Gender Inequality in the Workplace

Brett Steele Claire Pingree Megan Looney Nivea Wright Comms 360 Professor Johnson December 12, 2013

Introduction Gender inequality in the workplace is prevalent regardless of industry or location. Our analysis of this problem will cover the following topics: fundamental gender differences and the creation and perpetuation of gender stereotypes, how men view women in the workplace, gender bias in hiring, and the male-to-female pay ratio. We will include specific recommendations for managers on how they can help prevent and alleviate gender bias in the workplace. Fundamental Gender Differences Although some gender traits and roles are learned through society and stereotypes, research proves that from a biological standpoint, genders are simply created differently. Each gender has strengths and weakness according to DNA makeup. Men and women communicate differently according to "function of sex-specific areas of the brain," the way the splenium portion of their brain handles problem solving, their hormones, along with numerous other biological differences (Gannon, 2012). Male and female employees have different problemsolving, communication, and working styles (Scott, 2013). This is reflected in the way that

men and women function, think, and feel. In order to be a successful manager, it is crucial to understand these key gender differences and to adapt accordingly. Men have high levels of testosterone, which tends to drive them towards dominance. They generally "have better spatial and math skills than females." Men have a superior ability to visualize three-dimensional objects, which "gives the male his often-observed superior abilities in math and geometric reasoning," (McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2003). Typically, men are linear in thought process and more narrow in their focus, so they are able to break down problems into their component parts and solve it, (Gannon, 2012). They "tend to have more confidence in performance-oriented settings," are early adopters of technology, and demonstrate confidence in negotiations (Gannon, 2012). Men tend to favor individual work and independence and tend to be more assertive communicators (Scott, 2013). Women are generally "more vocal than boys, are better at hearing higher frequencies, and do better than boys in reading and vocabulary tests," (McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2003). Females have less testosterone than men, which results in "less dominant and more nurturing roles in society," (Gannon, 2012). Women have a superior sensitivity to "emotionally relevant details, visual cues, verbal nuances, and hidden meanings," and excel early in verbal skills (McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2003). Women more often see a problem holistically and are able to coming up with an understanding of that situation without needing to know what all the parts are," (Gannon, 2012). Women tend to be better team players and work as "supportive" leaders, are persuasive and are able "to read situations accurately and take information from all sides", and are generally "honest, hard workers," (Gannon, 2012). Overall, women favor group work and tend to be more sensitive communicators (Scott, 2013). Recommendations for Managers As a manager, it is crucial to understand gender differences in the workplace and and

to recognize the strengths that each individual brings to the business. A team doesn't have to be 50 percent women and 50 percent men for it to be balanced, says Merron. But the degree to which the masculine and feminine qualities are represented and are utilized well is the essence of balance. When it comes to problem solving," particularly in business, "you need a balance of both perspectives, (Gannon, 2012). Managers can combat inequality or differences in the workplace through "training and development initiatives that focus on increased awareness of gender-related issues." Managers can encourage positive behavior to "strengthen the working relationship between men and women," (Gannon, 2012). Managers have the opportunity to promote change of thought through company education and training. Managers also have a large impact through their example and personal influence. They set the precedent for gender relations in the workplace. A manager can inspire acceptance, balance and team-work between genders. A manager can encourage employees to recognize and utilize each genders strengths and skills. How Men View Women in the Workplace The way men see women roles in society has to do with home-related spillover discrimination by their parents who are influenced by society. The messages that most postindustrial societies send to girls and boys during their developing years on how they should behave, "differ as functions of the gender of the particular child" (Hahn & Litwin, 2013). For instance, in many societies girls play with dolls and boys go out to explore the world. These and other expectations have a hidden message that women are supposed to stay at home to take care of the children while men go out to work to provide for their families. These messages influence how men see themselves and women in the workplace. Therefore, in the workplace men see women according to gender roles stereotypes (Clarke, 2011). For instance, men see women as more cooperative at work, which is described as a feminine

