Gender Roles in the Work Place

6 Pages 1488 Words

Within the “Western” culture of North America, gender is socially constructed as a “new culture” that influences people’s lives in various different aspects. Society creates the rules for what constitutes being a man or women, which create different experiences for both sexes socially, economically, and politically.

In this essay, I will argue that the structure, processes, and operation of corporations are affected by gender ideologies that are established and reinforced by society. As a result, being a male or female has its advantages and disadvantages when working in the labour force. Moreover, women have always been seen at a disadvantage compared to men in terms of labour market related aspects such as, promotions, wage increases, and respect! More importantly, I will analyze this issue of gender and organization in relation to the Gendered Organization Theory and my personal experiences at my work (Future Shop) to provide a theoretical and practical understanding of this issue occurring within society.

Currently, I work for Future Shop as a sales associate in the Communication Department. I have been employed with the company for almost a year and have observed and experienced different situations that have been influenced by gender ideologies created by society. More importantly, many of these experiences have provided myself a better understanding of how gender has become an important tool of control for organizations that create different work inequalities between men and women.

One author Joan Acker, discusses the issue of gender and organizations by arguing that there are 5 Interacting Processes of Gender Segregation which can be found in most corporations. The author argues that corporations are not gender neutral and explains how gender, the body, and sexuality, are all part of the processes of control in corporations/organizations. Acker (1990) states, “Images of men’s bodies and mascu...