- 01/12/2012
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Free essays
“Discrimination against women” means any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex, which is aimed at weakening or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women irrespective of their marital status, on the basis of equality of men and women, human rights and fundamental freedoms political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. (Eagly et all, 2002)
The origins of discrimination against women should be sought in ancient times: even then scientists and government covered the unequal position of women in society, their oppression and exploitation, held disputes about whether a woman was equal to a man and if she had soul. Different views on the woman and her position in the society was reflected in the theological and philosophical writings of the ancient world, when Socrates expressed the following words: “Three things can be considered good fortune: you’re not a wild animal, that you are Greek and not barbarian, and that you are a man and not a woman.” (Eagly et all, 2002)
But today, many state and public figures, scholars and sociologists, are against the very concept of “societal discrimination against women”, it is substituted by appeals to fight for their equality with men. But this is not the same thing. A necessary prelude to the equality of the sexes is of overcoming all forms of infringement of the rights and interests of women, especially in the workplace. The term “social discrimination against women and girls” is now widely recognized. (Eagly et all, 2002)
The question arises: what are the limits of gender equality, whether it can be complete? The idea of equality between men and women, their equal opportunities, lies in the fact that their intellectual and physical potential of the woman in no way inferior to that of men. For women there are no absolutely closed, inaccessible areas of mental and physical labor? There is no law that prohibit a woman to be engaged in one or another profession, or learn a profession. Her sacred right is complete freedom of personal choice of forms professional and of self-realization. Such an approach, of course, does not mean that the physiological characteristics of women can not limit (sometimes – temporarily) their professional duties. It can be concluded that the equality of the sexes, while not absolute, can be quite complete and comprehensive.
buy an essay
Discrimination of women in the labor market.
Human Rights Watch has published a detailed report on discrimination against women in the U.S. labor market: private companies in their job advertisements regularly give favor to men, the report said. Women are denied jobs on the basis of marital status, which a woman is required to tell about during the interview. A great obstacle for many women, despite of the professional qualifications, is the requirement for age and appearance. State employment centers, private recruitment companies and advertising agencies do not see anything wrong in the distribution of such applications. “A young woman of 18 to 30 with attractive appearance” is a typical requirement. (“Discrimination on ground of sex”)
Gender criteria can be found in applications for almost any specialty. Announcements about recruitment to work related with physical activities, as well as applications for leading middle and senior managers, are focused primarily on men. Most of the “female” jobs are related to the services sector (staff and au-pairs) and low-paid executive positions, such as secretaries and accountants. In this situation, women are initially cut off from the attempt to get many positions that match their skills and qualifications.
The interview for female applicants may be tactless and humiliating, because employers do not hesitate to ask women about their age, marital status, family structure, family plans, as well as a place of husband. Subsequently, the personal data forms the basis for a decision.
There are categories of women, who often suffer discrimination based on sex. They are primarily women approaching retirement age, pregnant, disabled, and lonely. It is necessary to point out the discrimination of graduate students, when young female professionals face special requirements associated not with the competencies, knowledge and skills, but with a purely external characteristics. These is set of conditions that restrict their rights, for example: not to marry and not to give birth within a certain time.
There is a further exclusion of women from different spheres of activity, previously they have traditionally owned: banking, insurance. All this leads to the fact that women are often forced to take jobs that do not match their education, with lower wages and no prospect of further growth. (Wilson 2003)
Discrimination in professional development and retraining for women is also quite common. If a woman is not confronted with discrimination while hiring, she may be subjected to it later in the field of access to training and skills development. Because the woman can leave the work in connection with childbirth and care, entrepreneurs do not want to invest in their human capital. And this in turn hinders their upward mobility and makes the first candidates for dismissal. On the other hand, if access to good jobs depends on gender, discriminated groups have far less incentive to invest in their human capital and thus may indeed be less skilled. (Wilson 2003)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.