characteristic. Men are more likely to see themselves as competitive, which is a better, masculine characteristic to succeed in business (Triana, 2011). Consequently, these gender role stereotypes lead men to behave in a discriminant way against women, increasing inequality in the workplace. Mens negative view of women creates a challenge for managers in the workplace. In many societies, women are viewed as people who do not think before expressing negative opinions. This belief creates bias against women, especially in a professional environment, and can limit their professional progression. For example, as a male manager held an office meeting, male and female employees were challenged to find a solution to an organizational problem. A woman offered a valid solution right away. The male manager was irritated because the woman did not begin her statement with a progressive analysis of all factors (Hahn & Litwin, 2013). He thought that she spoke too soon and ignored her solution without exploring its possibilities. In the same scenario, a male co-worker was the second to give his opinion, which was identical to the womans. But in contrast, he started with a long analysis of the situation. The manager quickly accepted the males proposed solution. The male manager reacted favorably not to the actual solution but to his male staff member's linear approach to solving the problem, (Hahn & Litwin, 2013). Recommendations for Managers Managers must be aware of how men view women in the workplace in order to avoid gender inequality. Managers must be sensitive to gender differences, or womens success will be impeded, and both men and women will experience unnecessary frustrations, (Hahn & Litwin, 2013). There are many challenges to overcome gender bias in the workplace; however, the following suggestions will enable male managers to help male employees change their views about women at work. First, managers must educate themselves about mens views of women

at work. Second, managers must analyse their mission statement and work structure to see if they support negative views of women at work. Third, managers must have personal interviews at work to find out how staff members feel about the subject and if any of them have experienced gender discrimination. Fourth, staff members should be asked to come up with ideas on how to benefit from gender differences. Fifth, managers must listen to their employees during personal interviews and group discussions. People are more likely to trust those who listen to them. Lastly, managers should make the changes based on the matters discovered and discussed with staff members (Steyn, 2009). Keep in mind that people are different, so strategies for change differ for each individual and business. Moreover, these changes will reflect in individual behavior at home, increasing the possibilities to avoid home-related discrimination by parents. This will increase the likelihood that the next generation of young men will see women more positively in the workforce and girls will feel confidence in their decision to enter the workforce (Steyn, 2009).

Gender Bias in Hiring Although gender discrimination in employment has been prohibited since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, gender discrimination and gender bias still plays a role in the hiring process. A 2009 study indicated that when ambiguity exists in an individuals qualifications or competence, evaluators will fill the void with assumptions drawn from gendered stereotypes, (Issac, 2009). In this study, gender bias was identified as the difference in ratings or perceptions of men and women with identical qualifications (Isaac, 2009). The study confirmed negative bias against women being evaluated for positions traditionally held by men. Clearly competent women were rated lower than equivalent men for male sex-typed jobs unless evidence of communal qualities was also provided, (Isaac, 2009).

Even scientists, who are trained to ignore subjective criteria, revealed gender bias when evaluating job applicants in a recent study (Hathaway, 2012). A Yale University study asked 127 scientists to review a job application of identically qualified male and female students. The faculty members, both men and women, consistently scored a male candidate higher on a number of criteria such as competency and were more likely to hire the male, (Hathaway, 2012). Another study showed that not only are there gender biases in hiring but the physical attractiveness of job applicants also affects hiring decisions. Attractiveness consistently was an advantage for male applicants but was an advantage only for females seeking traditionally female jobs, (Shahani-Denning, 2000). Attractive females were perceived as, more feminine than unattractive female and were therefore at a disadvantage when seeking a job that traditionally required masculine characteristics, (Shahani-Denning, 2000). Recommendations for Managers Providing individual proof of competence and excellence in past performance can be effective in diminishing gender bias. This approach is only successful if, the raters do not feel coerced, conditions enable raters to fully attend to the information provided, and raters commit to the value of specific credentials both before the review and before giving an overall rating, (Isaac, 2009). The Male-to-Female Pay Ratio The relationship between gender and salaries has been a controversial topic in American history. Traditionally, women have earned lower salaries than their male counterparts. In their article Gender Differences in Pay in the Journal of Economic Perspectives (2000), Blau and Kahn argue that for many years, women tended to work women jobs that were low-paying. Women were especially concentrated in administrative support (including clerical) and

