Sexism is a complex phenomenon that has disturbed the workplace for many years.
It has been an ongoing ethical issue that has affected many people, but it primarily affects women of all ages and backgrounds. Sexism can present itself in many forms such as; sexual harassment, being underpaid for same responsibilities, unwarranted gender labeling and so on.
Understanding what sexism means, how to spot it and how it affects women in the workplace is the first step in creating an equal and more efficient work environment for all.
The importance of recognizing sexism goes beyond helping women advance safely in their profession, but it also shines a light on the deteriorating physical health/mental wellbeing of many and is a major source of women’s oppression around the world. My goal is to help the community identify all the early signs of sexism in all its forms and ways we can all work together to educate those who do not have the resources or are unaware of their actions and their implications.
By the end, the reader will be able to define sexism, know what to do in case they witness or experience it according to their State’s laws and be able to spread awareness.
Throughout most of history, all over the world, women have always been one step behind men. Wether its Greek mythology, early Roman laws to Christian theology, women have always been perceived as the root of evil and follower of man. In many cultures, women are required to marry to gain any status, but it then means that they have to oblige by the rules of their spouse.
Women had to walk behind their husbands, obey, sit, and stay for there to be no quarrel. Women could not own property, take ownership of any inheritance money and widows could not remarry.
With close to no legal rights, women have had to fight their way up the social ladder to get to where they are today, reinventing the traditional views of their role in society. The first shift came soon after the end of the Civil War (1865) when African American women and other minorities started to join the workforce, looking for new ways to support their families, shortly followed by bored middle class caucasian women looking to get out the house and away from their usually abusive partners (Shah, 2015). This launched the percentage of working women by nearly 25 percent (BBC, 2014). Sadly, women’s paid labor was largely restricted to ‘traditionally female’ professions, such as typing, sewing, nursing, teaching or nannying but the unfairness kept going resulting in most women being terminated as soon as they had children, if their husbands requested they did, if not as soon as they got married.
Prior to the early and mid 1900s’, wifehood and motherhood were noted as women’s most significant professions. Being Never able to succeed further in other careers due to the limitations set by others. Fortunately after decades of fighting, on August 18th, 1920, the ratification of the 19th Amendment in the United States’ Constitution granted American women in every state the right to vote legally (History.com, 2010). This was a huge step forward for the National Women’s suffrage movement, that ladies like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott and other female activist fought so hard to establish for women’s right. For every battle fought and won, women around the states gained more and more rights. Women were dancing new dances, wearing new clothing more convenient for their active lives and were more sexually liberated (BBC, 2014).
The second shift for women in the workforce came directly after the start of World War II (1939). After a critical portion of working men left to fight in the war, women took on the jobs left behind in the labor force. Giving women a new opportunity to learn new trades and prove their capability. Some of the new jobs included working in factories manufacturing war equipment, working in the defense industry as onsite war nurses, driving trucks, repairing airplanes, and performing clerical work to free up men for combat, this was a huge change of about 350,000 women that suddenly joined the armed forces and into occupations previously thought of as exclusively for men (OpenStax, 2016). This was a great time for the hard working women in the U.S. with female leaders such as Eleanor Roosevelt advocating for child care for theses working mothers and propaganda figures like Rosie the Riveter showing that women could be tough yet feminine. Women were finally starting to get a voice, a voice that would only get louder with time and persistence. World War II had solidified the concept that women were in the workforce to stay.
Although women have reached new milestones in the workplace, with the beginning of a whole new work era came many unpresidented complications. Obstacles that were beyond what many faced in the early to mid 1900s. With haven established a place for women outside of the home, some of these complications include but are not limited to: sexual harassment, gender discrimination, wage gap, non-inclusive work environments, gender bias job interviews, and work-life imbalance. Sexism has a long history in this country and continues to be relevant within the major institutions of today’s society.
Many inquiries made in the past few years show that women in the workforce do the same amount of work while only earning an estimate of about 75-90% of a men’s salary (‘Women’s Earnings, 1979–2012,’ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013) for literally the same labor. That’s a female-to-male earnings ratio of about 0.805:1.1 to the dollar (US Census Bureau, 2017). The unfairness of the wage gap should have been taken care of a long time ago. In fact on June 10th, 1963, the Equal Pay Act (EPA) was set in motion by Congress on the recommendation of President John F. Kennedy as an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Volume 29 of the United States Code, at section 206(d) states that; “No employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall discriminate, within any establishment in which such employees are employed, between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages to employees in such establishment at a rate less than the rate at which he pays wages to employees of the opposite sex in such establishment for equal work on jobs the performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are performed under similar working conditions” (Equal Pay Act, 1963) this law was meant to eliminate the discrepancy based on a gender. Unfortunately this law only helped specific women in certain jobs, due to the ongoing battle for civil rights. Even now in 2018, a time when everyone should be treated the same based on race. Gender inequality has prevented many hard working women (both single parents and married) from reaching goals that they have set for themselves all thanks to the medieval thought process that society still obliged by. Stereotypes that women belong at home, taking care of the family and the household prevents us from being seen as the head of the house or “bread makers”, in spite of the fact that women make up approximately 58.6% of labor workers in the United States (Women’s Bureau, 2010).
