Beyond Glass Ceilings and Brick Walls - International Labour ...

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There is a competitive advantage for organizations that maximize the potential of their entire workforce, address the needs and aspirations of all of their workers, both male and female, and promote women into management. This is because gender equity and equality can also affect institutional outcomes through diversified management, increased efficiency, and enhanced productivity. Furthermore, the differing perspectives, attitudes, work and management styles of men and women can foster innovation and creativity in the workplace. From the point of view of good corporate governance, then, there is currently an increasing trend on the part of leading organizations to better manage workplaces by conforming to good practices that are accepted by international standards of human resource management, and are in keeping with concepts of personal rights and gender justice. This involves an organizational approach that promotes gender equity and equality. Here, we use the term gender to refer to the socially constructed roles and responsibilities, status, expectations and relationships of men and women (adapted from Rao et al 1999). It is worthwhile reiterating here that our perceptions of gender and our executions of gender are defined socially, according to various ideologies and discourses (religious, political etc.) through social institutions (schools, workplaces etc.) and practices (cultural, familial etc.) as well as real-life experiences of gender. Thus, we can talk in terms of people being socialized or socially learning (Mischel, 1970) how to become men and women or to have gendered identities (Kohlberg, 1966; Wickramasinghe, 2002). Most often, views of gender identities are based on pervasive gender stereotypes - a standardized and sometimes pejorative idea or image held about a person on the basis of gender (Pilcher et al 2004). But, neither men nor women are homogeneous groups, and gender identities vary with such determinants as age, geographical location, social class and values, ethnicity, sexual orientation, cultural practices, and scientific interventions. XIII
Moreover, gender roles and responsibilities are not static, and can change with time, crisis situations and so on. The concept of gender equality means that women and men should have equal opportunities and conditions for realizing their full human rights and potential to contribute to the work organization (especially at management levels) and to benefit from the results. On the other hand, the concept of gender equity means the recognition and equitable valuing by the work organization of the differences between women and men, as well as the social expectation of the varying roles/responsibilities/ status/relationships of men and women. Instead of demanding that women be similar to men, gender equity requires women’s empowerment through specific measures designed to eliminate barriers to gender inequalities and actively promotes the recognition and participation of women - resulting in gender justice. The following quotation illustrates the point further: “Gender equality, or equality between men and women, entails the concept that all human beings, men and women alike, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. Gender equality means that the different behaviours, aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favoured equally. It does not mean that women and men are the same, but that their rights, responsibilities and opportunities do not depend on whether they are born male or female. From this it follows that gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men. This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but which is considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities.” (ILO 2005) The two concepts must be seen as being complementary, rather than contradictory - recognizing the need for equal (based on parity and equality) as well as equitable (based on difference and justice) treatment - due to the current unrecognized, unequal and sometimes discriminatory situations and relations between men and women within work institutions. XIV
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Beyond Glass Ceilings and Brick Wal
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The Wages Board Ordinance No. 27 of
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An assault may include any act that
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The most recent gender disaggregate
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Table 2 indicates the major occupat
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Table 5: Private Sector Employment
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Aside from the survey of 100 compan
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men in the public sphere working ou
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to higher education (including thos
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The inequalities and inequities cem
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Unfortunately, these entitlements a
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One interviewee stated how the mark
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Employee Mobility 24 Training Respo
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doubtful that management was aware
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There were facile explanations in r
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Some examples of conditions for wor
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such as secretaries, who may be pro
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There are, of course, many other wo
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Women who undergo sexual harassment
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out to be the victim. (He had also
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worker dissatisfaction. This in tur
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Workers Rights and Unionization Non
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and family balance, the needs of wo
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linked to the type of product or se
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Women’s dress is also taken to si
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Language is also utilized in unders
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2) There is organizational prejudic
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54 PART II
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undertaken for the purpose of pinpo
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III Strategic Management In today
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The concept of “quality of work l
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• Successful organizations will r
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is rising. People today see more op
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1. Social Expectations and Gender S
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Page 75 and 76: 1. Soft toy manufacturing 2. Tea tr
Page 77 and 78: In the ten companies selected for t
Page 79 and 80: Such situations can be avoided if c
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Page 87 and 88: to be provided with opportunities f
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Page 91 and 92: I. At Policy Levels • Articulate
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Page 95 and 96: III. Training and Development • I
Page 97 and 98: V. Promotions • Improve advanceme
Page 99 and 100: 98 systems and the underdevelopment
Page 101 and 102: developing an enabling environment
Page 103 and 104: Organizational Superstructure: inst
Page 105 and 106: Employment of Women, Young Persons
Page 107 and 108: Sage Publications, (London / Thousa
Page 109 and 110: Contents Foreword Acknowledgments I
Page 111 and 112: Foreword Today, women are active ev
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Page 115 and 116: Introduction This book is written w
Page 117 and 118: Moreover, these same gender unequal
Page 119: Hence, a majority of workplaces do
Page 123 and 124: IT, hotels and travel. There is als
Page 125 and 126: This is followed by a more localize
Page 127: PART I
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