Gender inequality in contemporary society

Gender inequality in contemporary society Describe And Discuss Gender Inequality In Contemporary Society With Reference To The Labour Market. Sex is what distinguishes men and women biologically, namely it describes the physical qualities which derive from variations in chromosomes, hormones and genitalia. Gender refers to a set of culturally defined characteristics which determine societys view of people as masculine or feminine. Sociologists have long debated over the causes of unfair sexual divisions of labour. Some have forwarded biological explanations, whereas others hold responsible the socialisation of gender roles. In this essay I will look at how the nineteenth century socialisation of gender roles is believed to have affected womens position in the labour market. I will then consider the increasing feminisation of the labour market and seek to explain the persistent inequalities between men and women. Up until the twentieth century, women were largely excluded from the labour market, partly because of the social construction of separate male and female spheres. Feminist Ann Oakley believes that the modern role of housewife emerged in the early stages of industrialisation (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 108). Due to the norms and values of the time, supported by the functionalist Parsons, it was expected of the man to provide for the family, whilst the woman would tend to the home. Oakley claims that this concept of different duties has persevered and has since had a negative influence on the development of womens position within the labour market (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 108). However, since the mid-twentieth century there has been an increasing feminisation of the workforce. According to Ulrich Beck, women are setting the pace for change (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 647). In Becks view, we are moving into the second modernity (as against post modernity). He argues that in our society, characterised by risk and uncertainty, women have realised the importance of self-reliance and have sought to widen their participation in the labour market and as a result have changed the social discourse. This has been made possible by a number of factors. The increased possibilities of an education, the development of domestic appliances, the growing tendency for smaller families, the Feminist Movement of the 1970s, the steady expansion of the service industry, the increase in living costs and the consequent need for two incomes are all factors which have generated a shift in traditional family patterns and significantly changed the gender division of labour. A UK Labour Fo rce survey conducted in 2005 suggests that the rates of employment for women of working age have risen to 70% in 2004 compared to 56% in 1971. In contrast, employment rates for men have declined from 92% to 79% (Giddens, 2006, 755). Despite womens increased participation in the labour market, barriers to equality remain. Although 75% of women of working age are in employment in the UK, it has been shown that in high-earning, high-status professions they are severely under-represented (www.employment-studies.co.uk). 2005 demonstrated, in terms of vertical segregation, that 83% of chief executives, 71% of sales managers and 70% of management consultants were men, whilst 96% of dinner ladies, 95% of receptionists and 76% of cleaners were women (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 124). Different reasons are held responsible for such disproportion. One argument is that jobs are highly gendered, with a tendency for high-status, high-paid jobs to be male-dominated because they have traditionally been perceived as masculine. Radical feminist Sylvia Walby claims women are subjugated by patriarchal values that discriminate and confine them to specific areas of work (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 113). Not only are women under-represented at the highest levels of the occupational structure, they have likewise not achieved equality of pay, despite liberal feminists success in campaigning for equal pay legislation. The wage gap was once thought to be narrowing, however, new figures suggest that the pay divide is still a matter of concern today. According to the Office for National Statistics, the pay gap between men and women in full-time work has increased to 17.1% since 2007 (The Guardian,15/11/08). The median full-time gross weekly earnings per week for men in 2007 were  £498, whilst for women they stood at  £395. In 2008 they stand at  £521 for men and  £412 for women. It has been calculated that over a lifetime, women working full-time will earn an average of  £369.000 less than their male colleagues. This result, according to the annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, places Britain 81st in the world ranking in terms of equal pay for men and women in sim ilar jobs (The Guardian,15/11/08). Part of the reason would appear to be because of horizontal segregation. Much of the female workforce is clustered into a range of semi-skilled, low-status and poorly paid occupations. Across the occupational structure, men predominate in such lines of work as manufacturing, construction, IT and business industries. Conversely, women are overwhelmingly represented in health and social work, teaching, catering and cleaning (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 123). Feminists, therefore, see this as a reflection of the two spheres ideology. 