This essay seeks to define gender equality and inequality and state ways in which gender
inequality can be addressed in the workplace.
Gender, according to the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/healthtopics/gender#tab=tab_1), refers to characteristics of women, men, boys and girls that
are socially constructed. Equality is defined as the state of equal ease of access to
resources and opportunities regardless of gender (). Gender Inequality is therefore having
unequal or difficult access to resources or opportunities based on one’s gender.
Historically, gender inequality has had a bias towards women. While women contribute
substantially to the workplace, they are often unrecognised. The following factors are not
intentionally placed on women; however, one experiences them when they reach a particular
barrier in their career. This is the glass ceiling phenomena (Rathi, 2018). Some of the ways in
which women are marginalised include but are not limited to:
1. Women are not easily promoted to management level jobs.
2. Women earn less compared to men.
3. Women are expected to work in emotional labour service employment as opposed to
critical thinking roles.
4. Low quality of education among women due to cultural stereotypes that identify women
as home care givers.
There are several ways to break the glass ceiling phenomena. Policies in the workplace must
promote equity as opposed to equality. Women in management positions must make
deliberate efforts to ensure fellow women benefit from these policies. Deliberate coaching
efforts by both males and females must be given to women on entry into the organisation to
increase their critical management skills. This will assist in setting a ground for equal
promotion and vast role assignment (Newman, 2016).
Institutions must also make a deliberate policy to allow women to participate in management
as well as board room activities. This will promote gender inclusivity and allow more women
to take more risks in taking up challenging roles. According to Cundiff and Vescio (2016), hiring
more women at management levels helps to reduce the gender wage bill gap.
According to Morgenroth and Ryan (2018) women in higher management positions tend to
devote less time on household chores. A deliberate policy, therefore, must be created by
employers to assist all women with homecare duties by introducing a homecare allowance.
This sets a competitive playing field for both genders and increases productivity in the
workplace.
Promoting equal pay is also another way to reduce gender inequality in the workplace. It is
important to introduce salary negotiation training for women to encourage them to negotiate
for better pay and market themselves well (Morgenroth et al. 2018).
In conclusion, employers and women themselves need to play a key role in solving the gender
disparities in the various institutions. Women in management positions must play a key role in
advocating for their fellow women. Policies alone will not work if the policy makers and the
women themselves do not participate. However, it is important that the male folk is not
overlooked in the process. Everyone must work together to fight this inequality.
Tell us why you want to study the MBA and what professional goals you would hope to achieve
in your career in the next 5 years?
I am a business owner who is looking to enhance my skill set in business management,
finance, marketing and strategy. I feel the MBA program will expose me to networking
opportunities that can assist me in growing my business. I would also love to gain exposure
to global business practices and challenges. On a personal level the MBA will enhance my
problem-solving skills, boost my confidence in business and enhance my leadership skills. My
goals include but are not limited to:
-
Earn a business degree.
Grow my business to a mid-level corporate with a turnover of K200million to
K500million)
Become a recognised leader in the industry.
Identify and adopt a community project financed and mentored by my organisation.
Please tell us how you would use the knowledge and skills you will gain from studying the
MBA, to benefit women in your local community.
Acquiring an MBA will help me enhance my mentorship skills, financial management skills and
leadership skills. I would like to use these skill sets to improve my financial literacy training
skill set to improve the lives and businesses of women in my community. Helping them
understand how to grow their businesses and improve their credit worthiness. I would also
like to use the networking opportunities at my disposal to promote business to business
relationships for women that do not have the exposure that I will acquire. Having an MBA will
also help me become a formidable mentor for young girls in my community.
Please describe your financial circumstances and how the scholarship would assist you.
I am currently a self-employed single mother of one. During my employment I acquired a
mortgage which I am currently servicing for the next 8 years. I am also responsible for covering
50% of my child’s educational expenses. I have devoted my time to ensure my son gets a
formidable education and living space. (Mubanga please assist here)