1. Running Head: GENDER DISCRIMINATION
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Gender Discrimination in the Workplace
Alyssa Dimmitt
University of Kentucky
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Author’s Note
Alyssa Dimmitt, University of Kentucky
Alyssa Dimmitt is currently undeclared major at the University of Kentucky.
This paper is for CIS 110: Composition and Communication I at the University of
Kentucky with Nicole Starciek.
Correspondence concerning this paper can be dressed to Alyssa Dimmitt at the University
of Kentucky; Email: acdimmitt7@yahoo.com

2. GENDER DISCRIMINATION
Abstract
Gender discrimination in the workplace is happening in today’s society. The topic is an issue all
around the world and women are falling victim to unfair stereotypes because of it. This
discrimination effects women’s wages as well as their workplace conditions. Luckily efforts are
being made to change this, and many women are overcoming these barriers.
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Keywords: Gender, Discrimination, Workplace
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3. GENDER DISCRIMINATION 1
Gender Discrimination in the Workplace
When growing up in today’s world, as a girl you are often burdened with the idea that in
some ways you are less than a man. Although society is slowing trying to change this, there are
many things stopping it. There are little girl’s being raised to be strong, independent, intelligent,
etc. and work hard to get where they are. However, according to the National Women’s Law
Center, women only make 73 cents for every dollar a man makes and in the year 1999, only
11.9% of corporate officers in America's 500 largest companies, and only 5.1% of high-ranking
corporate officers in these companies, were women (Gender Discrimination in the American
Workplace,2000). Gender Discrimination can be defined in many different ways, but all comes
down to the unfair treatment of an individual because of their gender. This can lead to unjust
actions being taken upon them and causes disruption in workplaces all around the world. People
in society would like to think that this is decreasing as time goes on, but in fact it can be the
opposite at times. Gender discrimination is a very broad idea having many other factors below it
including wage gaps and workplace conditions, sexual harassment, as well as the idea of the
Glass Ceiling.
Wages are important, the world revolves around money and one making as much as
possible is almost needed so they can support themselves and their families. The amount of
wages vary from job to job, and can either be very high or very low, but often it is seen that there
can also be differences in the amount an employee makes based on their gender. It has always
been prominent throughout history and despite the changes can be found in almost every
occupation today.

4. GENDER DISCRIMINATION 2
In the olden days, women were viewed strictly as housewives. Their job was to take care
of the children and make sure everyone needs were met, as well as keeping the house together
and clean. This was not just a stereotype, this was a way of life. All across the world, men were
the ones with the jobs and women were almost like servants. It was seen all over the U.S and can
also be seen in other parts of the world as well. For example, arranged marriages, a man is
chosen by the women’s parents and she is supposed to “love” him, start a family, and be there for
him for the rest of her life no matter what. Although those are still around in some cultures,
today’s age is thankfully growing out of that mindset. Women are allowed to go to school and
become lawyers, engineers, doctors, etc.
When looking at the money women would have in history, they would never have any of
their own. Women were to rely on men therefore making the wage gap between men and women
very large over the years. Looking at the wage gap today, in an age where women are capable of
everything a man is, it for some reason still exist.
The chart to the left shows the relationship between
male and female wages, and states that women earn
78% of what men earn. Between 1960 and 1990, the
wage difference is around 60%, which is higher than
it is today. According to the graph, the research shows
that once the 2000’s started the wage gap decreased
and has been consistent ever since. The Institute for
Women’s Policy Research says “that according to our research, if change continues at the same
slow pace as it has done for the past fifty years, it will take 44 years—or until 2058—for women
Chart of the week, from thewhitehouse.gov. Shows the
wage gap change over the past 60 years.

5. GENDER DISCRIMINATION 2
to finally reach pay parity” (Pay Equity&Discrimination, 2010). Women all over the world are
taking stances toward this discrimination, as well as their treatment in the workplace.
Workplace treatment and conditions is another area where gender discrimination arises.
Women and men not only are viewed differently in the workplace environment, but this view of
women ultimately leads to unequal treatment. When you think of construction workers and
Police officers, you do not think about women doing their jobs. Everyone thinks of these workers
as strong, big men and would never dream of see women. If a women were to apply for the job at
the site, they would often be told no solely because they are viewed as small, and unable to do
what is needed. However, wouldn’t a women applying for that job, be fully aware of what needs
to be done and make sure she is capable?
This idea that women can not do the same things men can is because of the stereotypes
that surround every individual today. Growing up in society, you are raised hearing idea about
religions, races, and people that are not always true. They are broad judgements placed on people
because of events, magazines, or even people around them. Men are often seen as more capable,
hardworking, more intelligent and vocal than women. When in all reality, both genders are in
fact equal and perfectly capable of doing the same jobs. An employer when interviewing
potential new employees often thinks of these stereotypes whether they know it or not. These
stereotypes are built in and often corrupt are thinking.
Columbia Business School did a study where both males and females had to decide who
would be hired to complete a math assignment. Their results of both women and men said that
“when the hiring manager had no other information other than a candidate’s gender, they were
twice as likely to hire a man than a woman, because they incorrectly believed that men are more