2005 demonstrated, in terms of horizontal segregation, that 79% of social workers and 73% of teachers were women. In the same year, 90% of the construction industry and 76% of people working in transport were men (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 123). In addition, the fact that many women work in the part-time sector can be part of the reason for the poor levels of pay they are subject to. Occupational segregation has been used to explain such high concentration of women in part-time work. Despite the disadvantages it involves, part-time work seems to remain a popular choice for women. In 2004, 5.2 million women in the UK were in part-time employment, compared to 1.2 million men (Giddens, 2006, 757). Social forces such as limited childcare assistance and gender discrimination have also been held responsible for such large numbers of women in part-time work. Many women seeking full-time employment often face unjust hurdles which men do not encounter: a Fawcett Society study (the leading liberal feminist organisation) reveals that 52% of employers consider the chances of a new member of staff becoming pregnant before employing them (www.fawcettsociety.org.uk). However, whilst it is possible that this may discourage many women who intend to have children from looking for full-time work, this is not on its own sufficient reason to explain such a heavy influx in the part-ti me sector. Catherine Hakims preference theory suggests that womens position in the labour market depends entirely on the rational choices they make (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 125). Hakim identifies two types of women: those who commit themselves to full-time careers or those who prioritise their domestic responsibilities. According to Hakim, many women have different work orientations than men, leading them to choose part-time occupations which enable them to balance their domestic and professional lives. Rosemary Crompton and Fiona Harris agree that womens position in the labour market is influenced by their decisions. They argue, however, that the choices women make are not always rational, but are the results of the practical challenges and cultural norms they may face. Crompton and Harris believe that women often start a career committed to the idea of full-time employment and the family sphere in equal measure, but in later life might have to compromise one or the other for a variety of rea sons. There is, therefore, an important debate between feminists. Additional theories have been advocated by sociologists to explain womens continued limitations in the job-market. Talcott Parsons functionalist human capital theory suggests that womens natural role is that of childcare. The theory implies that women are likely not to commit to a career or gaining qualifications, preferring to dedicate themselves to their children (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 125). According to Parsons, this lack of commitment or skills renders women less valuable to the employer, and is ultimately the reason for womens disadvantaged position in the labour market. However, critics of the theory point out that it does not account for the large number of women who dedicate themselves to a career and still end up in lower-paid, lower-status jobs (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 125). Barron and Norriss dual labour market theory promotes the idea of two labour markets: a primary sector in which professionals and skilled workers belong, characterised by highly paid and secure jobs, and a secondary sector, consisting in lowly paid, less secure jobs mainly occupied by unskilled labourers. According to Barron and Norris, women are more likely than men to work in this sector because they are less interested in wages or status, a view which echoes that of Hakim. Transition from the secondary to the primary sector is rare, ending in confinement within a range of low-paid jobs for ones entire working life. The theory is criticised by feminists for not being able to explain why skilled women often earn less than men in similar work, or why they get promoted less often than men in the same job (HaralambosHolborn, 2008, 126). In the past century, women have made a revolutionary ascent in the labour market even if many work in the part-time sector. However, the rate of improvement seems to have stalled rather than grown. Despite legislation such as the Equal Pay Act (1970) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975), vast inequalities remain in Britain, especially in terms of pay and status. It might well be that more radical reforms need to be made. In Norway, for example, hundreds of women have benefitted from a new act, passed in 2003, which stipulates that companies must increase the number of women on their boards to 44.%. This now means that Norway heads the league table for gender equality, 12 places above the UK (The Guardian, 17/11/08). This suggests that post-feminists are mistaken in believing there is no more for feminists to do. A third wave of feminism, as suggested by Katherine Rake, or new feminism, to use Natasha Walters term, may be precisely what is needed. BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: Bilton, Tony et al. Sociology in Perspective (Causeway Press, ND). Giddens, Anthony, Sociology 5th edition, (Polity, 2006). Haralambos, Holborn, Sociology: Themes and Perspectives 7th edition, (London: Collins, 2008). Newspaper Articles: The Guardian, 15/11/08 p 10. The Guardian, 17/11/08 ND. Electronic Sources of Information: http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pubs/summary.php?id=294 http://www.ehs.org.uk/othercontent/walsh30a.pdf http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=5748

