Introduction
Fairness and equality in the world are important values in promoting business and societal growth. However, it is questionable whether the world is becoming fairer and equal for everyone. This question matters because a just and fair society is the basis for experiencing happiness and growth in life. The concept of fairness implies the need to address people’s issues based on their needs and requirements. It does not necessarily mean that they will get equal treatment, but the amount of attention given to each member of society is proportionate to their needs. In contrast, equality assumes people are the same and hence demand equal treatment. Its application with the concept of fairness defines a contentious area of business practice and social management characterized by the debate regarding whether the world is becoming fairer and equal compared to past years.
It is important to track progress made in promoting fairness and equality in society and the workplace. A meritocratic organizational culture has the capability to affect employee loyalty, motivation, and performance. Relative to this statement, the consensus among many scholars is that companies or societies, which are deemed fairer and equal attract the best talent, high-incomes, and high standards of living (Wendt, 1992). Therefore, fairness and equality are highly valued concepts in business and societal development.
In this investigation, trends in fairness and equality will be analyzed in relation to gender wage gap inequalities in the workplace. This area of business management is selected from the review because, for a long time, gender inequality issues have affected workplace performance and employee morale (Andrejek, Fetner and Heath, 2022). Gender-based wage gap issues have also been mentioned in scholarly texts that have investigated financial crises, labor movements, and international relations around the world (Baylis and Smith, 2017). The world is becoming fairer and more equal because the gender wage gap is decreasing and more women hold high-ranking positions in the workplace.
Reduction in Wage Gap Inequality
For a long time, women have complained of receiving lower wages for the same work done by their male counterparts. The majority of studies indicate that the problem is widespread because it has been reported in several industries (Andrejek, Fetner and Heath, 2022). One of the sectors identified to have the widest wage gap difference is the hospitality and tourism sector (Demet and Volkan, 2018). The presence of imbalanced pay structures in the workplace means that women are perceived differently than their male colleagues and are treated unfairly in the workplace. This trend insinuates that patriarchal systems have infiltrated the workplace and women are valued less despite performing the same work as men. Organizations that do not subscribe to this philosophy of equal payment are deemed unfair to female workers because they promote unfairness in remuneration.
Attempts to change the unfairness and inequality that exists in several organizations have shown progress in this area of management. Particularly, there is a growing body of research that shows that women are increasingly getting the same pay, if not more than their male counterparts, for the work that they do (Andrejek, Fetner and Heath, 2022). Much of the progress has been reported in global multinational companies because of their increased emphasis on adopting global standards of pay and remuneration, which promote fairness and equality (Evans, Newnham and Newnham, 1998). In some countries, corporations are required to abide by such policies in law. Therefore, they could be sued for promoting unfair remuneration practices in the same manner as sexual assault cases are documented in companies (Baylis and Smith, 2017). Small and medium enterprises are also adopting the same practice by eliminating uneven pay and remuneration policies in their corporate management practices (Kronberg, 2020). Thus, based on these developments, women are making significant progress in minimizing the gender wage gap that has its origins in the industrial age.
The reduction in the gender wage gap between men and women in the workplace indicates the progress that society has made in making the world a fairer and equal place. It has helped to promote equality among the sexes in socioeconomic development because, unlike in the past, where the contribution of women in the workplace was deemed more inferior than that of men, female employees are enjoying more opportunities for income growth because of the minimization of the gender wage gap (Vyas, 2021). Therefore, this development has helped to promote the economic equality of the sexes, which is an important tenet of societal development because it promotes equal opportunity regardless of gender. Therefore, both sexes can make individual decisions about their lives without the lingering feeling that one party is making more money than the other does.
Increase in the Number of Women in High-Ranking Positions
For a long time, there have been accusations that there is an imbalance in the number of men and women occupying influential positions in the workplace. Relative to this claim, an argument has been made that promotes the view that more men occupy positions of influence compared to women (Weinstein, 2018). Women have been traditionally relegated to subordinate caregiving positions since they were perceived as inherently more nurturing, such as nursing, teaching, or secretary work. Therefore, they have been poorly represented at top management levels and overrepresented in lower job levels (Baylis and Smith, 2017). In contrast, men occupy high-ranking positions in organizations and thus have extra influence on an organization’s decision-making process. This situation meant that women traditionally could not influence organizational policies or initiate change within the organization without the approval of their male colleagues (Pereira and Kacker, 2022). The result has been the existence of an unfair and unequal organizational structure where men sit at the top of the decision-making structure and women occupy low-level positions.
