University Business Academic Skills 1: Gender Inequality Review

This literature review examines the impact of gender inequality in the workplace, drawing on multiple academic papers. It begins by summarizing key findings, such as the persistence of inequality despite affirmative action, particularly in male-dominated industries like steel manufacturing and accounting. The review highlights factors contributing to this inequality, including societal norms, organizational culture, and the prevalence of benevolent sexism, which undermines employment equity. It also explores potential solutions, such as education, talent management strategies, and government intervention. The evaluation section assesses the contributions of the reviewed papers, emphasizing the empirical implications of these studies and the factors affecting women's participation. It acknowledges the limitations, such as the need for further research on the impact of various factors and organizational practices to ensure gender equality. The review concludes by emphasizing the importance of public recognition of inequality and the role of education in fostering a more equitable workplace.

Running head: BUSINESS ACADEMIC SKILLS
Business Academic Skills
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1BUSINESS ACADEMIC SKILLS
Literature review
Topic: The Impact of Gender Inequality on workplace
Summary
According to Mcneil & Liu, (2017) workplace gender equality is still a myth. In most
industries, the equality goals that are propagated by affirmative action regulation have
remained largely untouched. The author focuses on a male dominated industry of steel
manufacture, mining and distribution. The research is based on case study methodology and
longitudinal study of a company in the aforementioned industry. The paper finds that due to
lack of learning about gender equality and organizational involvement of the same, the gap
has remained in the industry. Since women have entered the labor market they have faced
discrimination. Din, Cheng & Nazneen, (2018) too, explores the impacts of various factors on
gender equality in workplace. The factors explored by the author are organizational culture,
society, workplace norms, organizational structure and masculine skills. The accounting
sector too is largely male dominated and has been for centuries. Women in this sector have
lack of motivation and has been seen that women remain at a subordinate position to men in
the accounting sector. The paper finds that the reason for which women remain at subordinate
level are their unwillingness to work for higher managerial position and importance to family.
This is another reason why industry is discriminatory towards women. In this regard, Cavero-
Rubio, Collazo-Mazón & Amorós-Martínez, (2019) proposes that organization’s public
recognition of gender inequality and its likely impact on the financial performance. The focus
has been given on Spanish companies and the study finds positive relation with
organizational acceptance of gender inequality and performance of the organization. Hideg &
Ferris, (2016) are in the view that sexist attitude undermine the employment equity (EE),
while the aspects of benevolent sexism has far more complexity. The study finds that the
problem with benevolent sexism is that while the practitioners are likely to accept EE

2BUSINESS ACADEMIC SKILLS
policies, it is mostly limited to following to those policies by hiring women candidates in
feminine positions rather than the masculine ones. The undermining pattern of benevolent
sexism is much more subtle and thus poses much threat in gender segregation in workplaces
and lack of women presence at the decision making level.
Further studies have dived deeper into the solutions to the gender equality issues at
workplaces. Vokic, Coric & Obadic, (2017) in their study suggest that women inequality and
the subsequent discrimination that has been so discussed, can be countered through
education. Their study sheds light on the fact that highly educated and skilled women face
little or no discrimination. The author Fisher, (2017) aims at finding solutions to unequal pay
for both part and full time jobs. The longitudinal and latitudinal division of women in
workplaces has led to segregation. The factors like child care, work family balance, flexible
working is all taken into consideration. The study finds that it might take many more years to
actualize gender equality in organizations. Chang & Milkman, (2019) gives solution to the
gender biased behavior of talent management in an organization. The study finds that
stereotyping is the major reason for this behavior and most organizations do not evaluate
existing practices. Gaze, (2014) presents the evaluation of impact of the Workplace Equality
Act 2012 on Australian organization and indicates the future prospect of gender equality. The
government too, is taking specific interest in promoting gender equality within organizations.
Analysis and Evaluation
The general findings from paper is that the organizations all over the world is far from
realizing gender inequality in workplaces. The main reason that gender inequality in
workplace prevails so strongly is due to the discrimination that women have faced
historically and socially (Din, Cheng & Nazneen, 2018). Most women are not given proper
education and the society defines them according to their stereotypes. They are punished