Introduction to business Essay

A business function is the different jobs that people do or the different departments that form the basis of an organisations structure. The six business functions are Human Resources, Marketing, research and development, production, finance and administration. Human Resources deal with many different aspects of a business. They deal with recruitment, Job descriptions, dismissals, redundancy etc. They also have a policy-making role; they have to create company policies to create security for people and places within the organisation. Human Resources look after the people at work, they need to motivate them and also look after their needs. Human Resources have to help the MD to develop their roles and roles of other employees within the company. One of Human Resources roles is to bargain and negotiate – they act as a go-between between different groups with different interests, they also liase with the trade unions. Human Resources also have an administrative role, for example they are responsible for paying wages and supervising and implementing health and safety laws. They also educate and develop the workforce – they decide on whether or not any of the employees need training. The Marketing function is responsible for finding out what the customer needs and wants and then satisfying these needs and wants in the most cost effective manner. Sales is sometimes combined with marketing, sales has a different role to marketing though, for example sales has to make the customer think they want what the company makes or offers as a service whereas marketing has to get the company to produce what the customer wants. In order to find out the customers needs and wants they have to carry out primary research such as observations, questionnaires etc along with analysing secondary data. The Marketing department works closely with the production department because the research marketing do will show production what the customer wants, how they want it, where they want it and when. Marketing are also responsible for advertising, packaging, promotion, distribution and pricing. If a company wants to expand and grow a research and development department is essential because research and development furthers the company’s aims by improving processes and by researching new ideas, processes and products. If a company does nothing to improve processes or seek ideas then it is highly unlikely that they shall become/remain successful. If a company is having problems they need to have a research department because some of the work this function carries out can help them to understand what is going wrong. Companies usually set aside available capital in for a ‘research budget’ because it can cost a lot of money. The Administration function basically deals with every single piece of paper work. Some people may see the admin role as petty and this is strictly untrue. Organisations, especially the larger ones depend on their administration department. Administration handles consumer enquiries, communicating messages and producing documents for the company that are accurate. All companies would have an office manager and whereas Human Resources are responsible for deciding if the staff need training the office manager for organising the training, they would advise different departments on the most effective office layout, equipment, working practices and staff development. They analyse admin practices to see if there is any way they could be made better. They provide and maintain communications for the company; this would be phones, mail, Internet and also report and provide statistics on company activities. Overall ensuring a good standard of work. The Finance department is mainly responsible for monitoring the cash flow (monitoring income/revenue and monitoring expenditure) this is represented in a final balance sheet, sources and uses of funds are displayed in a P&L account. The chief accountant is responsible for supervising this department. There are two different types of accounting within a finance department – Financial accounting and management accounting. A financial accountant would keep records of all financial events to provide financial summaries on what has happened (Pay wages and keep day to day records) whereas a management accountant would provide the managers with figures to help them make their own decisions, for example costing and pricing decisions, they would also produce budgets. There are also subsections within the finance department; these include a cashiers department, which deals mainly with cash transactions, and a wages department, which are responsible for supervising the pay roll i.e. calculating and paying staff wages. The production function includes many different sections to help it run properly, Production and planning set standards and targets for each section of production. They monitor the goods or services that are being produced to make sure it is of the right quantity and quality, a comparator then compares what has been produced to what should have so that they can see if production is running smoothly and effectively. The purchasing dept have to provide the materials and equipment needed to make the product/service so that they can keep the production process working in order, the stores dept stock all tools, raw materials and equipment that is needed and finally there is the design and technical support dept who are responsible for researching improvements on existing products and also researching new ones. A technical department would give advice on working practices in order for them to estimate production costs.

