1 / 27

Women and Work

Women and Work. Women’s Paid &Unpaid Work. Women are about 42% of the paid labor force in developed regions of the world Around the world, almost 70% of working-age women are employed Women do the majority of household tasks and child care worldwide. Women’s Unpaid Work.

luther
Télécharger la présentation

Women and Work

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Women and Work

  2. Women’s Paid &Unpaid Work • Women are about 42% of the paid labor force in developed regions of the world • Around the world, almost 70% of working-age women are employed • Women do the majority of household tasks and child care worldwide

  3. Women’s Unpaid Work

  4. Child care responsibilities • Mothers spend nearly twice as many hours providing child care at home as fathers do • Women are the primary custodians of child/family health

  5. Women’s paid work • In some cases, women are making inroads into occupations traditionally held by men • Women’s share of professional and managerial jobs has increased • At a much slower rate, women have moved into blue-collar occupations

  6. Low-wage workers • Retail sales, child care, fast food, restaurant work, CNA’s, education assistants, domestic labor • 60% of low-wage workers are women • 33% of women vs. 20% of men work in low-wage jobs • African American and Latino workers are over-represented in low-wage jobs

  7. Gender Wage Gap

  8. Equity and Discrimination • Women’s work tends to be undervalued • Job applications or resumés are most likely to trigger prejudiced evaluations • Women’s successes may be attributed to luck rather than skill • Undervaluing of women’s work is one cause of the gender pay gap

  9. Gender Pay Gap • Women earn 77% of what men earn • Effect persists when controlling for experience, education, industry, and hours worked • Larger gap for minority and disabled women • African American—61% • Latina—52%

  10. Gender Pay Gap • Women tend to work in lower-paying fields (nursing, teaching) than men do • Traditionally male-dominated fields (medicine, law, science) pay more

  11. The Glass Ceiling • Women hold less than ¼ of senior management positions globally • Philippines and Russia at the top—over 40% • Lowest is Japan—7% • US is 22nd at 20%

  12. Biological Realities • Men cannot bear children or lactate • Leads to biological argument against women earning as much as men • “Married with children” is a disadvantage for women but an advantage for men

  13. Firm-specific skills argument • Men are given greater responsibility because they are seen as more committed to their jobs—less likely to leave for family obligations • Hence they develop skills which enhance their value to the firm where they work • This in turn leads to better pay and promotions and is what drives pay disparities

  14. Motherhood as a Source of Discrimination against Women • Many employers are reluctant to pay pregnancy-related benefits • The US is one of a very few countries that makes no provision for paid maternity leave • The Family and Medical Leave Act mandates up to 12 weeks of leave (often unpaid) for certain workers

  15. Donnicia Venters case • Firing a woman because she wants to use a breast pump at work is not sex discrimination • Lactation “is not pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition”

  16. Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation • Legalin most workplaces in the United States • Such discrimination is illegal in Canada • Lesbian and bisexual women earn 13-15% less than heterosexual women—more likely to be working in low-paying, female-dominated occupations

  17. Women’s Working Conditions • Jobs dominated by women are often difficult and dangerous • For example, risk of serious injury is greater for a nursing aide than for a coal miner or steel mill worker • Factory work can involve long hours, uncomfortable conditions, and high pressure to produce quickly

  18. Some Remedies • Reducing gender stereotypes • Stereotyping most likely when • The person is a “token” in the work environment • Evaluation criteria are not explicit • Organizational norms and policies tolerate or reinforce gender stereotypes

  19. Some Remedies (cont.) • Pay equity legislation: equal pay for equivalent work • Comparable worth: equal pay for work of equal value • Affirmative action: strategies to increase the proportion of women and minorities hired, particularly in jobs where they have been traditionally excluded

  20. Paycheck Fairness Act • Employers would be required to prove that a pay disparity is based on a “bona fide factor other than sex,” such as education, training, or experience • Passed the US House but was defeated in the US Senate in 2010

  21. Activity • Do women need laws such as Affirmative Action and the Paycheck Fairness Act to achieve wage equity with men? • Does this sort of legislation diminish the achievements of women and minorities?

  22. Activity • Does the focus on “leveling the playing field” foster competitive "masculine” values to the detriment of “feminine” values? • Should women try to “make it in a man’s world” or create alternative structures?

  23. Activity • Does the reproductive role of women justify increased protection for women in the workplace? • Should women be afforded extra benefits (maternity leave) because of biological differences, or is this discriminatory?

  24. References • Childcare gap between men and women narrows. (2011, June 16).CBS News. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-201_162-20071588.html • Fitzpatrick, L. (2010, April 20). Equal pay and the gender gap: Men still outearn women - TIME. Time. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1983185,00.html • Gibbard Cook, S. (2004). Mothers in the faculty pipeline - Women in higher education. Women in Higher Education, 13(8). Retrieved from http://www.wihe.com/printArticle.jsp?id=18562 • New U.S. Women in Business Statistics Released by Catalyst - Women on Business :: Women on Business. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2012, from http://www.womenonbusiness.com/new-us-women-in-business-statistics-released-by-catalyst/ • Rampell, C. (2011, March 10). Women lead in unpaid work. New York Times. Retrieved from http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/women-lead-in-unpaid-work/ • TradePost: Equal Pay for Equal Work. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2012, from http://tradepost.selectfamily.com/index.cfm/2011/4/14/Equal-Pay-for-Equal-Work • Unequal Harm: Racial Disparities in the Employment Consequences of Minimum Wage Increases | EPI Study. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2012, from http://epionline.org/study_detail.cfm?sid=137 • Vermeulen, F. (2011, February 28). Wage differences between men and women - sexist or functional? Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/freekvermeulen/2011/02/28/wage-differences-between-men-and-women-sexist-or-functional/ • Work Isn’t Working. (n.d.).Women Employed. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from http://www.womenemployed.org/index.php?id=19

More Related