Gender Discrimination / Glass Ceiling

Issue Researched

Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt, this is a quote from Shirley Chisholm, the first African American women to be elected to the US Congress in 1968. Sadly, this quote is nevertheless true for modern present-day; women are still being discriminated because of their gender. The difference is that now, women are more likely to face treatment discrimination than access discrimination. Nowadays, institutions will more likely have a non-discrimination policy in hiring their employees. This means that women will have an equal chance to get into an organization. However, the treatment that women received inside the institution reflects that institutional racism still indeed present in modern day. Institution discriminates against women by creating glass ceiling.

This paper discusses the supporting and opposing views about the Gender Discrimination and Glass Ceiling.

Summary of the Supporting opinion

According to Eisner et al. (2009), many studies have looked into the complicated workplace scene for executives, long-time workers, and women but not into the possible clash of expectations versus reality for young workplace entrants.

Eisner et al. (2009) study based on a survey of Ramapo College Gen Y (born in 1980 and after) undergraduate business school students, and comparing responses to existing surveys of employees and executives by Lifetime Networks and Catalyst, it's hard not to conclude that Gen Yers may be a bit optimistic regarding gender equity issues. Gender discrimination may have "gone underground" and be harder to detect, but should continue yielding to steady pressure if new Gen Y labor force entrants are discerning.

Many times, the organizational culture and climate foster workplace inequalities and these inequalities are maintained by group pressure (Eisner et al. p13-28). Informal networks within the agency help to maintain inequality because women and minorities are traditional employed in lower status jobs and not allowed into the networks. These jobs limit their access to powerful employees (Eisner et al. p13-28). These informal networks tend to be personal, voluntary and have their own boundaries. You don't join the network because you want too, you join because you are allowed too (Eisner et al. p13-28). Organizations have always been geared to the white male and these habits are hard to break. To accomplish goals of the agency, all employees must work together. Managers must build rapport with their employees and this is most easily accomplished by interacting with those who share the same background and who are most like them (Eisner et al. p13-28). White men working and networking with white men. Many times the organization does not even realize that they are inequalities in their agency because they have always done it that way. People tend to get set in their ways and operate on auto-pilot and never see their weaknesses.

In sum, it is the relationship between social roles, interests, intergroup relationships and organizational culture norms and values that set the conditions that perpetuate unequal employment opportunities and outcomes.

Summary of the Opposing opinion

According to Marie (2007), there ...