The Argument For The Existence Of God - 1411 Words

My paper scrutinizes numerous logical disputes for and alongside the presence of God. I shall argue that there’s no adequate evidence or inclusive arguments for the existence of God. It is grounded on the views of certain great philosophers and scientists of all of mankind. Generally speaking for myself, I would correspond to have faith that there is â€Å"God†. Regrettably, it’s awfully well-defined that the being built up on insightful faith is no longer a suitable custom to shadow. During the course, I expected to learn some type of proof with the intention of upholding a course of the belief in a God implanted in me by my parents. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. It could have been fine if the ontological, theological, or cosmological argument could have related itself to the experimental world with a â€Å"God† outside this world, but they are unable too. The ontological argument failed because it was only a misleading piece of terms that couldn’t prolong into actuality. The teleological argument expressed unsupported inferences from similarities of experiential remark and materialists supplied other possibilities that are reasonably legal. The cosmological argument failed as well since it not once understandably argu ed the making of the universe. There are many amazing individuals who’ve consumed an immense sum of time in studying the Bible. Brilliant philosophers like Plato, Paley, Socrates, Descartes, Aristotle, have made arguments whether god truly exists. We must understandShow MoreRelatedThe Argument On The Existence Of God1629 Words   |  7 PagesThe idea of God has been a part of man’s history for centuries. Since time began there has been various combination of believers, and non-believers. Individuals who believes in God, belong to many different religion. Whereas, skeptics find the existence of God somewhat baffling, and have continually sought answers to His existence through scientific methods. As the world progresses in scientific, and technological advancement, the human race still faces the question of God’s existence. Many philosophersRead MoreThe Arguments For The Existence Of God1056 Words   |  5 Pages16 November 2015 Rough Draft for The arguments for the Existence of God. The question Does God Exist? is a well-known asked question in the world. Most people believe they know the answer to it. The religious people would say, well of course he does, while the non-religious people or atheist would say no He does not exist. Because evil exist and chaos exists, God cannot be all-powerful. In the modern world, there are many different opinions as to whether a God exists or not. This has been an issueRead MoreThe Argument For The Existence Of God1674 Words   |  7 Pagesfind the three arguments I analyzed satisfactory for the existence of God. The existence of God simply cannot be proven. Regardless of how strong a person’s faith is, or how many miracles they claim to have witnessed, God can only ever be a possibility. First, I will discuss why Pascal’s wager is not a satisfying argument for the existence of God. I will then examine C.D. Broad’s â€Å"Argument for the Existence of God†, and why it is also not a satisfying argument for the existence of God. Finally, IRead MoreArguments For The Existence Of God974 Words   |  4 PagesArguments for the existence of God through critical thinking and rationalization are called ontological, cosmological, teleological, or pragmeatic arguments. The most widely known of such arguments is that of St. Anselm from Proslogium of St. Anselm, which states that God is considered a perfect being unlike humans or any other world subject. The fact that he is perfect in a world of imperfection proves his existence. God is also the highest conceivable idea of perfection, and thereforeRead MoreThe Existence Of God : An Argument881 Words   |  4 PagesThe Existence of God The philosophical arguments presented in this document are not of religious text, nor scientific observation or established fact. Rather the premise of this God proof is bring together and share the various theories on which other God proofs have established foundations. I have heard it quoted that â€Å"Philosophy goes where hard science can t, or won t. Philosophers have a license to.† Therefore, with this in mind, I attest that it is more than problematic to construct anRead MoreArguments on the Existence of God602 Words   |  2 PagesGod’s existence may actually depend upon our belief in his existence but it is more plausible to believe that God exists using the different types of arguments such as the cosmological argument and ontological argument, Leibniz and the Principle of Sufficient Reason and the Problem of Evil, and the definition of basic belief as evidence. The Cosmological argument can be simplified into three reasons that everything that begins to exist has a cause; the universe began to exist, therefore the universeRead MoreArguments For The Existence Of God1137 Words   |  5 PagesArguments for the existence of God come in many different forms; some draw on history, some on science, some on personal experience, and some on philosophy. Descartes offered two arguments towards the existence of God: an informal proof in the third meditation and the ontological proof in the fifth meditation. Descartes believed that with the employment of a rational method of inquiry which applied some of the methods of analytic geometry to the study of philosophy, our ability to attain certaintyRead MoreThe Argument Of The Existence Of God1480 Words   |  6 PagesThe arguments trying to â€Å"prove† the existence of God are by far some of the most controversial philosophical arguments out there. When some of the people who created these philo sophies it was illegal or even punishable by death to even question his existence, let alone try to come up with a logical explanation to â€Å"prove† he is real. The two main arguments used today are the ontological argument and the cosmological argument. Neither one of these arguments are correct nor incorrect; moreover, theRead MoreThe Arguments For The Existence Of God940 Words   |  4 Pagesp. 209, question# 1 Among the numerous arguments for the existence of God, the argument of design stands as the most persuasive in terms of providing a logical basis for the absolute presence of God. This argument is concerned with the intricate nature of creation and existence: one must believe that there is a Supreme Being that designed the characteristics and features of every existing thing in the entire universe, both living and non-living. The precise and complicated design of the universeRead MoreThe Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God Essay1556 Words   |  7 Pagesconcerning the existence of God. If God exists, we probably have to make him accountable. The universe would probably have a meaning and a purpose. Also, our very existence may not be cease after physical death. But if God does not exist, we are probably here by chance and we have no accountability to any transcendent. This life is probably all we have, so we should live as we please. The question arises - Does God exist? At first glance, it seems contradictory to prove the existence of something

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