Category: Gender

Introduction

Generally, Anabel Quan-Haases text is sensitive to the shifting societal expectations and connected possibilities brought about by the convergence of society and technology. Quan-Haase animates the questions necessary to our continually developing connection with technology by combining historical approaches that are research-based and theoretical to examine the relationship of humans with technology. Quan-Haases approach urges different readers to look thoughtfully at their increasingly technological lifestyles. In the same context, Anna Lauren Hoffmann, in her text, brings up the impact of the concept of the big data revolution on gender within society. A summary of the two texts will be based on the impact of big data, for instance, data violence on trans and gender non-conforming individuals, and ways suggested by Quan-Haase that gender impacts technological implementation and innovation.

Main body

In chapter 8, Quan-Haase, (2021) expounds on why even though both sexuality and gender are considered spheres that are personal and private, they still, in a close manner, intersect with the world around us. The influence has necessitated the development of theoretical frameworks and innovative research methods that are comprehensive and have proved helpful in the investigation of how technology is gendered. Besides that, it is possible to determine how gender interacts with the design, development, and implementation of technology.

An excellent example of a theoretical framework discussed by Quan-Haase, (2021) is reductionism under household technology. The technology was promoted because it facilitated the concept of labor-saving and the work of homemakers; the two concepts pushed for the expectation of tidiness and cleanliness of homes by women. In the same chapter, it is also evident that women can build a community on a global scale and draw peoples attention to various subjects, such as sexual violence against women, with Hashtags such as the #Me Too movement. With all these concerns, does it mean that gender equality is likely to be attained by a more considerable margin with more advancement and development in technology?

On the other hand, according to Hoffmann (2017), big data exists through the proliferation of personal computing devices combined with widespread internet availability. This revolution of big data; has resulted in various negative influences on women, such as sexual harassment. To create an understanding of how gender and online sexism, big data, needs, and the health of transgender people are linked up, Hoffmann first confronts the mythology of big data by noting that quantitative insights and big data into the behavior of human beings are things that we make and remake but are not given.

The following subtopic explores significant strands of thought regarding the relationship between gender and technology, providing further insight into how stereotypes of gendered biases are integrated into scientific and technical development practice. An example of services denoted gender-biased was the apple health kit app, which was regarded as failing to account for some critical specific needs of women. Lastly, with the two explained concepts, Hoffmann (2017) has elaborated on how negatively they impact the minority group, the trans group. There is evidence of data violence across several social media platforms; for instance, these platforms only recognize two main genders, the male and the female, ignoring the transgender group. Besides, various individuals may modify and carry out surveys meant to oppress and discriminate against the minority group.

Conclusion

The two texts are different in that Quan-Haase, argues majorly on the impact of gender on technology, such as women creating various influential hashtags. In addition to that concept, Hoffmann disapproves of big data myths and then discusses the negative impact of technology-big data on various minority groups, such as the transgender group. The two texts have confirmed that despite the personal sphere and the invincibility of gender when it comes to technology, it still has got huge influence.

References

Hoffmann, A. L. (2017). Data, technology, and gender: Thinking about (and from) trans lives. In Spaces for the Future (pp. 3-13). Routledge.

Quan-Haase, A. (2021). Technology and society: Social networks, power, and inequality. Oxford University Press. (3 rd ed.).

Introduction

The idea of gender and politics has been taken as an important aspect for analysis in the recent past. Society has all along treated women to be apolitical, creating a scenario where men dominate the political scene, leaving little opportunity for the former. In many literary works, it has become a known fact that women were associated with domestic responsibilities, and anything political was regarded as a preserve for men. However, Kundera, in her book The Unbearable Lightness of Being, dismisses this belief and instead equates men and women in many aspects of their social and political lives. In support of Kunderas belief are several other authors such as William Burroughs in his book, Queer Apocalypse, who believes that all humans, whether male or female or of whatever sexuality are equally queer in one way or the other. Silvia Plath, in her book The Bell Jar, has used the womens movement, groupies, to elaborate the extent of political involvement of women in the process. This literary work suggests a lot of partisan politics, emphasizing the need to demonstrate womens ability in socio-political equity. This paper discusses women and politics, entities that have been traditionally considered incompatible, considering the entrenched traditional perception that women are apolitical, while men are political.

