Gender Roles in the Workplace
20th Century:
- Only 14% of women worked outside of their homes.
- Women made up 15% of the work force.
- Almost all women that participated in the workforce were single.
- Married women were not allowed to work outside of their homes.
- During the First and Second World War, the government pushed women to join the workforce while men were fighting for their country. Once the war ended, women were pushed back into their homes so men could find employment once again
- 1950’s: 31% of women were in the workforce.
End of 20th Century:
- 63% of married women were employed outside of their homes.
- Men earned more money than women.
- College degrees earned by women increased from 24% to 57% between 1950 and 2000
- Began selecting jobs that traditionally were considered male occupations. (ex. trade skills, manager positions.)
- More males began doing jobs that were traditionally considered female occupations. (ex. teaching and nursing)
- 1960s: Equal employment opportunity laws were passed to restrict sexual discrimination and other types of discrimination.
21st Century:
- There was more diversity in the workplace, which is an asset to companies that compete in global marketplace.
- Workplace diversity created a need for workplace policies to reflect the needs of women in the workplace.
- Human Rights Code came into action in Canada.
is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women.
Gender Differences: The gender difference perspective examines how women's location in, and experience of, social situations differ from men's. For example, cultural feminists look to the different values associated with womanhood and femininity as a reason why men and women experience the social world differently.
Gender Inequality: Gender-inequality theories recognize that women's location in, and experience of, social situations are not only different but also unequal to men's.
Gender Oppression: Theories of gender oppression go further than theories of gender difference and gender inequality by arguing that not only are women different from or unequal to men, but that they are actively oppressed, subordinated, and even abused by men
Structural Oppression: Structural oppression theories posit that women's oppression and inequality are a result of capitalism, patriarchy, and racism.
White women and black women, for example, face different forms of discrimination in the workplace.
The theory that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society.
Functionalism
MEN:
- Men are often seen as the “head of the house” or “supervisor”
- Men often hold administrative positions, and heavy duty positions. ie. working in construction
- Rarely seen in positions such as elementary school teachers and social workers
"There's often stereotypes about their sexuality — or that they might be predators — that act as definite discriminatory barriers against the men," Williams said.
- even though women are seen as the “housewife”, and try to break the stereotypes when entering into the workforce, they aren't given an equal opportunity to get a higher up position. ie, CEO
- Women are often given jobs like secretaries,assistants, etc.
- Female CEOs who are more vocal are seen as less competent
- Men and Women are now working together.
- Its increasingly accepted in the society for flexibility and occupation based on the skills for both genders.
- Now that there are both women and men working in the same environment, there is more ideas and skills offered by both genders
Impact & Effects:
By: Sali, Amy, Lily
Timeline
Stereotypes in Workplace:
This theory suggests that gender inequalities exist as an efficient way to create a division of labor, or as a social system in which a particular segment of the population is clearly responsible for certain acts of labor and another segment is clearly responsible for other labor acts.
Women
What gender comes in mind when these jobs are shown?
Feminism