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of women occupying high-ranking positions. Despite the increase in the representation of women in these top management ranks, it is important to acknowledge the skewed progress reported across cities and states in this area of management (Baylis and Smith, 2017). Notably, Western countries have reported more progress in the inclusion of women in influential positions compared to their Asian or Middle East counterparts (Weinstein, 2018). Similarly, women living and working in cities have experienced the benefits of this progress more than their female counterparts who live outside of cities (Weinstein, 2018). Researchers also opine that multinational companies have a more balanced representation of the genders in top management levels compared to small and medium-sized organizations (Yavorsky et al., 2019). Broadly, this assessment indicates that the progress made in increasing the number of women in influential positions is skewed in favor of some countries, types of companies, and regions. Nonetheless, it does not undermine the general progress made in fostering the inclusion of all genders in decision-making processes around the world. In this regard, it could be argued that the world is becoming a fairer and equal place.
Decrease in Skills Gap among Men and Women
Part of the arguments made to promote gender equality in the workplace has been centered on analyzing the percentage of skilled and unskilled workers in various organizations. Traditionally, employees’ skills and qualifications are correlated with their wages. From a gender-biased perspective, the proportion of women who are categorized as skilled workers in various organizations has been exceptionally low compared to their male counterparts (Penner and Willer, 2019). As stated differently, more men are considered skilled workers compared to their female counterparts.
This imbalance has partly contributed to the gender wage gap and the underrepresentation of women in high-ranking positions since unskilled labor is defined by lower wages and less prestige. The perpetuation of this imbalance in the workplace means that women will find it more difficult to rise to the ranks of power to influence decisions within a firm (Baylis and Smith, 2017). Abating this practice has promoted unfairness and inequality in the workplace because women have to be empowered with the same skills as men do to compete fairly (Penner and Willer, 2019). Thus, the importance of minimizing the skills gap between men and women has been a priority for many organizations.
Progress has been made in minimizing the skills gap between men and women through various means and strategies. Increasing the educational qualifications of women has been one of the most commonly used plans to promote fairness and equality in the workplace (Heisig and Schaeffer, 2020). For example, the number of women having a Master’s or PhD degree has increased in the last few years to the extent that there are insignificant differences in accomplishments between male and female colleagues (Andrejek, Fetner and Heath, 2022). The number of women entering the skilled labor sector, such as engineering and construction, has also increased significantly in the last decade (Heisig and Schaeffer, 2020). This progress means that women are increasingly benefitting from an increase in skills and educational qualifications that enable them to attain high-ranking positions in the workplace. These insights demonstrate that the world is becoming a fairer and equal place for all people.
Conclusion
From the onset of this essay, the author sought to understand whether the world was becoming fairer and equal. The findings showed that a reduction in wage and skills gaps between men and women has improved fairness and equality between the sexes. The increased representation of women in influential workplace positions also affirms the trend where men and women are getting equal treatment in society. Therefore, this essay demonstrates that an increase in the representation of women in high-raking positions, a reduction in wage gap inequalities, and the minimization of the skills gap between the sexes have promoted fairness and equality in the world.
Regardless of the progress made to promote gender equality in the workplace, differences in outcomes across regions, company types, and countries still linger. For example, much of the progress made in promoting fairness and equality in the workplace has been concentrated in Western countries, cities, and multinational companies. Thus, small and medium enterprises, non-Western countries, and women living away from cities still have more to do in reducing remuneration and employment gaps between male and female workers. Stated differently, managers operating in these zones have to be more committal in minimizing traditional barriers that have prevented women from getting fair remuneration and representation in decision-making and corporate structure management.
Overall, the progress that women have made to be fairly represented, skilled, and remunerated in the workplace indicates that the world is becoming fairer and equal than ever before. By extension, trends emerging from the workplace represent that have been highlighted in this essay represent a larger movement in corporate circles to embrace diversity and equality at various levels of management and decision-making. It is expected that this trend will be sustained in the coming years because of its relationship with increased productivity and high employee morale.
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