Gender is often a factor by which we categorize all our experiences. It’s no surprise then it provides a basis by which we organize our lives, identity, behavior, and viewpoints. This process begins very early in our lives – just think of how many parents choose between pink and blue for a new child’s room. Naturally, all men and women do not have the same perspective, and using gender as a category doesn’t suggest concepts of equality. However, there are still social and cultural forces that compel men and women to follow their “role.” We see this in the workplace as well.
Gender schemas can often be associated with specific industries or functions. This type of conformity is still evident, even in careers women and men pursue (e.g. male/engineering & female/nursing). Despite years of study and research on career segregation, there is no single-factor that explains why this still happens. Clear, however, are the consequences: the continued undervaluation of women in the workplace.
So pleased to see today that income disparity is in the news for a different reason http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2015274,00.html
Hi Karla -
Indeed, hopefully this means we’re now turning the corner on some of these performance/equality issues. A timely article & study. I’ll be blogging about the study soon! Thanks for the feedback!