The Societal Predefined Socio-political Behavior

While it is logical to believe that every person has been involved in certain forms of ideologies as far as politics and social life are concerned, it is also possible to acknowledge that the traditional belief entrenched in our society suggests that women have always taken a back seat in this field, because of their gender weaknesses. In many circumstances, womens moral conduct in society is viewed with more concern as compared to men, presenting a form of bias in the perception and belief of societal moral responsibility. However, Kundera (2009) believes that both men and women have equal ability to be both political and defy a predefined societal socio-political behavior. Kundera uses specific characters, both male and female, to draw no boundary between the strength and weaknesses of the two sexes.

For example, Tomas a widely renowned professional surgeon uses his position in society to practice a lifestyle that is typical man in a society that does not treat man infidelity as a serious crime. His sexual involvement with many women despite being in love with only one, Teresa, could be seen as normal. Of equal measure is Sabina, a woman who is even more extreme in her endeavors as she breaks ranks with every establishment, she goes more aggressive in every aspect of life, takes sexual involvement with many men as normal. However, society would describe her behavior and lifestyle as a series of betrayals, which eventually isolate her, but gain her total freedom in American society. Tomas and Sabina involve themselves in sexual encounters, in what could be described as a no-strings-attached kind of relationship (Kundera, 2009). At this level, the two have taken the issue with lightness it deserves, with no mention of domestic or normal romantic attachment.

The socio-political standards of behavior in our society have been predetermined in peoples minds, but more events show that there are no exclusive behaviors separating men and women, hence the need to understand that all sexes are endowed with the ability to play along with all societal games. Burroughs (1995) supports this ideology as he believes that every human, irrespective of sexual orientation, has equal capacity to become queer and that each given opportunity can engage in sexual or political dissidence. Burroughs fears the reaction from authority following his exposure of the gay sex issue, as he says, I must be careful not to lay myself open to a charge of anti-Semitism (Burroughs, 1985, p.51). This kind of societal structure clearly shows that every sex can either be political or apolitical, whether male or female and that their involvement can defy the predetermined socio-political behavior set by the society.

The change in behaviors of people, especially women, is seen as a cultural dissidence with which they are seen as going against the societal grains. However, persistence among women suggests that they are in a position to achieve whatever they want as far as freedom is concerned. Women are ready to go against societal set up to develop their own identity and build a step towards socio-political freedom as much as their male counterparts do. This kind of step puts them in equal measure as men, even though it upsets the establishment, and in many instances causes resistance. The perception is highly entrenched and it takes more effort to implement, more than one would imagine.

Apolitical People and Psychological Recognition of Gender Roles

The recognition that each gender has a role to play in society has been in practice for a long. In many instances, these roles exposed little abrasiveness, mainly confined in the belief that one gender is more tender and considerate while the other is always abrasive and mainly participates in issues considered to be needing strong-willed persons. In other words, women are believed to be oriented to be more tender and considerate, with roles confined in the care and love of people they encounter without hurting them. However, men have all along been regarded as inconsiderate in their conduct, leading to the belief that they are more suited to aggressive professions such as politics. This kind of belief has been entrenched in our psychological minds, dictating our beliefs in a manner that sometimes fails to justify the facts in post-modern society.

Kundera dismisses this notion through the exposure of her characters behaviors as far as politics is concerned. The three main characters, Tomas and Sabina identify with no political ideologies in a more or less similar tone. They believe that all political affiliations are fundamentally the same in terms of ideological behavior. They detest extreme involvement in political issues, even though each political wing recognizes their presence and influence.

