Social Inequality Free Essays

Social Inequality Today, there are many stereotypes and discriminatory practices that act as barriers to a woman’s advancement within the workplace. While it is undeniable that there are biological and physical differences between men and women, often times these differences are used to justify the unequal treatment of women not only in the workplace, but within society as a whole. Throughout history, women have often been viewed as the weaker sex and thus their place was thought to be within the home as the family caretaker. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Inequality or any similar topic only for you Order Now Unfortunately, these views continue to define the different social roles for men and women in the world today. This is an issue that almost everyone woman at some point in their life has had to face. Some may experience this unequal treatment at their work place, during their education, or in their everyday lives. Historically, a woman’s primary job was managing the household. As housewives who had no source of income besides that of what their husbands earned. In the public’s eye women were nothing more than wives, homemakers, caregivers, and mothers. It was not thought of for a woman to work a â€Å"real job† their place was at home taking care of the family. Throughout history women have struggled for equality. The Suffrage Movement and later the Affirmative Action were efforts to increase equality among genders. As the United States economy was changing to a more industrialized one it demanded more workers. While men were at war, the demand for workers needed for war production increased. Women decided to help out with war efforts by taking over the jobs left by men. This step was huge for women realizing their potential in the workplace. Prior to 1963 it was legal for a business to pay a woman performing similar work as a man a lower wage. It was also rare to find a woman in a position of authority in a workplace. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 required gender equality for payment of wages. From that point forward it was illegal for an employer to pay a woman a lower wage than a man simply because of her gender. A woman who suffers discrimination under the terms of this law may sue her employer in civil court to recover lost wages and punitive damages. A year later, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. This granted equal rights to women in all areas of employment. Discrimination of any kind in the workplace based on gender was now illegal. The passing of the Civil Rights Act opened new career doors for women and supplied them with the legal support to do so. However, The Civil Rights Act was amended in 1991 when the federal government moved to include sexual harassment in the law’s statutes. This revision allowed women to sue employers who permitted sexual harassment in the workplace for compensatory and punitive damages in court. This amendment to the Act did not stop sexual harassment in the workplace but it does help to empower women to fight back against the behavior. Even with these laws there is still a significant pay gap among men and women. For example in 2011, women working full time in the United States typically earned just 77 percent of what men earned, a gap of 23 percent. This gap has narrowed since the 1970s, due mainly to women’s progress in education and workforce participation and to men’s wages rising at a slower rate. The subject of equal pay is not only a woman’s issue but also the family’s issue. Families are relaying on women’s earning more than ever just to make ends meet. In typical married households, women’s incomes accounted for 36 percent of total family income in 2008, up from 29 percent in 1983. These days a large majority of mothers are in the paid labor force, and about one-third of employed mothers are the sole breadwinners for their families. For the 34 percent of working mothers who are the sole breadwinner for their family; either because they are single parents or their spouses is not in the labor force. The gender pay gap can contribute to poor living conditions, poor nutrition, and fewer opportunities for their children. And for these women, closing the gender pay gap is much more than a point of pride it’s a matter of necessity. In 2011 women working full time made annual earnings of $37,118, while men annually made $48,202. Although statistics show the gender pay gap is smallest among the youngest workers. For instance, in 2010 full-time workers ages 16–19, women earned 95 percent of what men earned on a weekly basis. Among workers 65 years and older, women earned only 76 percent of what their male peers earned. Women typically earn more than 90 percent of what men earn until around the age of 35, at which point median earnings for women start to grow much more slowly than median earnings for men. After age 35, women’s median earnings fall to between 75 and 80 percent of the median earnings of men and remain there until retirement. When you look at education statistics you’ll see that more education is an effective tool for increasing earnings, but it is not an effective tool against the gender pay gap. At every level of academic achievement, women’s median earnings are less than men’s median earnings, and in some cases, the gender pay gap is larger at higher levels of education. While more education is an effective tool for increasing earnings, it is not an effective tool against the gender pay gap. In nearly every line of work, women face a pay gap no matter their