Gender Inequality in the Workplace: A Global Challenge

Management Work and Society
Students Name
Institution

Gender Inequality 1
Introduction
Essentially, gender inequality denotes the situation where there is unequal treatment of persons,
men, and women owing to their gender. The unequal treatment or perception may be wholly or partly
influenced by the gender of the respective person ’s. Largely, cultural and societal norms have
encouraged certain forms of gender inequalities. Unfortunately, gender inequality in the workplace is not
an emerging issue in the United Kingdom alone but globally. Predominantly, gender inequality comes in
the form of segregation might be vertical or horizontal which largely contributed to gender inequalities at
the workplace. Globally, men tend to earn higher than women hence the assertion that global gender
inequality exits all over the world. Primarily, gender inequality at the workplace has been manifested
through gender pay gaps whereby men earn more than their women counterparts in the same
organizational structure of position. Remarkably countries such as Iceland, Finland and Norway have
achieved gender equality points to the fact that gender equality is attainable. Overall, the number of
women in leadership positions grows by the end but barriers still exist to fully close the gender pay gap
and completely eliminate gender-based segregation at the workplace
Gender inequality from global perspective-roles and pay
Notably, the gender role of woman in the United Kingdom has changed over the years(Gayle
2018). Specifically, the attitude that woman should be homemakers has shifted by 72 percent in favor of
women working thus the assertion that more women are likely to take up employment
opportunities(Gayle 2018). Recent statistics from New Zealand indicate that male workers earn 12
percent more hourly as compared to their female counterparts in the same occupation in the year
2016(National Library of New Zealand 2016). Undeniably workplace organizational structure is
influenced by gender roles. Predominantly gender roles imply what society considers should be done by a
particular gender.Essentially gender roles dictate what responsibilities are to be handled by a specific
gender thus influencing the recruitment of women in most organizational structures. Majorly, gender roles
are construed by societal and cultural norms which set the standard of socially accepted practice by

Gender Inequality 2
gender. Inevitably gender roles affect the division of labor between men and women workers (Blackstone,
2003). Gender roles affect equality.
Notably, most of the senior positions in the United Kingdom workforce is dominated by men
(McCoy, 2017). Factors such as low academic qualifications, motherhood, lack of experience, gender bias
and stereotype, cultural norms are some of the factors that have hindered the achievement of gender
equality in the United Kingdom and globally (Haaryson & Hammasstorm,2013). Traditionally, women
considered are homemakers and not breadwinners which notion has contributed to gender segregation
whereas the male gender is providers thus increased likelihood to get leadership and well-paying jobs.
Such gender roles have led to the fewer employment of women in the workforce(Ziman, 2013). However,
the attitude tide as to the place of the woman in the workplace is slowing changing as more UK based
women venture into professional occupations such as medicine, technology, law, and religion. Whereas
gender inequality majorly affects women, in some occupations such as health, hospitality, men are likely
to be subjected to horizontal forms of gender-based segregation thus the assertion that gender inequality
can be for either gender depending on the circumstances. It is important that each nation achieves gender
equality economically and socially.
Gender Roles
According to a ministry for women report in New Zealand for the year 2017, the disparities of
payments between male and female employees can be attributed to occupational and vertical segregation
thus goes to show gender inequality is a global dilemma (Meuders, Plasman, Rigo 7 Dorchai,2010).
Vertical segregation clearly illustrates gender inequality. Under vertical segregation men hold the upper
hand in holding senior positions with better payment in occupations mainly dominated by women (BBC
News 2018) According to the wall street Journal, there is a significant disparity on pay based on gender
(Iverson 2017). Men employees earn more than their female counterparts in the United States economy.
The study was conducted in four hundred and twenty-two occupations (Gayle,2017). Specifically, women
in the United States earn 78 cents whereas men earn a dollar. Noteworthy, from global perspective

Gender Inequality 3
women, earn 50 cents against the dollar earned by their male counterparts. In the ancient Icelandic
territory, women shared religious and cultural responsibilities which factor has contributed to the gender
equality progress in the country as contrasted with Islamic countries.
(Iverson, 2017)
Horizontal segregation
According to the European Commission report of 2009 on Gender segregation, horizontal
segregation implies the over or under-representation of a particular gender in any given sector of work.
As pointed out during one of the class PowerPoint presentations, women are concentrated on ‘ghetto
occupations’ which are associated with low pays, low status and equally narrower job content with fewer
promotion expectations. Primarily, horizontal segregation implies the fact that a specified gender is
concentrated in a certain line of work(Eurwork, 2017). Despite the significant increase in the population
of women in leadership posts in the United Kingdom, men are the twice mostly employed in managerial
and top leadership positions than women thus goes to show horizontal segregation in the UK workforce
(McCoy 2017). According to our world in data website, the number of women in leadership positions
across the United Kingdom, Isreal, Mexico, Palestine have been steadily rising(Ortiz-Ospina & Roser,