In the post-modernist world, it has become obvious that the modern woman has approached the reconstructed lifestyle in the society that still gives men a dominant presence in many societal aspects. In essence, their politics of gender plays the role of bridging the gap between man and woman, thus creating a sense of equal representation. The body politics that many scholars have used to separate men and women has become irrelevant; since it is only a matter of interest and individual belief that can define ones own life, and not sexual orientation.

All Humans Are Naturally Political

As much as people would say that some individuals, especially women, were naturally created apolitical, it is obvious that every human is political in one way or the other. For instance, there is a common belief that most women detest politics. However, it has been shown that politics is an inborn characteristic of every human and that it only takes different forms.

As much as Tom detests the political involvement, he is being pursued by both Czechs communist government and the rebellious groups; each wants his involvement in their respective cause (Kundera, 2009). His rebellion is a sign that he recognizes politics and its effect. Tereza, on the other hand, believes that all these political affiliations would interfere with her lifestyle, more so privacy, as they are still full of traditional beliefs about the place of women in society (Kundera, 2009). Although she stops not feeling this fact, she develops a psychological recognition of this development, confirming the predetermined societal beliefs on gender differences. Plath (1971) supports this ideology of the place of women as entrenched in society.

While the society wanted women to settle down and have a family, their inward feelings among some women suggested that they desired other things that defined society such as academics and politics. The politics of relationships, marriage, and affairs have placed women in the position of submissiveness, while men are seen as free-willed, with little barrier to prevent them from engaging in any form of societal conduct. For example, immorality is only considered gross when women engage in things like infidelity but attract immeasurable leniency when a man does the same. While this has been entrenched in the psychology of the people, both men, and women, the post-modern society has practically changed and there is clear evidence that women rebel and argues against this double standard with practicality and vigor.

Women have developed strong personal beliefs against this entrenched societal belief that in effect have created a lot of implications as far as politics is concerned. In equal measure, both women and men are seen as political in all aspects. For example, one male character, Tomas, writes an article demonizing the communist government for exploiting peoples ignorance to pursue their ill-motivated goals (Kundera, 2009, p.36). Sabina too expresses her political side through paintings, of course justifying issues that are not right in the society, albeit outside her country of birth that is full of oppression. This kind of involvement of each character in political-related activities shows that no human is apolitical and that every person has that inner-self of opinion and stand, which may as well fall in the category of a political belief, irrespective of gender.

Conclusion

The belief that men and women have different predefined roles in society may be true in the psychological minds of the people; however, the present societal conducts suggest that these roles have become uniform for the two sexes. For instance, women have traditionally been regarded as those who belonged to specifically confined roles in homes, judged harshly as far as societal moral conducts are concerned, and considered apolitical. Men on the other hand have been considered abrasive and free to engage in more roles outside the confines of their homes, considered more political, and attracted less attention as far as societal immorality issues such as infidelity are concerned. Kundera (2009), supported by many other authors, has dismissed this perception, suggesting that the modern woman has practically evolved and plays similar roles as men. Just like men are political, women have become even more expressive in terms of their feelings, sexual adventure, with very strong political ideologies as far their lives are concerned. Moreover, the gender politics of post-modernism shows that there are men with little interest in mainstream political involvement.

Reference List

Burroughs, W. (1985). Queer. Michigan. Viking.

Kundera, M. (2009). The Unbearable Lightness of Being. London. HarperCollins.

Plath, S. (1971). The Bell Jar. New York. Faber and Faber.

Outline

This paper will examine two films by John Ford of different time periods which proved to be very successful in influencing the world of films during their respective periods. It is interesting to examine the two films Stagecoach (1939) and The Searchers (1956) which are of different time periods and represent the turning points in cinema during the time of their respective releases. The world of cinema, especially in the context of America can be significantly gauged by keeping track of the path that the two films followed in regard to the issues that they addressed and their popularity and success in the world of films.

