Frame 1: Fix The Women

In today’s economy, it is a hard fact that many women will have to enter the workforce. In her article for The Atlantic, “Why Women Still Can’t have it All”, Anne-Marie Slaughter examines the difficulties faced by women who either have children or would someday like to do so. Having given up on the task of holding a high powered government position while being the mother of a teenager, her kairotic moment, the author discusses the changes that would be necessary in order for women to find a real work-life balance. Although Slaughter 's target audience is primarily women who seek high powered positions, the article contains ample information that should appeal to both men who seek to balance the needs of a growing family with their work responsibilities, as well as workplace policy makers who could help usher in the necessary changes. Her goal in sharing her experiences is to argue that women can succeed at the very top level of their organizations, “But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured” (Slaughter).

Women in the Workplace There is a perception that the sexist ideals of the past are gone, no more expecting women to stay home with the kids, cook all the meals, and be at the beck and call of her husband. And while most of it is true, there is still is an immense amount of sexism occurring in today’s society. While women aren’t expected to be homemakers anymore, we are still tied down with the expectations that are on par with those in the 1940’s. We are still talked down to in professional settings, told certain fields aren’t appropriate for us, and many more infuriatingly stupid situations all because of our gender.

The men matter in reshaping this kind of corporate culture, and simply having a woman's initiative or having nice work-family policies that look really great on paper, they don't ultimately change that corporate culture, which is what leaves women so embattled (Hazan-Amir, 2010)

“The Second Shift” by Arlie Russell Hochschild sheds light on the fact that America is stuck in a perpetual loop, unable to change its societal gender expectations. Substantial progress has been made when it comes to women in the workplace, but that same progress is lacking when it comes to a woman’s work within the home. When looking at employed women the term “second shift” can be brought to the forefront. The expression “second shift” refers to the tasks done around the house after the initial work hours are through. Hochschild critiques how the American career system treats the “second shift”; she makes it clear that the working American society has yet to take the additional shift into consideration due to the already implemented

For years, society has encouraged women to engage in labor force participation and to create a career outside of the household. The feminist movement discouraged women to continue their roles as caregiver because it was considered a low status position in society. To be considered successful in life, one needed to achieve a high paying career and as everyone knows the job of mom is free of charge. The movement also portrayed the traditional family structure as a way to keep women confined to their homes, rather than a structure built with the main idea of women having complete focus on the most valuable job of their lives “Motherhood.” The feminist movement was to fight for women’s rights but at the same time the movement forced mothers to make a difficult decision of either entering the workforce and leaving children in daycare or continuing the homemaker’s lifestyle. After many years of liberation for women in the workforce there has been a decline in the number of women who continue a career after childbirth. Contrary to the feminist belief, mothers are finding a greater sense of fulfillment staying at home to raise children rather than focusing on a career. Data taken from the U.S Census Bureau in 2005 shows the amount of stay at home mothers is about 5.6 million (Zamora). More women are replacing the 1950s “housewife” stigmas and renouncing their roles in society with a new high status of “domestic engineers.” Although mothers who chose to stay at home might have a harder time reentering the workforce and many think it will make families struggle financially, more mothers of young children should stay at home instead of returning to the workforce. This will allow mothers to have more efficacious time to spend with children. Along with the unaffordable cost of quality child care causing

Instead of being allowed to become corporate leaders and influential characters that can bring change to the system, women are encouraged to become part-time employees. They are often offered positions that are important but not influential enough to affect policy. In this manner they are shown that they are good enough to work, but not quite ready to accept the mantle of leadership.

The feminine and masculine approach is typically how the prototypical female and male think and act. In terms of ambition and success, the masculine perspective is who has more of it; the more, the better and occasionally having power over others. The female perspective is built around is more about how power is shared. Role and rank matter less; the preferred structure is a network. Ambition from a masculine perspective is about competition and winning. It is about getting to the top of the heap, to the “Alpha” position in a hierarchy (Forbes). These approaches can be devastating, potentially undermining women’s capacity to lead, and create obstacles en-route to women’s career advancement.