education background or training. While a pay gap exists in nearly every occupational field, jobs traditionally associated with men tend to pay better than traditional female jobs, regardless of skill required. Even in 2012, women and men still tend to work in different kinds of jobs. This segregation of occupations is a major factor behind the pay gap. A significant part of the problem with workplace inequality is that women, throughout history have traditionally assumed the responsibility of child-rearing. As a result, women’s work outside the home is still seen as secondary or supplemental, even when they occupy highly skilled, professional, or management positions. The reasoning is that the Father’s responsibility is with employment, while the Mother’s is with the household. However, this is increasingly no longer the case in modern society. Employers often perceive working mothers as confronting a conflict of loyalty between home and work, and assume that these women, regardless of their circumstances, will lack the commitment required of the â€Å"ideal worker,† and thus they often exclude women as candidates for positions structured for such workers. Studies have shown that often times when a woman has to take a leave of absence from her job to meet family responsibilities, these absences have hurt their potential for future advancement within their organizations and others. Some businesses feel women will place their professional lives on hold in order to attend to family needs. This however is not always the case. If needed there should be a child care facilities on site, which should provide flexible working arrangements and hours. I personally believe that woman can balance the two lives, if the company is willing to provide assistance. There is experimental research documented showing that employers are less likely to hire mothers compared with childless women, and when employers do make an offer to a mother, they offer them lower salaries than they do other women. Fathers, in contrast, do not suffer a penalty compared with other men. Clearly, parenthood often affects men and women very differently in terms of labor force participation and how they are viewed by employers, and that difference may be reflected in a worker’s salary. According to the U. S. Department of Labor, more than 50% of women participate in the labor force. Of those 57 million in the workforce, only 72% work full time while the other 28% are part time workers. Many of those part-time workers hold multiple jobs. Even though women occupy more jobs than before, we can still a concentration in jobs being viewed as traditionally female. The top five occupations for women in 2003 were secretaries and administrative assistants (96. 3%), elementary and middle school teachers (80. 6%), registered nurses (90. 2%), nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (89%), and cashiers (75. 5%). Women continue to get paid less than men. Despite the awareness of gender inequality, there are still arguments about gender difference and assumptions that women and men are from different plants. The workplace still remains an unequal area, by persistent sex segregation, wage inequality, sex discrimination, and sexual harassment. Both women and men work, not only because they have to but want to. Employers should not judge women as being non-dependable. Family structure has changed dramatically over the years. Both parents share the family responsibilities. To compensate for the change businesses have introduced flextime, job sharing, telecommuting, on-site day care, and parental leave. Employers should accommodate a woman’s needs and expand the gender diversity in their company. There was a time where balance of respect and roles never existed between the two, but today, both men and women are truly redefining themselves and their relationships with each other. Most importantly women have broken from the bondage of dependence on men. They no longer have to submit themselves to one main role in the family life as the mother; they can now go beyond that and become the family breadwinner. How to cite Social Inequality, Papers Social Inequality Free Essays string(43) " the effectiveness of redress legislation\." All that a good government aims at, is to add no social constructs to the force of its own unavoidable consequences, and to abstain from strengthening social inequality as a means of increasing political inequalities. With that said, in this paper I will briefly address the race, class, gender debate with greater emphasis on diversity and social development policies taken up by post apartheid South Africa to redress inequality. It is imperative that we define key concepts in order to fully grasp the notion of this paper. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Inequality or any similar topic only for you Order Now Firstly inequality is defined as the unequal distribution of power, wealth, income and social status. But what creates structural inequalities in societies? Race, class and gender! Hence the term â€Å"social inequality†, it refers to the ways in which socially-defined categories of persons (according to characteristics such as gender, age, ‘class’ and ethnicity) are differentially positioned with regard to access to a variety of social ‘goods’, such as the labour market and other sources of income, the education and healthcare systems, and forms of political representation and participation (Web 1). Creating inclusive organisations that welcome diversity and meet needs of different social groups is termed as diversity management (Beall 1997:3). Social development policies refer to the social relations necessary for human wellbeing and the systems by which wellbeing may be promoted. Social inequality as mentioned above was created through power struggles on which colonialism, apartheid and segregation were based (Terreblanche 2002:26). We live in a country where our worth has been minimized to a social construct , where individuals identities are shaped by these factors which decide if one is a â€Å"have or have-not† and are denied the same level of access to rewards and resources as other groups. As a result many participants in the workplace experience discrimination. Discrimination in the workplace is based on the â€Å"so called differences† of workers in an organisation relating to the â€Å"evil triplets (race, class and gender) of South Africa as described by Cebekhulu in (Simon, Madimeng Khan 2011:31). Discrimination is largely influenced by the power of one class over the other in the context of South Africa we are talking about the capitalists over the working class. In South Africa exclusion has gone beyond inter racial inequalities and now it is intra racial(within one race group) hence the development of black elites created by Black Economic Empowerment(which we will discuss in the latter part of this paper) and the poor black. This gap between the haves and the have-nots originates from the apartheid regime due to the impact of institutionalized discrimination which saw the advent of extraction of cheap labour therefore leading to the exclusion of majority of South Africa to fall under â€Å"elite class†. However companies have adopted diversity management to try mending the cracks between individuals in an organisation. Firstly what is diversity? According to Beall it is variation and modification according to wealth, race and gender issues, education and occupational level (1997:9). We understand that our differences create conflict amidst social identities therefore the need for diversity management is crucial. Diversity management assists members of an organization to embrace the fact that we are not the same therefore differences in opinions and views may arise(Web 2) therefore members are encouraged to be tolerant and accepting of others and their ways of doing things because it brings a variety of â€Å"ingredients†( interests, values, physical and emotional characteristics to the â€Å"pot† (workplace). The crux of this paper is on the social development policies which are concerned with meeting the needs of individuals by redistributing resources to the most needy, however we find that by targeting a certain â€Å"deserving group† further creates more problems. Why is this so? Because the people that are said to be needy are socially constructed, we tend to decide who needs what based on their current state which therefore attaches a stigma or a label to that person. When we label and categorize people according to identities they assert we fail to recognise their full potential (Beall 1997:10). For example a disabled person can come to be seen as disabled as compared to others which clouds ones vision of that person’s strengths, weaknesses and qualifications and therefore we tend to undermine their capabilities. The act of targeting â€Å"a specific group† further perpetuates status and class which was discussed above in the race class debate, further widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots. As mentioned above that an effective diversity management program will promote recognition and respect for the individual differences found among a group of employees, we must note that organisations face numerous problems associated with managing diversity and culture therefore it is of utmost importance that when policy making and management takes place it should collaborate with diversity(Beall 1997:10). Hence why he states that diversity management requires employment equity in its implementation. The Employment Equity Act (EEA) no. 55 of 1998 was set in place to redress inequality in South Africa which was created by discriminatory laws and related practices of the apartheid regime, its aim was to ensure no individuals were denied employment opportunities for reasons unrelated to ability. (Butterworth, 2001: 11). Its great focus was on developing the previously marginalised which also included women. In a report on Pretoria news by the South African Reserve governor, Marcus (2011), statistics show that South African women make up 52 percent of the total population according to Statistics South Africa (Website 3) and contribute 41 percent of a total national labour force but hold 19. 3 percent of top senior positions in management as relatively compared to their other countries, in Australia 8 percent, Canada 16. 9 percent and US 14. 