service occupations. In the early 1970s, 53 percent of women workers were in such jobs, compared to only 15 percent of men. At that time, less than one in five managers were women, and women in professional positions were frequently employed in traditionally female professions, like nurse, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teacher, elementary school teacher, dietitian, or librarian, which also tend to be relatively lowpaying compared to predominantly male professional occupations (p. 79). Binder, Krause, Chermak, Thacher, and Gilroy (2010) agree with this assertion by suggesting that, much of the US gender wage gap in the labor market as a whole ! twothirds by one estimate ! can be attributed to occupational sorting by gender, (p. 108). A census from any year in Americas history would show there has always been a significant pay gap between womens salaries and those of men in the same profession. A 2012 census revealed that for full-time workers between 1960 and 1982, womens salaries were on average 60 percent of mens salaries. Although the female-to-male earnings ratio has increased consistently since 1980, the ratio for 2012 revealed that there is still gender-based compensation inequality. The average full-time female made approximately 77 percent as much as the equivalent full-time male. While some men earn more than women in their equivalent positions and fields, many have attempted to explain and justify the pay ratio. Binder, Krause, Chermak, Thacher, and Gilroy (2010) propose that one factor in the pay gap is more men work in the private sector while women typically work in the public sector (p. 108). This would support Blau and Kahns assertion that women traditionally work lower-paying jobs in hospital and schools. Hogue, Fox-Cardamone, and DuBois (2011) used the System Justification Theory (SJT) to explain the pay gap. They found that women have lower expectations of pay and, as a result, will typically settle for a lower salary. Men, on the other hand, feel more entitled and expect to receive a competitive salary (824-825). They found when employees are asked to select their

own salary, on average women selected a significantly lower salary than men in the same position. Others have found that childbirth is the largest factor in the pay gap. Lucas Kawa (2012) concluded that a firm with an above-average percentage of female employees is prone to an above-average turnover rate. A higher turnover rate is associated with increased training costs, (Business Insider, 2013). He continues on to justify a higher salary based on the economic ramification of loyalty and consistency in the work place. Recommendations for Managers Despite the theories and justifications of this salary dilemma, a manager in virtually any field will be somehow affected. It is important to understand how to deal with such issues. We have several recommendations for managers to follow when dealing with gender inequality based on salary. Do not use gender as a reason for men or women to do certain tasks. In this modern day, gender-associated jobs are less prevalent. It is common for women to work as corporate executives and for men to work as administrative support. Task assignments need to be based on skill and qualifications, not gender. Perhaps the best way to handle this situation, and avoid any future controversy in the workplace, is to establish a system for determining salary. This standard should outline a starting salary for each position and certain factors that will contribute to a pay raise. These factors can help remedy the economic effects of high turnover and leave. These factors can--but do not have to!include a raise after a training or probationary period is completed, a raise after X amount of years working in a position, and a raise when being promoted to a leadership position. Establishing a consistent pay system will minimize gender inequality in the office and will increase job satisfaction of employees. With this system, the manager will have the freedom to issue pay raises based on accomplishment or superior performance if the company allows such. It is crucial that these raises are fair and consistent across the board.

Conclusion It is crucial in this day and age that managers understand gender differences and bias and how they affect the workplace. Managers must educate themselves, be aware of the workplace climate, listen to their employees and avoid any gender-related biases when hiring and calculating salary. With conscious effort from a manager, the workplace can become a safe environment, where both men and women are able to work together as a team and use their strengths to generate substantial business results.

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