Stagecoach

The film Stagecoach made in 1939 by John Ford has been considered to have revitalized and credited western films in lifting the film away from the mediocre westerns and to have ushered in a genre of golden age which is known to have lasted up to the end of the 1970s. This was Fords first film after sound was introduced and it is also the movie that introduced the Monument Valley in being a vital part of the mythic landscape of America. This film also introduced the legendry actor John Wayne towards stardom and to the ultimate position of being one of the greatest icons of western films. Film historians consider 1939 as being a turning point whereby films became of much better quality with the portrayal of ideological inflections that became integral amongst most films of that year. The same year also saw the release of another of Fords film, Young Mr. Lincoln and his first Technicolor Western movie Drums Along the Mohawk.

The film is indeed revolutionary and influential in being a story of salvation that elevated western films from being low grade and cheaply made to a genre of seriousness and of higher levels of sophistication. The themes and archetypes are of rich Western tradition with in depth and multifaceted characterizations that brought about greater popularity and profitability. By the year 1939 the genre of Western films had considerably declined and fallen out of support, and Stagecoach enhanced the genre in enabling its rebirth. This was despite the fact that the same year had also seen the release of a few other Western block busters such as The Oklahama Kid, Dodge City and Union Pacific.

Stagecoach has classy screenplay by Dudley Nicholas and portrays the story about the dangerous adventures as experienced by a group of people who board the stagecoach that covers the vast tract across the Indian territories flanked by the frontier settlements during an unexpected Apache rebellion. The story was based on the short story The Stage to Lordsburg written by Ernest Haycox and also bears some similarity to the story Boule de Suif by Guy de Maupassant. This story relates to a prostitute named Boule de Suif who travels in a stagecoach through war torn and Prussian occupied France during the Franco Prussian War along with some refugees who happen to be well known affiliates of the French bourgeoisie. It is pertinent to note that Ford also included in the story lively western role models from The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte.

The film has very effectively portrayed the vivid, widely varying and colorful characters in the context of clash amongst social classes that are thrown into the film as being a matter of fate that becomes confined closely for some time amongst the group. All the characters in the film represent their respective social types which they claim to represent while acting out the given relationships. Stagecoach portrays the ordeal of nine passengers who undergo a journey in the stagecoach and are together put into a dangerous position in which their real characters are put to test and revealed. The different social themes and issues such as shame, greed, childbirth, alcoholism, social and sexual prejudice and redemption and revenge are aptly depicted in the movie in making it into an exciting and adventurous story.

The Searchers

The Searchers is another of Fords films that was made in 1956 and is regarded as being a masterpiece of American film making and is also admired and is influential in being the best of his films. This was the 115^th feature film that he made and by this time he had already been the Best Director Oscar four times. All these awards were for movies that pertained to social comments instead of being quintessential westerns. The film is characterized with having deep nuanced themes that include individuality, racism and above all the typical American character. The film portrays a marked opposition between civilizations as exemplified by domestic interiors, caves and homes, and the wild wilderness of the frontier. The film has a gorgeous and dazzling on location Vista Vision cinematography which also includes the eye catching Monument Valley red sand stone rock formations. The movie has beautifully captured the good looks and the isolated dangers of the frontier. But during the time when the film was released it was not appreciated for the modern, sophisticated and visually striking photography and was not recognized by critics as a masterpiece. It did not receive any nomination for Academy Awards and was rather ignored with the grand success of the super star studded and glamorous movie, Around the World in 80 Days that won the Best Picture of the year award.

The screen play of the film was adapted by Frank Nuggent from the 1954 novel of Alan Le May which bore the same name. The film got its due share of praise only after about fifteen years when it was reassessed by critics and film directors as being a milestone in cinema. A number of producers and directors then, in tracing their attraction with the film and with the iconic John Ford, reflected his works in their respective movies. The trade mark line of Ford in the film thatll be the day was popularized by the Beatles.

