Essay on Women & Work

Submitted By Kelsey40
Words: 698
Pages: 3

The economic opportunities for women and work have grown by leaps and bounds, but have not been completely balanced. The fact that there is a 20% difference between the amounts of men in the workforce compared to women should not be the question though. Does this statistic from the podcast take into account the mothers working daily to care for their children and the home? The issues inequality of women and men in the workplace is based on the stereotypes and misgivings that are already placed in people’s minds. The issue pertaining to women and work is important because of the many issues that surround the matter. The article “Rethinking the Nature of Work” was an eye opener on the amount of unpaid work that women may be accountable and unpaid for. The typical gender norms that a woman is expected to uphold as a mother is never taken into account, even relating to the burden on her body and time off from work experience when re entering a field for work. Having a child can be a disadvantage to both men and women considering the time and money now needed to support a family. The most troubling issue regarding the issue of equality in work is all of the statistics that currently are true even today. Two thirds of people below the poverty level are women and children; what does this statistic say about the equality of women in the workplace? Another interesting factor about women in the workplace is how they occupy 55% of the lowest paying employment categories; this leaves them “stuck” at the bottom of the pay scale. There is also the myth of female dependence that sometimes may even be true for some woman but should not be applied to every single one. This has people believing that women are supported in large part by men and their larger incomes which therefore means that they do not need to be paid as much as a man. When viewing the “Work and Class” section of XY Online, it was interesting to see the men’s point of view to the discriminations that they face in the workplace as well; sometimes a man will not be hired in places that they are not dominant in. This is unfair to them and is in fact discrimination as well. Overall, I believe that the wage gap will never actually be completely equal or closed based on the tendencies of what satisfies people of the male versus female genders. Some people strive to be successful, and to them that is being the head person at a huge law firm while others strive