Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed the first woman to hold a position in cabinet in 1933. Frances Perkins was appointed secretary of labor and sought to implement social reform legislation in the workplace. She valued economic security for all Americans and believed that these legislations rather than social or political ideals could achieve this. As the shift from an agricultural society to an industrial society emerged there was much upheaval in every level of the American Society. As societies grapple with the social, political, economic and intellectual changes and the ever evolving technologies that drive these changes, so to must they face the many problems that impact the workplace. Among the many issues affecting the workplace are women workers and the perception that the policymakers and authority figures have of them. Women have been discriminated against in terms of position, pay wages, and incentives that men enjoy despite the fact that women are as equally qualified educationally.
Goldshan Javadian and Isaac Addae (2013) in their article on “Equality, Diversity & Inclusion” they discussed the challenges that Iranian women face in the workplace. They found that although Iranian women had aspired to the highest qualifications in education yet their presence in the workforce especially the public sector were especially low. It is found that the main reason for the low participation by these women had to do with the ill-structured bureaucracies and the occupational segregation that exist in Iran. Ariane Hegewisch and Janet Gornick (2010) from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research did a study on “The impact of work-family policies on women’s employment” and argue that all industrialized countries have put policies in place to support work-family issues such as care-related leaves, flexible and alternative work arrangements and childcare support. Many research has been done on the inequality that exist between men and women workers in the workplace and attempts are being made to effect policies eliminate the unfair practices that have existed from the beginning.
The Fair Labor Standard Act of 1938 established many new standards for private and public sector employers. The minimum wage was initially set at $0.25 an hour. The Labor Act also banned goods produced by children who had not attained the age of 16 years from being shipped to other states and topped the workweek at 40 hours. Today, after numerous amendments, the Labor Act remains a basis of employer regulation in the United States. The federal minimum wage as of July 2007 was $7.25 an hour. The Fair Labor Standards Act however did not address equality of pay between men and women. Before this act the majority of working women were only employed in low-paying jobs and men were believed to be the ones who were responsible for supporting their families.
In the turn of the 20th century women advocates like Ida B. Wells and Jane Addams lobbied for equal wage legislation in argument that women too were the primary supporters of families. They were however unsuccessful and when the United States entered World War II, and thousands of men left their jobs and enlisted in the military women had to go to work. Women had to go to work in machine shops, metalwork factories and ammunition plants. It was realized that women were capable of working as hard as their men. Women were effectively handling “men’s work while continuing to manage their homes and raise their children (Giraffe 2011). Times were beginning to change in terms of accepting women workers in the workforce. Between 1940 and 1944 the number of women who were employed rose to 57 percent (Hartman 1984).
In the latter part of the 20th century when a large number of women entered the workforce they had the issues of sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination to handle. Workplace language reflected a male-dominated society, One example of workplace language was reflected in signs that read “men at work” with no thought whatsoever even if there were women working alongside men. Women continued to be employed in male dominated jobs and this brought a change in previous legislations against female workers in certain positions. A change was required and while some were made voluntarily others were made through legislation and lawsuits. Women of childbearing age and pregnant women are often discriminated against. Employers are concerned with losing valuable production hours and therefore are reluctant in employing women. A woman may ask for too much time off to attend to family matters or their emotional state sometimes may interfere with their time at work. In a case against Wilson vs Southwest Airlines Company, the airline sought to justify it policy that sex appeal was a part of the occupational qualifications for female flight attendants and ticket agents (N.D. Tex. 1981). The airline subsequently lost the case. Some opponents of women in the workforce posit that women are a distraction and therefore should remain at home where their job is to nurture and take care of the family.
Sex and gender hold power in the American society. There is a marked disparity between men and women in their fight for power, privilege, prestige and choice (Giraffe 2011). Functionalists attempt to justify a male-dominated workforce. They say that men because of their masculine traits of competitiveness and their physical strength among other things, they are favored to hold dominant positions over women. Women, on the other hand possess the ability to nurture, their emotional strength and their empathetic approach to problem solving make them not fit to hold certain positions in the workplace. Christensen and Heffner (2005) in an interview discussed the role of women in the changing face of the workplace in America. Heffner questioned Christensen about the workplace being terribly mismatched and the need for worker flexibility. Christensen believes that what is needed is more flexibility in the job situation. Instead of elimination or relegating women to menial or less high profile jobs there could be more flexibility where families could be given more time to take care of their children and other family members.
In her survey Christensen has found that 80% of American workers want flexibility. Presently only 28% have this flexibility. Employees must be given the right to negotiate for what they want and also to realize that they do have that right. It had been observed that women who have that flexibility; like part-time flexibility, tele-commuting flexibility do not get an increase in their wages even though their tenure with the same employer is over seven years. Women are a bastion of change in the workplace in the 20th century. In the past 20 to 30 years there has been notable change in the equality of men and women in the workplace however, more change is needed. The wages for women have risen to 25% over the last 30 years. The gap is narrowing because women have educated themselves and have copped top positions in more lucrative jobs. Now women account for nearly half of the U.S. labor force. Women will be a force to reckon with if the policies that exist change. Women are go-getters and they will continue to make significant changes in the political and social organizations. Their contribution will greatly enhance the world’s economy. Organizations need to change so that they can encourage and accommodate women in all positions. For the country to move forward there has to be greater participation of women in the workforce.
Reference
Giragge, V. (2011) Contemporary Social Problems. The Evolution of the American Workplace
and Workforce Chapter 2. Bridgepoint Educational Inc. ISBN 1935966 – 38- 3
Hegewisch, A. and Gornick, J. C. (11 November 2010). The Impact of work-family Policies on
women’s employment: a review of research from OECD countries. Graduate Center,
New York, NY, USA
Javadian, G. & Addae, I.Y. (2013). Equality, Diversity & Inclusion; Vol. 32 issue 7, p654-670,
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Women as Change Agents in America Part I. Richard Heffner’s Open Mind. Retrieved from
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