The story of The Searchers is complex and emotional about the Comanche massacre in portraying this hate ridden and perilous mission and Homeric style odyssey of self discovery. The film also explores the theme of sexism and racial prejudice. The story meanders around examining the internal psychological unrest of a crusading man who is portrayed as being fiercely independent and obsessed with hatred and revenge in regard to his missing two nieces for whom he searches frantically amongst savages over a period of five years. Through out the film one can feel the echo that he has to somehow find them. Most reviewers of the film have sensed a powerful although unspoken issue in the plot in maintaining that the character Ethan Edwards was in deep love with Martha, the wife of his brother. They also maintain that it was this love for her that drove him towards searching for the children and then to take revenge against the perpetrators. Critics also allege that there is no depiction in the film that does not indicate such an intimacy between the two. This is assumed as being the strongest motivator for the lead actor to indulge in the kind of behavior on his part as seen in the film. It is noteworthy to see that all references in this regard are only visual and nothing in this regard is spoken between the two.

John Wayne plays the role of the Duke in the film and was very impressive in expressing the emotions that were essential in such circumstances. He has played many major roles in several westerns throughout his career as an actor of repute. His role in this film has been described by himself as being his most favorite and is seen as his best acted performance.

References

Barry Keith Grant, John Fords Stagecoach, 2003, Cambridge University Press.

Roger Ebert, The Searchers (1956). Web.

Tim Dirks, The Searchers. Web.

The article written by Elizabeth Beaumont reveals how gender-based biases impact an individuals behavior, which in turn spreads inequality. The author explained that there is a gendered cycle of inequality endorsed by laws and policies which undermines multiple opportunities and discriminates against one sex. Gender-based disparities result in severe legal conflicts, and when considering them in terms of justice, they are typically neglected (Beaumont, 2016). In trying to balance the situation, the researchers encountered the problem of false gender neutrality, which means that both sexes remain unequal, despite all attempts by feminists to rise to the same positions as men. The critical insight I got from reading this article is that to establish equality between men and women, it is vital not to leave females invisible since they may influence society in a way that males do.

The second study focuses on the juridical system and if gender affects employment in this field. The main difference between these two articles is that the second one presumes to conduct the experimental research while the former reviews existing literature. According to Eigenberg et al. (2012), historically, women were deprived of the opportunity to take high positions in the jurisdiction. However, surveys have shown that womens role and gender neutrality in legal proceedings currently ensure fundamental justice. The exceptional point is that the nature of gender is complicated to comprehend since each individual bears a separate concept for this notion. Realizing how people do gender may define how they do justice not only in court but in everyday life as well. Hence, gender neutrality must be the determining factor for candidates selection since biological features do not fully represent personality.

References

Beaumont, E. (2016). Gender justice v. The Invisible Hand of gender bias in law and society. Hypatia, 31(3), 668-686. Web.

Eigenberg, H., McGuffee, K., Iles, G., & Garland, T. (2012). Doing justice: Perceptions of gender neutrality in the jury selection process. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 37, 258-275. Web.

Causal argument research paper

The subject for Paper #3 Causal Argument Research is female gender bias in college. Female gender bias in college is a current problem of the society that refers to the gender inequality issues in higher educational settings.

Although women enrollment in college increased drastically over the last few decades, there are problems concerning female treatment at classes as well as gender-based academic performance (Buchmann 2320).

Vincent-Lancrin argues that despite womens increasing engagement in college activities, gender inequalities may be observed in the choice of studies of men and women (274). Finally, a great deal of female bias is noted in college sports. The most significant issue refers to female participation in athletics (Edelman par. 5).

Gender inequality issues have been a topic of numerous discussions and arguments. A modern society is often referred to as society of equality. Many people claim that female bias is decreasing. Gender issues have been erased in some aspects of life while they remain or appear in other dimensions of society.

The problem of female bias in college is not new. It was raised for discussion in the previous century. However, the issue of female enrollment in college was the most urgent in the past century. Nowadays, other perspectives refer to female bias in college.

The distinguishing feature of the modern college education is the change in the male-female ratio of enrollment. According to data from National Center for Education Statistics, women received almost sixty percent of all bachelors degrees in 2003 (Buchman 2320). In case this trend remains the same, there will be fourteen females for every ten males in colleges by 2025 (Vincent-Lancrin 266).

