Ethical Issues: Gender Inequality in the Workplace essay
Gender inequality in the workplace has always been an issue of concern. According to researchers, “gender inequality in the workplace is often attributed to the preponderance of men in positions of power”(Penner & Toro-Tulla, 2010, p. 83). Some people believe that men should earn more than women, while other people suggest that it is necessary to promote gender equality in the workplace because this issue is ethically significant. For example, recent research shows that the levels of gender wage inequality are different in different workplaces, depending on the gender of the owner (Penner & Toro-Tulla, 2010). In other words male and female owners have different attitudes toward the issue of gender inequality in the workplace (Penner & Toro-Tulla, 2010). The issue that will be discussed in this paper is ethically significant because it refers to gender ethics. When men and women are treated differently, it is unethical, especially when they perform the same tasks, which require the application of the same skills, knowledge and experience. Although equal treatment of employees is one of the major requirements of the U.S. Constitution and many statutes, the area of gender equality is still vague. According to researchers, “organizational culture is characterized by its particular narrative structure of gender citizenship and by the voices and silences that confront each other over gender inequalities”(Gherardi, 2006, p. 180). Thesis statement: Gender inequality in the workplace is an ethically significant issue which requires adequate solutions because it leads to unethical discrimination of women. As a rule, women’s discrimination influences their motivation, leads to poor interpersonal relations and inadequate corporate culture.
To start with, gender inequality in the workplace is ethically significant because it influences women’s motivation to perform their tasks in a proper way. Many studies point out to the fact that “gender inequality is embedded in the workplace” (Smith, 2014, p. 53). For example, women’s experiences regarding gender inequality in the working environment are based on lower job security, lower wages compared to men, lack of respect, lack of benefits or inadequate benefits, and “vulnerability to sexual harassment and abuse” (Smith, 2014, p. 53). As a result, women have poor motivation to perform their duties. They have no interest to develop new ideas and use their creativity in decision making process. In other words, women have negative attitudes toward unethical gender discrimination in the workplace.
Moreover, gender inequality is an important ethical issue because it affects interpersonal relations to a great extent. If women are treated inequality, they often have poor interpersonal relations with other employees (both men and women). Many men consider that women should not be in the leadership position. This assumption is wrong because many women demonstrate their best skills, knowledge and experience, which can be used in leadership roles (Aaltio & Mills, 2003). Undoubtedly, if women realize that their abilities are ignored, they do not want to develop effective interpersonal relations in the workplace. This fact means unethical discrimination of women leads to certain work-related problems that can affect not only their performance, but also the overall productivity of the company.
Additionally, the issue of gender inequality in the workplace is ethically significant because it influences the overall success of the company in the competitive market. Unethical companies have poor corporate culture, which leads to improper business relations at all levels. According to researchers, women who are continually discriminate in the workplace demonstrate no interest in promoting corporate culture. Actually, any male-dominated corporate culture is ineffective in today’s business environment because international business encourages gender equality, without differential rules for men and women (Smith, 2014; Aaltio & Mills, 2003). According to researchers, “we do not need to face gender empowerment ourselves to be able to understand gender inequality issues, but we need intelligence to describe and essentialize cultural processes that outline gendered organizational reality” (Aaltio & Mills, 2003, p. 15). Corporate culture should reflect the organization’s policy regarding women’s rights.
Conclusion
Thus, it is necessary to conclude that the issue of gender inequality in the workplace is ethically significant because it refers to gender ethics. There are three major reasons that show that the issue of gender equality in the workplace is ethically significant. First, gender inequality in the workplace is an ethically significant issue because it has a strong impact on women’s motivation. If women are not motivated to perform their tasks, they act unethically. Second, gender inequality is an important ethical issue because it affects interpersonal relations in the workplace to a great extent. Third, the issue of gender inequality in the workplace is an ethically significant issue because it affects the effectiveness of the company’s corporate culture. A corporate culture is based on the established ethical principles, which prohibit any forms of discrimination of women in the workplace, including lower wages compared to men’s wages, sexual harassment, stereotyping and prejudices.
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