4 percent on gender economic empowerment. There are a number of reasons for why women did not participate equally in the workplace like males, firstly past policies were more gender insensitive, cultural patterns placed women in domesticated positions such as secretaries because they feminine and compassionate. Whereas majority managerial positions are assigned to men because they masculine and tough. Hence, employment changes have undermined the effectiveness of redress legislation. You read "Social Inequality" in category "Essay examples" When considering the success of redress legislation, we need to consider the nature of employment in the labour market by assessing the pressures from international labour markets as well as recent trends of employment. Like the Skills Development Act it negatively affected employment creation because they have increased non wage cost of labour. Secondly Affirmative Action is also viewed as a diversity management tool. According to Human affirmative action â€Å"is a temporary intervention to achieve equal opportunities and to eliminate disparities between diverse employees† (1996:2)). Note, there tends to be confusion between affirmative action and EEA, well evidently enough they are both government initiatives that promoted fairness for â€Å"a specific group† that shows the pool of skills available in the labour market. As highlighted in the topic â€Å"targeting specific groups poses danger† I support this statement because managing diversity should not put a label on individuals as noted by Beall because as individuals we differ even in our abilities. When we use iversity management based on differences, we note that these differences tend to lock people into distinct categories, and can imply social discrimination(Cassim 2012) hence the â€Å"danger†. Take for instance a black student from a rural background and one from the suburbs then ask them to present a lecture in IOLS, there is a greater chance that the student from a suburban background will have greater communication skills as opposed to the other yet they both qualified to study IOLS at tertiary level. Hence whilst a person maybe black, he may differ greatly from other black employees (Cassim 2012). I believe it is incorrect that we may manage diversity based on stereotypes and prejudices (Herselman 2004: 157) we have about others and apply it to the organisational culture rather we understand that people share common aspects but differ gradually. Without affirmative action promoting diverse employees, organizations would rarely have the diversity of staff to reach a stage where differences are valued and diversity is effectively managed. We need to understand that managing diversity is crucial for the development of individuals in organisations. If we are to truly eradicate social inequalities in our society, the better management of diversity will assist organisations in doing so. Thirdly it is interesting to note that Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is linked to employment equality just like we found affirmative action to be. Pay careful attention to the fact that BEE is not affirmative action but EEA forms part of it (Butterworth; 2001:36). BEE is a program launched by the South African government to redress the inequalities of Apartheid by giving previously disadvantaged groups (black Africans, Coloureds and Indians, who are South African citizens) economic opportunities (Southall 2004:456). The main objective of BEE is to address the systematic exclusion of the majority of South Africans from full participation in the economy (Ronnie 2006: 6). But the question is,did BEE meet its objectives? David Masondo criticized BEE accusing the ANC of collaborating with the white capitalists to transfer wealth to the black elite. This statement is supported by the minimalist approach of BEE which promotes black businessmen and black businesses in the private sector (Southall 2004: 456), due to this commonly known definition of BEE it is the reason why we view it as only favouring a few elite blacks. Few elite blacks? Target specific groups†? Iis there a link here? Yes, because initially BEE also targeted a certain group of people it did ot address inequality on a broader scale it was only with the advent of Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment which took the maximalist approach which entails the comprehensive restructuring of institutions and society which aims to empower black people on a whole as a collective (Southall 2004:456). To answer the question of whether BEE could be used as a manager of diversity I stand to say no, because apartheid witnessed white capital built through the exploitation of black people and today from the first few years of ANC led government saw the rise of black elites. The elites enriched themselves through BEE instead of contributing actively to the broader transformational process meaning BEE is used by black elites to comfortably position themselves. Note, apartheid created a divide between blacks and whites and today BEE has created a further divide within blacks themselves hence creating â€Å"class† ( black elite and poor blacks). Therefore I would conclude that BEE would not have dealt with diversity management effectively. Given this it is important for whites to realize that it will not be easy to resolve inequality. Policies have been put in place to address these gaps, but how effective have they been? Another policy that has been introduced is the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 75 of 1997 which aimed to protect workers. However it is said to contribute to failure to create more jobs in South Africa, reason being the act creates minimum working conditions that employers have to abide by, this increases cost of labor/ productivity. Some believe employers are reluctant to hire more workers (it will create more employment opportunities) due to this act. However if implemented correctly the BCEA can have more promising benefits, it could improve working conditions of low paid workers in South Africa. We must note that it might not have a positive effect on employment creation but has a positive effect on the composition of employment. The best diversity management tool must set out to increase productivity and the quality of work life. It encourages tolerance of those we believe are different to