Blog 14

According the Britton, men and women have the same values when it comes to job characteristics. Things at the top of the list are “salary, autonomy, prestige, and location” which are understandable for anyone regardless of gender, race, class, and prior work history (Britton 8). With this being said then why do women make up 47% of the work place but only receive 73% of male wages?

This happens because organizations are gendered, no matter in the public or private sector. An example is in the book when males and females both work in the same prison but the women are given more clerical work while the men have more contact with the prisoners. Gendering through organizational structure means the work lives and private lives of the employees are separate. Activities such as “childbirth, child care, eating, and sleeping” should be left out of the workplace. How this becomes gendered is that women become more responsible for domestic tasks because they are usually responsible for childbirth and then childcare. Women sometimes do not accept job promotions because they are burdens with domestic tasks as well. Their upward mobility is limited because they must care for their family while males “enjoy much greater freedom from the distraction of the private sphere” (Britton 8). Meaning they can work overtime or take promotions because they do not have to worry about taking care of a family.

Culture is another factor of gendering in an organization because women are often stereotyped into certain roles. Women are supposed to be nurturing, motherly, and kind; they should have jobs such as “kindergarten and elementary school teachers (Britton 9). On the other hand men are supposed to be tough and manly and hold dangerous jobs. These social norms have become our culture and this is why women traditional fill jobs that are not physically demanding and are helpful to others. Hopefully, women can continue to break our cultural norms and fill more non traditional jobs.

Finally, organizations can be gendered through agency. Which refers to the interactions between workers. Men feel more dominant in male dominated careers while women tend to be in charge in traditionally female roles. If a female is successful and high in a corporation or typically male dominated field, they are considered a “bitch” and other males do no like her. Males will feel threatened by her and will celebrate her downfall. In corporations women who work as secretaries or do clerical work are praised because that this the type of work they should be doing.

Organizations are structured intentionally and unintentionally through structure, culture, and agency making it hard for women to break into typically male dominated careers and limiting their upward mobility.