Gender Inequality in the Workplace: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

Unequal Pay: A Major Issue in Gender Inequality

Gender inequality involves one gender being consistently privileged or favored due to biases based on sex or gender. Gender equality is a fundamental human right, and being discriminated on the roots of gender is a violation of that right. Women are still treated unequally in the workplace, with men being favoured or prioritized for certain superior positions. Even in the nursing profession, which usually is female-dominated, a rising number of men are highly valued for the administrative and elite specialty spots compared to their female counterparts (Evans, 1997).

Patriarchal cultural organizations consciously or unconsciously vouch for male advantage, which aggravates the gender inequality situations I the workplaces. One of the key issues on gender inequality in the workforce is unequal pay. Despite women being educated more than men, women are paid less than their male counterparts. Research shows that women's income is eighty percent of what males earn, and the pay gap is still widening as of November 2018. Women also face more sexual harassment issues in the workplace than men, which further portrays gender inequality.

Sexual harassment includes both verbal and physical assault. A study conducted in 2018 reports that 38 percent of women have gone through sexual harassment in the workplace (Wilson, 2021). In the workplace, women are less often promoted when compared to men. Despite being more educated than men, not many women occupy high positions, such as CEOs in most organizations in the country. Women account for less than 5% of CEOs and less than 10% of top earners in the S&P 500 (Wilson, 2021). It could be due to inadequate female role models in workplaces.

Women are often discriminated against and not valued enough to manage and take over top positions in companies, especially in male-dominated careers, which is not the case for males in female donated professions such as nursing. For example, men are encouraged into nursing with the view that they will raise the profession's prestige and status, which should not be the case if there is gender equality (Evans, 1997). In most cases, for women to receive a promotion, they work for a longer time, and they are required to advance in their careers which is not the case for men.

During the hiring and recruitment process, most of the Human Resource practices are biased against women. It is more difficult for women to land a job than men. Some companies have denied women job opportunities because women have to take maternity leaves when they give birth, which is an option for men (Pavlou, 2021). Thus, companies will often prefer employing men to reduce the extra cost brought by maternity leaves. Therefore, women are forced to put more effort than men to show they are worthy of a specific position that portrays gender inequality. There are efforts made to formulate and adopt policies that advocate for gender equality and eradicate gender discrimination. Some countries have the 2/3 gender rule to ensure that a particular gender does not extensively dominate in certain areas. Organizations empowering women have also developed to ensure that women have equal opportunities, especially in the workplace. Gender equality is key to promoting economic growth and ensuring that every gender has equal chances to advance and prosper, especially in workplaces. References Evans, J. (1997).

Men in nursing: Issues of gender segregation and hidden advantage. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26(2), 226–231. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.1997.1997026226.x Gregg, U. (2021, May 23). Approaches to promote gender equality in the workplace. YouTube. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wugsWehN4zo. Pavlou Contributor, C., & Contributor. (2021, October 8).

Gender inequality in the workplace: A lack of women in leadership. Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/gender-inequality-in-the-workplace. Wilson, J. (2021, February 22). 5 top issues fueling gender inequality in the workplace. As You Sow. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.asyousow.org/blog/gender-equality-workplace-issues.