Discrimination along Gender Lines
Discrimination along gender lines is evident in many parts of the world. It is experienced in areas such as sports, education, the film industry as well as employment (William 56).
It has been observed that in the workplace, women fall victim to discrimination. Those belonging to racial minority groups suffer the most in that they either are paid lower wages than the rest or are not paid at all (William 60).
Also, in the education sector, especially in many African countries, discrimination along gender lines is rampant in that educating boys is considered a higher priority than educating girls (Amaro, et al. 200). On the other hand, in developed countries like the United States, girl-child education is of a higher priority. It is easier for a female college student to get a chance at major universities than male college students (Dion 120).
Women are not the only ones who fall victim to discrimination along gender lines. Men, too, are victims. For instance, in female-dominated industries such as nursing and catering professions, men tend to be discriminated against verbally, by being termed as “sissies” (Dion, et al. 992). They are often taken advantage of and might even end up handling a bigger load of work or chores than their female counterparts (Dion, et al. 850).
The film industry can also provide evidence of discrimination along gender lines, for both sexes. For instance, the majority of blacks, Hispanics, or Asian actors in the US win Oscar Awards for best performing or best-supporting actors but not the best actor or actress (William 85). Awards that do not separate based on gender tend to overlook women altogether (Dion 255).
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment can be defined as unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature, requests for sexual favors as well as unwelcome sexual advances based on gender (Armstead, et al. 510). Generally, sexual harassment can be classified into two categories, that is, direct quid-pro-quo sexual harassment and the concept of “hostile work environment” (Armstead, et al. 523).
Quid-pro-quo means “This for that” (Dion, et al. 524). This type of sexual harassment normally takes place in situations where an employer is in a position to influence employment actions such as demotions or even firing that will end up affecting the employee (William 76).
On the other hand, in the concept of a hostile work environment, harassment can be a result of unwelcome conduct by a supervisor, co-workers as well as customers with whom the employee interacts (William 79). Here, harassment is in the form of comments concerning physical attributes, off-color jokes, use of indecent gestures as well as the use of crude and offensive language (Armstead, et al. 523).
Sexual harassment is not always sexual in nature for instance, in a case where a man assaults women based purely on the woman’s gender (Dion, et al. 889).
Discrimination
Discrimination can be generally defined as the negative manifestation of integrative power based on gender, racial as well as socio-economic status (Dion 293).
Discrimination is both morally problematic and practically counter-productive in that it not only degrades and humiliates an individual but creates a sense of low self-esteem as well as distrust (Armstead, et al. 541). Victims of discrimination are not only scared of going about their day-to-day activities due to fear of receiving poorer services than others in hospitals, stores, or restaurants but also suffer health problems such as high blood pressure, hypertension, and depression (Armstead, et al. 543).
Conclusion
Governments and societies, in general, ought to introduce programs to educate individuals on equal rights, equal opportunities as well as equal pay in workplaces to ensure gender equality. Both men and boys should become involved in promoting gender equality and changing sexual and traditional stereotyping, as well as stereotypical values.
Work Cited
Amaro, Hortensia, Nancy F. Russo and Julie Johnson. Family and work predictors of psychological well-being among Hispanic women professionals. Psychology of Women Quarterly 11:505-521. 1987.
Armstead, Cheryl, Kathleen A. Lawler, Gloria Gordon, John Cross and J. Gibbons. Relationship of racial stressors to blood pressure responses and anger expression in black college students. Health Psychology 8:541-556. 1989.
Dion, Kenneth L. Women’s reactions to discrimination from members of the same or opposite sex. Journal of Research in Personality 9:294-306. 1975.
Dion, Kenneth L. and Brian M. Earn. The phenomenology of being a target of prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 32:944-950. 1975.
William, H. Shaw and Vincent Barry: Moral Issues in Business. Thompson Wadsworth, New York, 2007. ISBN: 049500717X.