Women in the Workplace: A Look at Socio-Cultural Attitudes

Women in the Workplace : A Look at Socio-Cultural Attitudes

15th June 2008

Women in the Workplace : A Look at Socio-Cultural Attitudes

Since times immemorial , women have been traditionally and culturally treated as the weaker race . There are a huge construct of prejudices regarding the types of roles adequate or suitable for women . Even as technology advances at a rapid pace , and more women acquire higher education , the perception of women has not undergone much alteration , as a result of which , women have to face gender bias and work place discrimination as

a prime challenge . There have been constant investigations to find the reasons why many women fail to reach the top positions in their professional careers after faring significantly in their graduation programs in the fields of doctors , engineers and lawyers in spite of the successful implementation of policies and reforms to enable them to achieve professional success

In her research , `Gender Stereotypes , Same-Gender Preferences , and Organizational Variation in the Hiring of Women : Evidence from Law Firms ' Gorman (2005 ) investigates the reasons for the relatively low proportion of women hired in the law firms (fifty five percent of which were studied , as compared to the proportion of women enrolled in law schools . Gorman suggests that women may be experiencing a hiring disadvantage at these law firms , as compared to their male counterparts Gorman (2005 ) also points that the presence of a female hiring partner augments the potential of a woman being hired by nearly thirteen percent . She agrees that over the past quarter century , women have gained a foothold in the legal profession , but expresses concern that even though there should be lower levels of gender based discrimination in law firms , stereotypical prejudices play a significant role in the employment processes

Gender stereotypes have been a norm in society and have typically dictated the job pros of potential candidates . For instance , the job of a sales representative is likely to be perceived as one which necessitates the traits of persuasion and may therefore seek a male candidate , whilst the potential candidate for the position of a telephone operator or even a customer service representative may be a female as it requires certain behavioral attributes like pleasantness and cordiality , traits traditionally assumed as feminine (Gorman , 2005 .It is thus evident that there are substantial gender stereotypes in the outlining of job pros of candidates , an aspect which often reduces the prospects of women to authoritative positions at their workplace Even if a woman is capable and has the potential to reach the zenith very often , her familial responsibilities hinder her prospects for growth and progression . Several married women have to play the dual roles of work and motherhood , which is often considered as a major pothole in her career advancements . Gorman (2005 ) also states in her study that the choice for male or female candidates , stems from the traditional gender bias in certain types of jobs is a prime reason for the gender discrimination at the workplace . Referring to Jacobs (1989...