“Glass ceiling” has been the major disadvantage to woman with a baby. Being a mother in the work force is not easy and it’s hardly to get promoted. When it comes to working, employer always tries to look for qualities between men and women. In some case, it could be a mother with a child and a mother without a child. Still, the result will be discrimination toward women with a child. Nelson confirms that, “A mother is also 50 percent less likely to be promoted than a woman without children” (413). No wonder men are always at the top because they can be more active than women. To put it simply, men don’t have to take a vacation when he has baby, but women must. Men can just come to the hospital once he finishes his work. Right? If this case

Over the past few decades, great strides have been made by women in the workplace. This increased number in women in the workplace does not mean equality however. Even with equal qualifications and achievements, women are still not given all the opportunities that men have. The chapter in the textbook, “Gender at Work”, shows us more of these inequalities in the workplace. Such inequalities cause gender segregation of jobs and can be linked with the pay inequality in the labor force. Even in jobs that are predominantly filled by women, men earn more than women. Women are often stereotyped as being family focused and not as able to travel, therefore they tend to get passed up for promotions (Garson p.353). This invisible barrier that keeps women from moving up the executive ladder is referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Baxter and Wright p. 346). Women also tend to do more domestic work, or unpaid labor and caregiving. This extra unpaid work is referred to as “the third shift” and is largely rested on the shoulders of women (Gersel p. 352). Consequently, this seems to be one of the biggest things holding women back from taking on jobs that are normally considered male

In the past, there were heavily enforced gender expectations regarding male and female roles in the household and in the workforce. Women were expected to stay at home, and the men were expected to bring home the income. Since the feminist movement took off in the 1960s and 1970s, more and more women have been working outside the household. In addition, more men have chosen to stay home and be the primary care providers. This has resulted in a shift in the gender expectations that were previously dominant. Nevertheless, even with these changing gender norms, in cases where one parent needs to stay home, it is still women who are stepping up to the plate in order to fulfill the role of “primary caretaker” regardless of their career goals or current work situation. As the movement has intensified, though, it seems as if those who are choosing to stay with the “traditional” gender roles are being criticized, mostly by working mothers, for their choices. Stay-at-home moms in particular are perceived differently and, in some cases, looked down upon and criticized for not taking advantage of all that their gender has done to pave the way for their equality. Although it used to be the expectation for the female to stay at home to keep house and take care of the children, the women who live this lifestyle today are not “anti-feminist” because of this choice; they are not being forced into this

Eustathius was born in Side, Pamphylia. He is able to trace his lineage back to the Apostles. At the time of the Council of Nicaea, he had just been appointed Bishop of Antioch, but he had not even been there yet. This appointment made him a major Bishopric because he was now in charge of the second largest Bishopric in Christendom. Prior to his appointment, he was the Bishop of Syria.

The interviewed women all had a general perception of the workplace, and the majority of their issues were in relation to the other women in the workplace, and how these women may have persuaded men in powerful positions against them. The article reveals another angle of the issues with men and women in the same workplace and will be noted in my research to show another example of the issues women face in the workforce today. Price, C. J., & Wulff, S. S. (2005). Does Sex Make a Difference?

Children during their early childhood start developing emotionally and socially. They begin to develop and recognize self-concept. This is when they become aware of their own abilities and develop a sense of who they want to be. Erik Erikson discusses in his theory initiative vs guilt that children at this age begin to figure out exactly who they will be one day (163). They understand how they are different from one another. They can tell the differences in physical appearances between someone else and their own self. Children can begin to tell someone else’s emotions as well. They can tell if they are happy, sad, upset, or angry. They also begin to associate with the same gender. They will usually play with the same sex child, when they are in a group with multiple people. These are important aspects that children learn early on in life. It is important to help are children to develop these skills.

Gender plays a huge role in workplace 'success' and can be a big challenge especially if the employee is a woman in a male dominated workplace or career. No matter how 'hard-nosed,' 'ruthless,' 'workaholic' a woman may be, or how much personal success she achieves, there will always tend to be some type of obstacle to keep her from getting completely to the top of the corporate ladder. She must also still fight stereotypes that undermines her confidence or limits her potential. Since the early 20th century, women and minorities have sought equal opportunities in education and in the labor force with little success. These obstacles or barriers are all known as the glass ceiling.

For my research question I will be asking: “How is America making progress on gender equity?” Fundamentally, I believe that women are still misrepresented, and are still facing many challenges in the workplace, especially in the business world. The gender stereotypes play a considerable role in the way the society sees women as leaders. However, it will be judicious to consider the small but noticeable changes that have been made over the past years concerning gender equality in the American workplace.