3BUSINESS ACADEMIC SKILLS
inadvertently due to their passionate or careerist nature as it clashes violently with the
society’s expectation (Cavero-Rubio, Collazo-Mazón & Amorós-Martínez, 2019). The
gender discrimination and inequality is further intensifies in the male dominated sectors like
steel industries, mining and manufacturing, accounting and finance based occupation. The
reason behind this is the lack of organizational training and the preconceived notion that
women are unwilling to travel give greater importance to family than men (Mcneil & Liu,
2017). The most dangerous situation that lies in this aspect of gender equality is the presence
of benevolent sexism practiced in most organizations. This practice creates an apparent sense
of gender equality in the organization. This is disguised as the practice is limited to
recruitment of women candidates in the feminine posts of the organization. This practice
makes the attainment of equality far difficult and the detection of the problem takes a longer
time. Public acceptance of the reality of workplace inequality, thus, is the most recommended
as that enables the managers and human resource department to enforce rules and policies
that will bring about most effective changes (Hideg & Ferris, 2016).
The papers show several solutions to the problem. Among them the most viable and
effective solution is the education procedure (Vokic, Coric & Obadic, 2017). By empowering
women with education as well as imparting equality education in organizations at all levels,
organizations will be able to achieve their gender goals. Moreover, giving proper training to
women candidates, appraisals based on performance rather than personal views and
reservation of positions based on gender will make the problem disappear much easily
(Fisher, 2017). In this regard, the talent management department and the human resource
department play the most vital role as they take the decisions of who to hire and retain. It is
also likely that the government intervention and further laws to ensure equality should
improve the situation (Gaze, 2014).

4BUSINESS ACADEMIC SKILLS
The papers give much scope for future study regarding the impacting factors of
women participation and the methods that organizations can ensure recognition of bad
practices (Chang & Milkman, 2019). The implication of these studies is quite empirical as
they give a detailed picture of the current situation regarding gender equality in workplaces.
They also succinctly explore the various factors that affect women’s perception in the
workplace and the roles that women are attributed with all over the world.

5BUSINESS ACADEMIC SKILLS
References
Cavero-Rubio, J. A., Collazo-Mazón, A., & Amorós-Martínez, A. (2019). Public recognition
of gender equality in the workplace and its influence on firms' performance. Women's
Studies International Forum, 76 doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2019.102273
Chang, E. H., & Milkman, K. L. (2019). Improving decisions that affect gender equality in
the workplace. Organizational Dynamics, doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2019.03.002
Fisher, V. (2017). Overcoming challenges to gender equality in the workplace. leadership and
innovation. International Journal of Management Education, 15(2), 393-394.
doi:10.1016/j.ijme.2017.03.015
Gaze, B. (2014). Gender equality reporting and the future of equal opportunity at
work. Governance Directions, 66(10), 621-624.
Hideg, I., & Ferris, D. L. (2016). The compassionate sexist? how benevolent sexism
promotes and undermines gender equality in the workplace. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 111(5), 706-727. doi:10.1037/pspi0000072
Macneil, J., & Liu, Z. (2017). The role of organizational learning in soft regulation of
workplace gender equality. Employee Relations, 39(3), 317-334. doi:10.1108/ER-01-
2016-0022
Ud Din, N., Cheng, X., & Nazneen, S. (2018). Women’s skills and career advancement: A
review of gender (in)equality in an accounting workplace. Economic Research-
Ekonomska Istrazivanja, 31(1), 1512-1525. doi:10.1080/1331677X.2018.1496845

6BUSINESS ACADEMIC SKILLS
Vokic, N., Coric, D., & Obadic, A. (2017). To be or not to be a woman? - highly educated
women's perceptions of gender equality in the workplace. Revija Za Socijalnu
Politiku, 24(3), 253-276. doi:10.3935/rsp.v24i3.1432