Female bias in college may be displayed in several ways. The first way refers to gender inequalities in college classrooms. Numerous types of research show that teachers engage more male students than female ones to speak in classes. Also, a lot of teachers prefers making male students participate in advanced discussions (Gender Issues in College Classroom 1).

The same study shows that girls are asked factual questions often while boys are asked abstract questions. However, the same study points out that the continuation and the level of participation in classroom activities depend on students ability to conduct discussions too. One can find other interesting facts about differences in male-female behaviors in classroom settings.

For instance, females are less likely to receive support from their peers when they violate some rules than males. Also, girls should study harder in comparison to boys to receive the same grades (Gender Issues in College Classroom 2-3).

Female students are influenced by the variety of college behaviors. Faculty members may treat women unfairly for several reasons. For instance, there are cases when girls have to interrupt attendance to college because of marriage or children. Because of these reasons, some teachers consider that girls do not treat studying seriously. Even more, some educators give women pieces of advice concerning ending of their academic progress. They motivate such behavior by claiming that girls will marry somebody sooner or later (Hall and Sandler 3).

As Hall and Sandler also write, a woman student who breaks down and cries because of academic pressures is likely to be seen as unstable; however, a male student who, for the same reason, goes out and gets drunk is merely blowing off steam (3). Such biased opinions still exist in colleges.

There is a substantial gap between women and men concerning the choice of field of study. Thus, the tendency is that women choose to study subjects that belong to health, social, or educational sector. On the contrary, men are more likely to study technologies, engineering, or sciences.

This choice also leads to better job opportunities in the future. Some people consider this that these decisions are motivated by different preferences and skills of women and men. However, some believe that the environment of the undergraduate institutions influences the selection of the field of study (Buchman 2322-2327).

Participation in college sports is the most controversial aspect nowadays. There are direct and open female biases in this area. For instance, Duke University pays almost ten million dollars annually to the coach of mens basketball team. This university pays only eight hundred thousand dollars to the coach of womens team (Edelman par. 5).

Such situations are typical for almost all colleges in the USA. This attitude is unacceptable in the modern society that promotes equality of genders. There is a need to address these issues adequately and eliminate any form of female bias in college.

Works Cited

Buchmann, Claudia. Gender Inequalities in the Transition to College. Teachers College Records 111.10 (2009): 2320-2346. Print.

Edelman, Marc. The Truth about Gender Equity in College Sports and the College Athletes Rights Movement. 2014. Web.

Gender Issues in College Classroom. n.d. PDF file.

Hall, Roberta, and Bernice Sandler. Out of the Classroom: a Chilly Campus Climate for Women? n.d. PDF file.

Vincent-Lancrin, Stephan. The Reversal of Gender Inequalities in Higher Education.

Higher Education to 2030, Demography. Ed. OECD. Paris, France: OECD Publishing, 2008. 265-298. Print.

Gender Bias in Firefighter Promotion: Factors

When interpreting the outcomes of the test, one must focus on the values of p and the chi-square statistics. The given factors will help define whether the null hypothesis can be deemed as true or false. In the specified scenario, the absence of effects of gender on the promotion of firefighters is the null hypothesis.

Promotional Status and Gender

According to the test outcomes, the chi-test statistics result equals 3.6845, which can be deemed as very high. In other words, the outcome is much more than the statistical value in the specified example seeing that the test can be defined as one-factor.

The outcome listed above shows that the null hypothesis is not true.The fact that the p-value retrieved in the course of testing is higher than required shows that the alternative scenario, in which the female members of the staff are promoted, is unlikely to occur.

Although the p-value is very low and quite close to the value, at which the null hypothesis can be rejected, it will be safe to say that gender as an independent variable does not have a tangible effect on the outcomes of the promotion process (Salvendy, 2011).

Reasons for Justifying the Absence of Gender Bias

The results of the test carried out to check the workplace environment of the fire station for the existence of gender bias point quite graphically to the fact that the choices made by the organizations manager are influenced by gender to a considerable extent.

