Introduction
Since the time the number of women entering the workforce increased significantly, scholars have always attempted to determine the impact of gender issues at the workplace. In particular, the issue of gender differences related to motivation within the setting of an organization has become an important topic for research. Although the number of women entering the workforce has almost reached that of males, it is evident that the degree of motivation, as indicated by the low number of women leaders, is relatively lower than in men. What is the issue? Does a gender disparity occur at the workplace due to women’s low desire and motivation to reach the heights of their preferred working positions? This paper seeks to address these issues using empirical research.
Research question
The paper will seek to address the following questions;
- Are female employees less motivated than male employees?
- Do women lack the desire and motivation to reach the top of their preferred workplaces?
- Does the organizational system discriminate against females when it comes to employee motivation?
Significance of the study
Currently, literature on gender disparities related to motivation at the workplace does not seem to have a specific explanation why a majority of women fail to reach the peak of their preferred workplaces. In addition, studies on motivational theory have not yielded enough information to explain the phenomenon. Therefore, this study will take a case study approach to address these questions. The results of the study are expected to increase the volume of knowledge in motivational theory as it applies to gender differences. Therefore, it will be important not only for academic purposes but also for corporations, policymakers and other parties interested in solving the issue.
Data collection
The study uses a quantitative approach to address the study questions. In particular, it obtains data from selected participants in the chosen organization. Some 20 women and 20 males from 3 different organizations were selected as the study sample. For the purpose of research ethics, the names of the institutions were not disclosed.
The 40 close-ended questionnaires were used to examine the perceptions of the participants towards motivation at the workplace. The responses were collected after 2 weeks and examined for clarity. The response rate was found to be 100%, with all the participants fully abiding by the instructions therein.
Data processing
The responses were examined and calculated to determine the degree of perceptions based on a 3 item Likert-like scale, where Score each of the 20 statements was answered using the following scale:
- 5 = I fully agree
- 3 = I am not sure
- 1 = I fully disagree.
Data analysis
From the averages below, it is evident that the number of employees responding to each of the questions was either below, above or on average. It is evident that various disparities occur in some variables. For instance, the study finds that
Data transformation
The purpose of data transformation is to create a variable for motivation. First, the average for all the total scores was determined statistically. The total scores above average were coded high while those below average were coded low. It was found that the average was as shown in the table above.
Discussion of the results
The averages given in the table below shows that there are disparities between gender in various aspects. For instance, the number of employees feeling motivated by organizational behavior is higher for males than females. In addition, the number of females feeling free to work as per their will is lower than that of males. However, the number of females that feel that someone at the organization cares about them as well as those with friends in the organization is higher than that of males.
Conclusion
Therefore, we conclude that there are gender disparities in the organizational motivation system. Females rate below males in most aspects. We conclude that the organizational policy on employee motivation favors males more than females. It is believed that the organizational policies were initially set in a situation where males dominated the employee list.