Gender Discrimination at Workplace

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PAPER

A PROBLEM-SOLUTION PAPER ABOUT HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

Tuan Nur Anis Idayu binti Tuan Zahadi

655259418

ESL 115C (60560)

John Kotnarowski

December 13th, 2013

Based on the 2012 statistics provided by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 30.5 percent of discrimination claims in the workplace are classified as gender discrimination claims. The percentage for gender discrimination claims has been around 30% for about 15 years, which shows that gender discrimination problem has existed for long and has not been completely resolved (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2012). Even though many campaigns have been done in order to eliminate gender discrimination at the workplace, this problem still exists and needs serious attention. There is an organization called International Labor Organization that provides solutions to this problem. The organization was founded to promote social justice and human rights at work. Its main objectives are to create proper working environment and to encourage better opportunities for both men and women in terms of employment and income. In order to achieve its mission, this organization has been discussing and dealing with the issues that exist in the labor force by developing international policies and programs and conducting trainings and researches. This paper will critique and offer improvements for the three solutions provided by International Labor Organization to solve the problem of gender discrimination in the workplace: analyzing and addressing specific and different needs of men and women in policies and programs, providing interventions for men and women, and having equal remuneration for equal work.

One of the solutions provided by the International Labor Organization in preventing gender discrimination in the workplace is to analyze and address specific and different needs of male and female employees in workplace policies. According to Sallop and Kirby (2007), while women place great emphasis on balancing their work life with their everyday life, men on the other hand do not (p. 134). Even though the study shows that men are less concerned on having a balance between work and life, a research done by Aumann, Galinsky, and Matos (2011), showed that the percentage of working, married men who have many conflicts related to work and family has increased from thirty-four percent in 1997 to forty-nine percent in 2008 (p. 2). These are the factors that lead them to ask for specific needs to be addressed in work policies. Before specifying the needs in a policy, employers should be able to analyze the needs first so that they actually meet their employees’ requests. By fairly implementing a workplace policy that specifically accentuates male and female employees’ needs, it does not only help in fighting against gender discrimination, but it indicates that employers recognize that employees have life outside of work as well.

Implementing a workplace policy that focuses on the needs of the employees brings positive effect to both employees and employers. Zhao, Settles, and Sheng (2011) reported that workplace policies which are focused in reducing work-family conflicts lead to higher job satisfaction among employees (p. 724). Both male and female employees will feel less stress and become more committed to their profession. Employers also benefit from this because it enhances motivation among employees and improves productivity in the workplace. However, despite the positive outcomes of policies, the solution provided by the International Labor Organization has a weakness. The solution suggested is too broad because the International Labor Organization failed to provide the structure of a workplace policy, which would serve as a guide to addressing employees’ needs in the workplace policy. Armstrong, Walby, and Strid (2009) pointed out that deciding the scope of a policy without affecting the main focus, which is in this case is promoting gender equality, is complicated (p. 267). The inadequate information about the types of needs required by both men and women may lead to an ineffective workplace policy. The main goal of the workplace policy, which is to promote gender equality, might not be achieved due to the absence of a well-informed guide.