Therefore, to prove that there is no gender bias in the company, one must justify the unreasonably high rates of male firefighters promotion as opposed to the small number of females promotion. The lack of the required skills and the absence of the necessary competencies can be used as factors that have influenced the current policy of the firefighter department.

For instance, the managers reporting on the outcomes of the test may justify the policy mentioned above by the fact that the female firefighters are less efficient in managing the tasks that they are required to, e.g., that they act at a lower speed, make wrong decisions more often, etc. In other words, to prove that the organizations policy is not guided by a gender-profiling policy, the managers will have to explain the reasons for not promoting the female firefighters on a case-by-case basis.

Impact of Presence of Gender Bias in Promotions the Fire Department

Although every organization must comply with the principles of equity nowadays, the instances of discrimination based on specific characteristics of a part of the staff, such as gender, age, race, etc. still occur on a regular basis (Combs & Milosevic, 2014).

The effects of these prejudices are beyond deplorable; by promoting staff members based on their specific characteristics instead of the merits of their achievements, a company is likely to be labeled as progressing backward and abusing people irrefutable rights.

Consequently, the fire department is likely to face a range of legal issues up to the possibility of being used by the people, whose rights it abused. Moreover, the further progress of the gender bias in the given environment will trigger a drop in the efficacy of female firefighters along with a decrease in their motivation rates. Therefore, the fire department managers should reconsider the current promotion policy.

Reference List

Combs, G. M., & Milosevic, J. (2014). Workplace discrimination and the wellbeing of minority women: Overview, prospects, and implications. In M. L. Connerley & J. Wu (Eds.), Handbook on well- being of working women (pp. 17-32). Berlin: Springer.

Salvendy, G. (2011). Handbook of human factors and ergonomics. New York City, New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Introduction

Same sex marriage is a moral issue that has raised controversies in many parts of the world. It is popularity referred to as homosexuality. Homosexuality is a condition in which an individual is sexually attracted to members of his or her own gender. In a number of countries, same sex marriage has been legalized while some countries are still opposed to the issue. Homosexuality is perceived as a sexual orientation characterized by romantic or sexual desire towards members of own sex. A gay is a male homosexual while a lesbian is a female homosexual.

Scholars of sociology observe that a number of factors cause homosexuality (Gary 21). A study conducted in the US in 1940 concluded that individuals decide to engage in sexual behaviors with members of their own sex because of social and psychological factors. For instance, the early experiences of homosexuality might predispose an individual to homosexual behaviors. Research shows that children who are abused sexuality have high chances of becoming homosexuals. Moreover, poor relationships with parents might force children to engage in homosexuality. Some homosexuals claim that they were born that way meaning that their sexual behavior is influenced by genetics.

Opponents

Various groups in society have varying perceptions as regards to homosexuality. The majority believes that homosexuality is a vice that should not be accepted to continue in society. In fact, research shows that negative perceptions among various groups have led to marginalization and stigmatization of homosexuals in the country. As a result, the health of homosexuals is always at risk since the society is reluctant to support such individuals in terms of health. For instance, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 2006 to determine the prevalence of homosexuality in China.

The study was undertaken by a group of researchers to establish the extent at which homosexuality affects families in the country (Satinove 65). From the study, the percentage of young adults supporting homosexuality was very low. Particularly in Hanoi and Shanghai, young adults believed that homosexuality is a culture of the perverts. The results of the study indicated further that individuals in rural areas strongly opposed homosexuality and same-sex marriage. However, some individuals supported homosexuality based on the premise that it is a human innovation.

Demographic factors such as age, economic status, occupation, and the level of education influence an individuals perception on homosexuality (Jenkins 27). Individuals above thirty years believe that homosexuality is wrong and it should not be practiced in the country. The rich in society, particularly young adults below thirty years, practice homosexuality. This is attributed to exposure to external culture. The increasing rates of homosexuality among the young adults attributed to foreign movies and pornographic literature.