us and also celebrates diverse opinions and views which color a workplace. Also it must encourage employees to understand that the needs and behaviours of other cultures will be different to ours therefore clear respectful communication is important between cultures is. Therefore a tool that I believe could manage diversity effectively is Ubuntu. In my understanding ubuntu is showing an act of humanity and compassion to others, hence, we need to accept cultural differences but manage diversity for example, respect the cultural belief of Africans, the Muslim dress code and so forth. This concept is based on brotherhood and unity- It is a unifying vision or world view coined in the Zulu â€Å"umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu†, meaning â€Å"a person is a person through other persons† (Shutte, 1993:46). I believe South Africa could find Ubuntu as a winning strategy at managing diversity instead of using methods of other points on a compass for they fail in our country because they not suited for our SA organisations for we must note that each organisation in a different region operates differently and faces different challenges. Its’ strategy was used as a stepping stone to develop unified visions of the community and to create a sense of belonging in the workplace therefore it will encourage and motivate individuals to being team players and work as a team effectively. What is important and a very good point is the fact that ubuntu believes the way forward and to succeed is through human dignity and respecting one another. Hence, if South African organisations aim to be competitive and to manage diversity appropriately simultaneously, they need to adopt it as a practice within their processes. As a management approach it should address the main challenge in South Africa which is the lack of skills, how so? By training the current scholars with the goal to develop skills within them. Mindsets of individuals must shift away from assigning people labels because this creates more problems on its own. Using ubuntu to manage diversity will lead to people working together and reach a point of competitive spirit and advantage (Cassim 2012). Lastly we must pay attention to the fact that ubuntu is an attempt to move away from solidifying identities based on race etc. s it creates a â€Å"danger†. In conclusion since South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994 that country has underwent great transformations in the workplace. As we see today the growing number of women entering the labour force and the inclusion of blacks. However one of the biggest challenges faced by South African organisation’s is managing our cultural differences that hinder progress. I t is advent that diversity is not going away especially as we continue to develop policies that â€Å"target a specific group† all we are doing by singling a group we are enlarging the ap between the haves and the have-nots. Diversity is here to stay and all leaders and managers have to find methods that will help eradicate inequalities based on social constructs and cope with diversity. Implementation of social policies led to South Africa redefining itself as a non racial and democratic society. Research shows that parliament merited the employment equity act which is said to have eradicated inequalities in the business organisations towards true meaning of diversity. As stated above diversity problems will always be tattooed over our country because for centuries it was faced with oppression which lead to blacks feeling inferior and as a result to date some blacks believe that they are less capable than whites. These stereotypes lie beneath the surface but are still very much alive and shouting. Sad reality is that our labour market is still dominated by white ownership and management. Some believe that opportunities for whites irrespective of their income or educational status remain abundant. There have been a number of wealthy blacks rising, and a rise in the middle class thanks’ to the development of BEE. However not all is lost, on the positive side, the number of blacks in higher education dramatically increased, the number of blacks as business owners’ increased, black managers and black professionals have increased. But yes on the other end of the scale the quality of education received in primary years is still questionable. The question is when will we stop using race as a measure in employment? Reference Page 1. Beall, J. (1997) Valuing Difference and Working with Diversity 2. Butterworths (2001). â€Å"Basic Conditions of Emloyment Act†. Durban: Butterworth Publishers (PTY) Ltd. 3. Moodley, N (2000). â€Å"An Exploratory Study of the Attitude of Middle Managers in the Greater Durban Area: A Focus on Cultural Diversity and Cultural Diversity Mangement†. Durban: UKZN 4. Shutte, A. 1993. Philosophy for Africa. Rondebosch, South Africa: UCT Press. 5. Southall, R. (2004) Black Empowerment and Corporate Capital. State of the Nation 2004-2005 [online] Available at: www. hsrcpress. ac. za 6. Terreblanche, S. (2002) A history of Inequality in South Africa. [e-book] Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press Other Sources Web 1: http://www. ceelbas. ac. uk/research/socialinequality Date Accessed: 9 August 2012 Web 2: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-diversity-management. htm (Accessed on 25-08-12 11:30 am) Web 3: Website 2: Statistics South Africa. (2006) Women in Leadershirship. [online] Available at: http:///www. statistics. com[Accessed 24 August 2012] How to cite Social Inequality, Essay examples