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Gender Inequality in the WorkplaceNycole CheathamUniversity of Kentucky AbstractGender inequality is a serious issue in many workplaces. One of the biggest problems with gender inequality is women not being able to expand their careers and be promoted to being CEOs, managers, or even vice presidents within a company. Men have several qualities that make them qualified for positions such as this such as lack of emotion and the drive to succeed and take risks. Women on the other hand are naturally nurturing and have a lot of emotion which could prohibit company production.IntroductionEven since the beginning of time, men have seen women as inferior for positions of a higher standing. For example, early men and women were given jobs based on gender not because of qualifications or even characteristics of a good leader. Men were always the hunters which mean they went out and got the kill. They were prehistoric breadwinners. Women however typically stayed close to home and gathered fruits and vegetables and by staying so close to home, they were still able to take care of the home and their children. Though these times are long gone, this prehistoric mindset of women not being able to be leaders still exists today. (Stepford lite - for post-feminists, 2004) The popular cult film The Stepford Wives portrays a world where women are slaves to their husbands. The women who live in this town were once CEOs, doctors and lawyers but their husbands felt inadequate as most men who aren’t the big breadwinners can feel towards their wives. In a speech given to the Coca Cola women’s LINC conference by Sol Daurella, she not only told of how she always has to rely on a lot of things to go well for her success in her career but she also goes on to say that although women are better off today than at any point in history, women are still not represented equally in political and social decisions, women are paid less than men even if they have the same job and they especially aren’t presented equally in leadership roles (Daurella, 2014). Although gender inequality is clearly a problem still faced in the workplace today, many researchers and other business personnel feel as though they have pinpointed several cause as to why women aren’t CEOs, Why men don’t think women are capable of being CEOs and, why women are only seen as caretakers. Why women aren’t CEOsOne reason presented as to why women are not CEOs is their emotional state. Women by nature just simply care too much. (Marks,2011) describes it as an instance which he experienced with his two children:One Friday night I picked up my teenage son at the movies along with four of his teenage friends. The ride home was filled with laughter, profanity, burps, flatulence and a few head slaps. It took a week for the smell to dissipate. The next night I picked up my teenage daughter at the movies along with four of her teenage friends. Deathly silence. Apparently, one of the girls’ boyfriends at the theatre had made a remark about another girl’s makeup in the group. He thought she looked…hot. Oh boy. Sides had been chosen. And except for the occasional hissed whisper, no one was talking to each other. It took two weeks for the tension to dissipate. (Marks, 2011)This example shows the emotional state that women could express whilst at work. Although these are teenagers, this still applies because if this were to happen at the workplace and the women were in the top positions at their firm, it could be detrimental to the company because now the women are concerned with other matters. They are no longer focused on the betterment of the company, they now what to know if their drama with another colleague is still prevalent. This emotional state of women can cause a company to be extremely unsuccessful which could potentially be a reason men take up these positions. Another potential reason as to why women aren’t CEOs is because they don’t even bother to take the chance of seeking positions like this or let alone even applying for CEO or other higher positions within a company. (Nordell, 2006) says that women tend to not look for things that could be high risk. Being a CEO of a company is very risky. The entire company is pretty much under that one person and if they mess up the company could be in danger and perhaps some women just aren’t strong enough to handle something like that especially if they are expected to take care of a home and family at the same time while trying to manage their career. One of the most obvious reasons that women aren’t in CEO positions is because of the discrimination of women that still exists today. Sexism is still very much alive in the workplace. In 1998, for example, Mitsubishi paid $34 million to female workers who claimed the company had allowed employees and managers to sexually harass them at its plant in Normal, Ill (Nordell, 2006). In another study, it states that Women CEOs were nearly twice as likely as men to have been appointed to the job from outside the company — even though our analysis clearly shows that inside-CEO candidates perform better over time, presumably because long-term growth depends on deep industry- and firm-specific knowledge (Ibarra & Hansen, 2009). Women are being counted out before even given the opportunity to show whether they can perform in the position or not. The decisions to promote women are pretty much one sided. There are usually a board of men or a man that would determine if a woman would be fit for the position and the answer would probably be no.Finally, the last reason that women aren’t becoming CEOs is because bigger companies don’t want to rely on a woman’s decisions for a huge company because the outcome could be detrimental to a company. (Ibarra & Hansen, 2009) state that a common explanation for so few women reaching the top is the “glass cliff” theory, whereby women are more likely than men to be appointed to top jobs in poorly performing companies. This means that typically smaller corporations or corporations that aren’t that successful would trust a women as a CEO probably because there isn’t must risk and not a lot at stake for the company to lose so that if their CEO did make a poor decision the entire company wouldn’t go under. Why men don’t believe that women should be CEOsOne of the biggest reasons that men don’t believe women should be in CEO positions or the workplace in general is because they tend to feel inadequate or less of themselves. (Fradera, 2014) Married men who have a more traditional ‘breadwinner role’ at home tend to have more negative views on women in the workplace. Another study was also done and it was found that managers were just as susceptible; traditionally married managers were less likely to recommend a fictional candidate for an MBA program if they were a woman. Why women are only seen as caretakers.There is a set mind of most men that women should be at home with the children and that a woman even potentially touching a career would just hurt her family. (Marks, 2011) describes this as a simple state of societal thoughts. Women also have more personal and social pressures than men. And this affects their ability to further their careers and get the experience they need to become good managers. It’s common today for families to have two working parents. But let’s admit it, when little Johnny gets sick at school who’s the first person that’s usually called? When a child is up at night coughing, which parent is staying up with her? When the plumber has to make an emergency morning visit, who is generally staying at home to deal with it? It’s usually mom, and even if she has a full time job too. (Marks, 2011)It’s almost like women are expected to take care of any extra responsibilities that deal with family life because from the moment that a child is born mom is usually the one taking time out of their day to tend to it. It’s simply because women have a naturally nurturing character and that’s a characteristic that a lot of people, especially children, seem to gravitate towards. ConclusionIn conclusion, men seem to be better candidates for CEO positions mostly because of their lack of emotion, views of men as the traditional breadwinner in the public eye, and a particular bias which lies in many different workplace settings. Although it seems that there are a lot of different reasons as to why women aren’t CEOs, why men don’t think women make good CEOs, and why women are only seen as care takers, the most central reason behind it is the prehistoric mindset that a lot of men and corporations still seem to think is necessary for a company to be successful. Unfortunately these mindsets prevent a lot of women from breaking free of positons like secretaries, flight attendants, or even stay at home moms. ReferencesFradera, A. (2014, May 1). Never the earner, always the bride. Reader's Digest, 316,317-316,317Daurella, S. (2013, October 1). Four pillars I've relied on as a business woman. Vital Speeches of the Day, 321-325.Stepford lite - for post-feminists. (2004, July 12). Retrieved November 3, 2014.Marks, G. (2011, October 31). Why Most Women Will Never Become CEO. Retrieved November 3, 2014.Nordell, J. (2006, November 21). Why aren't there more female CEOs? Retrieved November 3, 2014Ibarra, H., & Hansen, M. (2009, December 21). Women CEOs: Why So Few? Retrieved November 3, 2014. ................
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