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the EEOC for short, defines Sexual harassment as: “Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when submission to or rejection of this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.’. Anyone can fall victim of sexual harassment, both male and female and not only does it affect the victim, but also those around them and the work atmosphere. Many times, the people coercing sexual advances are unaware of their actions because to them it might not seem like a big deal or the joke, innuendo or comment they made wasn’t meant to hurt but if it’s unwelcomed, its unethical.
There are typically two types of sexual harassment that are most commonly seen in the workplace. The first one is almost always referred to as Quid pro quo, a latin phrase basically meaning one thing in return for another. This is when a person in power, most likely a supervisor promises thing such as a promotion, raise or not firing sed employee in return for a sexual favor. Current employees are not the only ones subject to quid pro quo, job applicants can fall in this category of sexual harassment if the hiring decision was based on the acceptance or rejection of sexual propositions. Even if the person being harassed eventually “voluntarily” succumbs to the requests, if the initial conduct of the victim shows that it was unwelcome, it can be fought in court as so. In order to be able to take a case of quid pro quo to court, the employee making the claim must have evidence and must file a complaint with a state and/or federal labor protection agency first then they have 180 days in which to file with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (“FindLaw.com”, 2018).
The second type of sexual harassment is hostile work environment. This is when an employee has to deal with offensive sexual comments, unwelcome physical contact, or is exposed to offensive sexual materials as a regular part of the work environment (‘WomensLaw.org’, 2015). Hostile work environment harassment can affect and be afflicted by, supervisors, managers, co-workers, or customers. If the behavior is not corrected as soon as it starts it can go on unnoticed by other for a while leading to incredibility if taken to court. Which is why understanding the red flags and how to successfully record all bad doings in writing can help bring justice to the specific case. Emails, letters, texts can all be used to prove sexual harassment.
Back in October, 2017 women from all over the United States took to social media to share and bring light to their experiences with sexual harassment, then starting a global discussion on the issue using the famous #metoo movement. This was the first time women felt comfortable sharing their stories with the public, giving certain census the ability to gather information on this dilemma. An online survey launched in January by a nonprofit called Stop Street Harassment offers some of that missing evidence. It found that 81 percent of women had experienced some form of sexual harassment during their lifetime (Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault, 2018) this is 81 percent way too much. No one should have to go to work and feel threatened or fear that someone is gonna harass them, although it may not be a sentient thought at the moment it’s done, it is just as harmful for the career of the women talked about. We have been raised in a world where it is seen as normal to put down women for their dominant work ethics due to the norms of our culture.’Stepping away from this mainstream thinking can allows us to create a less hostile work environment were we can all work side by side to accomplish the common goal.
In order to eliminate all forms of sexism in the workplace, there should be multiple PSA, mandatory sexual harassment info classes and classes for getting to know your state’s laws and repercussions on sexual harassment all provided by the place of work. We should Encourage more female CEOs and executives-cite, make work a bit more relatable for women. Another solution can be to Petition lawmakers to pass laws that regulate and punish harassment for those states that are too lenient with such issue. Each state is different with regard to protections against sexual harassment, getting on the same page will be the start to a whole new era with true equality for all. As the victim there are a couple steps that can be taken, first Tell the harasser, verbally, in writing or via email, that you do not approve of his/her conduct and you want it to stop. Second make sure that it all gets recorded and kept in a safe file, creating a definitive electronic footprint with proof of notice and receipt. Third write down details about the incident right after it happens, so it stays fresh with no possible blank spaces in the story. Fourth, report the harassment to your supervisor as soon as possible and ask that it be stopped. in person and it writing. Finally File a formal complaint either with your place of employment or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Think about getting a lawyer if it’s decided that legal actions must be taken. Never be afraid to speak up, either for yourself or for others.
In a world where women are still being subjected to certain standards, being fully aware of sexsim and its impact is the first step in creating a united workforce truly equal for all, while improving the well being of women of all races and ages. Together anything is possible, including the end of sexism throughout the U.S. Take the time to learn from the articles made available to the public and educate yourself as much as possible regarding this ethical issue. Knowledge is key and every voice is important. Listen to those who need help and direct them towards the right source of help. Raise awareness and never stop fighting for women’s right and in all, equality.
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