6. GENDER DISCRIMINATION 4
talented in science and math, the researchers found” (Columbia Business School, 2015). Which
is surprising that even the women would do that, being that they are often burdened by this
discrimination. Ernesto Reuben, assistant professor of management at Columbia Business
School, said how “in some situations up to ninety percent of the time when a mistake was made,
it was made in favor of a man,”. This is surprising in some ways because women are often the
ones still burdened by discrimination, one would think they would pick differently or have more
faith in the women to solve it.
One major problem that occurs in the workplace itself has to do with sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment is one of the most common sources of conflict in the workplace. According to
the U.S Department of State actions of sexual harassment can include: touching or grabbing of a
sexual nature, sexual pranks, or repeated sexual
teasing, jokes, or innuendo, in person or via e-mail,
repeatedly making sexually suggestive gestures,etc.
(Sexual Harassment Policy). These actions can
happen to both male and females, however its been
proven more common to females. The association of
Women for Action and Research proved that “79% of the victims were women; 21% were men
and also said 12% had received threats of termination if they did not comply with the requests of
the sexual harassers” (Statistics, 2015). Often people feel pressured to not speak up about this
type of behavior and let it keep occurring. When someone is mistreated in this way, it not only is
there problem but also is a problem with the law.
From theguardian.com, showing a women uncomfortable and
unhappy about the man touching her. Demonstrates an act of
sexual harassment.

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The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clearly states that “Harassment is a
form of employment discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990, (ADA).” With this being said, anyone in and out of the workplace can be punished
for these actions and should be. Women often fall victim and feel that they can not do anything
about it, but they can.
The “Glass Ceiling" Effect has to do with this invisible and hypothetical “glass ceiling”
that prevents women or an anyone from moving up in the workplace even if they are highly
qualified because of their gender. Forbes Magazine published an article about this and believe
that “the bigger barrier holding women back from growing their influence is not a ‘glass ceiling’
but a glass cage of our own making (albeit not consciously). This cage is held together by the
misgivings we have about our ability to succeed and handle the demands of leadership without
sacrificing our other aspirations outside the workplace.” (Warrell, 2013). With this quote from
Forbes, they are saying that sometimes women prevent themselves because they are told they are
not as good as men by society that they begin to believe that about themselves. Further in the
article in Forbes, written by Margie Warrell, she describes how often women, “feel undervalued,
overlooked, or undermined (and not just by men.)”. Women need to feel empowered to overcome
these boundaries and ideas that are placed on them. There a tons of successful women that do
just this.
When we look at social media and the news, some popular and influential women in our
society today include Beyonce, Hilary Clinton, and Oprah. These are among the many women
who have proven to surpass these stereotypes and discrimination. “Beyoncé Knowles is a multi-

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platinum, Grammy Award-winning recording artist who's acclaimed for her thrilling vocals,
videos and live shows” (Biography, 2015). She is looked up be millions for her confidence and
views on the world. “When Hillary Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2001, she became
the only American first lady to hold national office. She became the 67th U.S. secretary of state
in 2009, serving until 2013” (Biography,2015). She is admired for her perseverance and
determination in government and continues to prove she deserves her place. Lastly “billionaire
Oprah Winfrey is best known for hosting her own internationally popular talk show from 1986 to
2011. She is also an actress, philanthropist, publisher and producer” (Biography,2015). She is
one of the most well known women of all time and is known for her selflessness and generosity
to anyone and everyone she meets. All three of these women live in the same would we do today,
and have dealt with their fair share of discrimination, however they pushed threw it to success.
To sum things up, women have to deal with discrimination of many different forms
everyday in the workplace. Gender discrimination affects the way work is done and the attitudes
of men and women every day. Efforts to make the wage gap equal is consistently being made,
however the progress is slow and gradual. Women often fall victim of sexual harassment in the
workplace and have to deal with the idea that they are not as capable as men resulting in the
creation of this “Glass ceiling”. Thankfully women are learning to push through this
discrimination and proving themselves however this discrimination with forever exist.
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9. GENDER DISCRIMINATION
Work Cited:
Beyoncé Knowles. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 09:17, Apr 01, 2015, from
http://www.biography.com/people/beyonce-knowles-39230.
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Columbia Business School. (2014, March 14). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://
www8.gsb.columbia.edu/newsroom/newsn/2700/new-research-proves-gender-bias-
extraordinarily-prevalent-in-stem-careers
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Harassment. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/
harassment.cfm
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Hillary Clinton. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 09:20, Apr 01, 2015, from http://
www.biography.com/people/hillary-clinton-9251306.
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Oprah Winfrey. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 09:28, Apr 01, 2015, from http://
www.biography.com/people/oprah-winfrey-9534419.
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Pay Equity & Discrimination. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.iwpr.org/
initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination
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Sex Discrimination in the American Workplace: Still a Fact of Life. (2000, July 1). Retrieved
April 2, 2015, from http://www.nwlc.org/resource/sex-discrimination-american-
workplace-still-fact-life
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Sexual Harassment Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.state.gov/s/ocr/
c14800.htm
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Somanader, T. (2014, September 19). Chart of the Week: The Persistent Gender Pay Gap.
Retrieved April 2, 2015, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/09/19/chart-week-
persistent-gender-pay-gap
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Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.aware.org.sg/ati/wsh-site/14-statistics/
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Warrell, M. (2013, August 4). Glass Ceiling Or Glass Cage? Breaking Through The Biggest
Barrier Holding Women Back. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/
sites/margiewarrell/2013/08/04/glass-ceiling-or-glass-cage-breaking-through-the-biggest-
barrier-holding-women-back