A511.8.3.RB Gender

A511.8.3.RB - Gender

Gender Starts At The Top

I defiantly agree with the analysis of Ms. Kanter, within cooperate America there are gender based discrimination situations.  As a human resource officer I had years of training geared towards helping organizations understand the equality of everyone.  Every organization has its challenges but the overall tone and treatment of females within a workplace starts at the top of the leadership ladder.  A clear understanding, tone, and support of female inclusion and equality by leadership can truly make the deference within an organization.  I believe Ms. Kanter and Yukl make similar arguments when it comes to gender discrimination. Understanding the benefits of equality is critical “in cultures with high gender egalitarianism, there is less differentiation of sex roles and most jobs are not segregated by gender (Yakl 2013, pg 366),” making the organization and workplace a comfortable environment.  I have to extend this idea beyond just male/female because discrimination in any form is wrong and has no place in any organization.  

Set the Example

Gender based decimation exist around the world and although America has gained leaps and bounds compared to other countries in the world, in the way of organization, training, education, rules, and laws generated to diminish discrimination.  I believe there would be an extremely high level of gender discrimination in America if no laws were established to mitigate the problem.  Because we have to have laws against gender discrimination says without them male leaders would practice it. Even with laws in place, there is still a gap in the number of women in high-level positions throughout corporate America.  The United States government has done a good job opening doors for women especially in Washington DC, but as the example our government has dragged its feet over the years.  Since our government’s inception the first female Attorney General Janet Reno was appointed in 1991 and the first African American female Loretta Lynch just weeks ago. What kind of message does that send to corporate America when the federal government takes so long to appoint females to positions of power?  It’s a step forward, but it requires more work as “the strong tendency to favor men over women in filling high-level leadership positions has been referred to as the glass ceiling (Yukl, 2013, p.371),” and it needs to be broken.

The Military

Within the military, its been through pressure from Washington DC that has forced the armed forces to open of military careers previously closed to women. Although a number of combat arms positions have opened up, careers in Special Forces have remained closed.  Many women consider this a form of discrimination, but I believe if a female qualifies for a position, they should have the opportunity to serve in it.  The military is based on government driven guidance, it has come a way to go and has lots of room for increase improvement.  As the military leaders in Washington look at the 2016 elections, if Hilary Clinton wins she will become the first female Commander and Chief.  I believe there will be significant change in the military and its structure specifically focused on the inclusion of females in combat and leadership roles not previously considered fit for women.  This is true because “women are more likely than men to possess the values and skills necessary for effective leadership in modern organizations (Yukl, 2013, pg 371),” and the military will be the forefront of the change over the next decade of female inclusion.

Ref.

Yukl, G. A. (2013). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.