, even if those assumptions are motivated in part by your marital status


Source: workplacefairness.org

Laws against Sexism






Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that protects individuals from discrimination based upon sex. This law makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against individuals because of their sex in hiring, firing, and other terms and conditions of employment, such as promotions, raises, and other job opportunities.

Who is covered by the Law?
Title VII covers all private employers, state and local governments, and educational institutions that employ 15 or more individuals. These laws also cover private and public employment agencies, labor organizations, and joint labor management committees controlling apprenticeship and training.The law's protections apply to both current workers and job applicants. If you are a current employee and are fired, not promoted, or not accommodated due to your sex or gender, you are protected. If you are not hired due to your sex or gender, you are also protected

Source: workplacefairness.org

Examples of Sexism at the Workplace

Here are some examples of potentially unlawful sex/gender discrimination that women, for example, may face:
  • Hiring/Firing/Promotions: You apply for a job for which you have experience and excellent qualifications, but you are not hired because some of the company's long-time clients are more comfortable dealing with men; you are told that you are laid off due to company cutbacks and reorganization, while men in the same job and with less seniority than you keep their jobs; you have worked for your company for several years, receiving exemplary reviews and an employee-of-the-year award, yet each of the five times you have applied for promotions, the positions you applied for are instead filled by less qualified men.
  • Pay: You worked your way up from the position of cook's helper to chef. A male chef with similar training and work experience was recently hired, and you find out that he will be paid more than you; you are a top salesperson for your company, but are moved to a less desirable territory while a man with much lower sales is given your territory and client base, enabling him to make much more in commissions than you will make for several years.
  • Job Classification: You work at a company for four years and put in many hours of overtime. After you return from having a baby, you tell your employer that you will not be able to put in as many hours of overtime. Your position is then changed to a lower level and you get less pay, while male coworkers in similar positions are allowed to cut back their overtime hours for personal reasons without any changes to their positions or pay.
  • Benefits: Your company's health insurance policy does not cover your spouse, because it is assumed that he will have his own benefits, while your male coworkers have their wives covered by the policy. Because your husband is between jobs, you have to pay increased health benefits on his behalf that your coworkers do not pay for their wives

My thoughts on Sexism

Will sexism in the workplace ever go away? Can it ever go away? Is it possible to create a completely neutral workplace for men and women working together in the same workplace? The answer is no.
I'm not just talking about equal rights and equal pay for women doing the same jobs as men. In some cases, women do get equal pay for doing the same job as a man and do have equal rights. The government has all kinds of rules about that. And it is obeyed as far as the companies themselves are concerned. At least as far as the eye can see. It's the little subtle differences in the way women are treated. I'm talking about the attitudes of the men working around a woman. In some cases, they can be condescending and treat the woman quite well, but still give off the sense of "she shouldn't be here". I've even heard a man remark, "She took some poor man's job who had a family to feed." Well, if you check the statistics, as many single women are raising families alone as men are. And it's not just remarks like that. Many women still get the snide little sexual remarks. Do you think a guy would walk up to another guy and whisper, "That uniform sure fits you good." Okay, maybe if he's gay. But if the other guy isn't gay, someone's going to get knocked out.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not putting all the blame on the male species. Women have very well been known to use their sex to their advantage. Many will give off that "I'm a woman, I'm not as strong as you guys," just to get help or to get some macho guy to do her work for her. That attitude is a big part of what keeps sexism going. It really does hurt other women who are trying their best to do their job, especially in jobs that are commonly considered man-type jobs. I'm talking a lot about jobs such as construction and manual labor type jobs. But really, when you think about it, some women may not be as strong as some guys, but then again, some guys aren't as strong as other guys. Strength is really an individual trait. There are ways around using brute strength. Many companies have equipment to do heavy lifting and moving. A woman working in a warehouse or company that entails any heavy lifting should know how to operate the company forklift or use a dolly. How strong a person is should not be an issue. But women also face challenges in the business world as executives or professionals. Even women with law degrees may run into the sexual obstacles that seem to be there, whether we see them or not. They may get passed up for partnerships or promotion based on their gender.
But let's be realistic. Men and women are different. No matter what the rules and regulations dictate, we can't just turn off the sexual feelings that we have within us because society says we should. However, we can control our attitudes, language, and actions. If we can do this, then everyone can work together in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Sexism in the Workplace

Though we might like to believe otherwise, sexism (the belief that one sex/gender deserves inferior treatment) is still rampant in workplaces across the United States. Some statistics estimate that about 72% of women workers have experienced sexist bullying at work, while 85% of women workers believe that there is a bias towards males in their workplaces. Though there are laws that protect women's employment rights, there is still much that must be left up to individuals and companies in order to ensure that fair treatment is extended to all workers

Sexism and companies
Companies are vulnerable to the disruptions that sexism can cause to their business, including inferior work from those disrupted by sexism (both those perpetrating and those who are victims), law suits brought by those who feel that they have been discriminated against, payments ordered to victims of sexism and the bad press and fall out from losing a case brought by a former employee.
There is much that companies can do to ensure that they do not fall prey to these outcomes. Drafting and distributing the company's policy towards sexism, and guidelines for how the company will deal with and investigate reports of sexism, is an important step. Ensuring that someone in the company is up to date with employment laws and that they company's policies all comply with these laws is also vital. Finally, making sure that all employees are aware of the company's stance toward sexism and that they understand that it will not be tolerated is imperative as well.


Sexism and the Individual

Food for Thought


*Women compose ~50% of the workforce in the USA, but according to the Department of Labor, "·women have not made significant gains into middle and senior levels of management, notwithstanding their increased experience, credentials, over all qualifications and greater attachment to the work force."
*At the current rate of increase, it will take 456 years (until 2466) before women are as equally represented at the top of the career ladder as they are at the bottom.
*In the Fortune 500 companies, women compose only 2.6% of corporate officers, even though they make up 61% of all employees.
*79% of Fortune 500 company CEOs admit that there are identifiable organisational and attitudinal barriers that prohibit women from reaching the top. (1990 survey by Catalyst, a women's issues research consortium)
*Job segregation: the majority of women execs are concentrated in female-dominated industries, health care and education.
*A study funded by BPW foundation found a typical pattern: the number of female managers increases and resistance to them falls until the percentage of women nears 15%. Then discrimination including outright harassment begins to rise. As women go from ãtokenä to actual competitors in the company, resistance to them rises.
*Assertiveness is seen as a positive quality in males. Yet this same quality is seen as a negative aggressiveness in women.
*Among the 435 possible seats in the House of Representatives, women hold only 29 (6.4%) seats.

What is Sexism?

Sexism is discrimination or devaluation based on an individual's sex as in restricted job opportunities; especially directed towards women by men.