In general, the perception of societal members on homosexuality is negative. The groups believe that homosexuality interferes with the family values in society. For instance, people ask themselves whether the next generation would be safe if homosexuality were to be allowed to continue. Many groups observe that there would be no next generation if same-sex marriages were allowed in society.

Some note that each gender has its specific role to play in society. The female gender is to concentrate on the upbringing of children. Same-sex marriage does not support gender roles in society. A number of groups are of the view that religion does not allow homosexuality. Therefore, each member of society should only engage in cultural practices supported by religion. In this regard, religion plays an important role as far as the perceptions of various groups on homosexuality is concerned (Gardner 9).

Research shows that homosexuality is illegal in many parts of the world. Moreover, the society is reluctant to approve any form of same-sex relationship. However, homosexuality is practiced in various countries, particularly in the countries of the west. Most of those supporting homosexuality as a form of sexuality have similar views in various parts of the world. In the same way, those opposing it have similar opinions. Those supporting it share something in common as regards to homosexuality. Societal members believe that homosexuality amounts to the violation of traditional and family laws.

The law in the various states defines marriage as a consensual union between a man and a woman. Same-sex marriages are opposed because they might destabilize the institution of marriage. For instance, it may discourage procreation. From a medical perspective, it is believed that homosexuality is unnatural because it goes against nature (Connelly 93).

The human rectum is designed for one purpose, which is to pass waste products in form of gas, liquid, and solid. The rectum is made of a thin layer implying that it is different in structure with the female reproductive system. The rectum can easily rupture during intercourse, leading to contraction of diseases. Another reason given against homosexuality among is that it is a threat to the human race. For instance, if all members of society were to be homosexuals, there would be no reproduction.

Proponents

Some individuals support homosexuality in various societies because heterosexual relationships are oppressive to women. This is particularly a view held by women in the developed countries. Women in the developed countries claim that homosexuality, especially lesbianism, liberates women from the hands of men. In such societies, those supporting homosexuality claim that sexual orientation is a basic right.

Therefore, those practicing same-sex relationships should not be discriminated against. Homosexuals give two major reasons why they engage in same-sex relationships. One of the reasons is that it is a human innovation, which leads to enjoyment of sex. The second reason is that homosexuality is a result of genetic makeup (Rind 48). Therefore, homosexuality should be allowed to exist in society.

Homosexuality practices are high among individuals in early twenties. Moreover, women practice homosexuality more as compared to men. In the Australian society for example, homosexuals have children meaning they might be engaging in homosexuality but they also marry members of the opposite sex for procreation. In fact, a research conducted in 2001 indicated that homosexuals live with children they might have acquired during their previous heterosexual relationships (Szymanski and Carr 40).

This means that the issue of procreation should not be used to deny homosexuals their rights. Unlike in developing countries, technology is sometimes used to reinforce homosexual relationships. Since gays might be in need of children, they seek the services of experts in order to get children. They may employ modern technologies such as surrogate motherhood and the use of test tubes to acquire children. In terms of education, research shows that homosexuals in developed countries have higher academic qualifications as compared to other individuals in heterosexual relationships.

This implies that homosexuals have adequate knowledge regarding disease protection. A report conducted in 2001 suggested that gays have many degrees while lesbians have at least a college diploma. Since an individual has the right to privacy, same sex marriage should be allowed because grownups should be allowed to practice things that satisfy them.

As long as people agree to have consensual sex, the state or society should not interfere. However, the act should always be done in privacy (Layte 67). Some observe that same sex marriage and homosexuality is a human innovation that leads to happiness. Homosexuality is human creativity that can increase happiness among individuals. Since homosexuality is genetic, some scholars note that homosexuals should be allowed to marry. Various studies show that homosexuality is a condition that cannot be controlled. Therefore, allowing homosexuals to marry will be doing justice to them (Burt 28).

Conclusion

Sexuality is the capability of human beings to have erotic relationships and reactions. In the modern society, sociologists define sexuality in terms of sexual attraction, which is influenced by an individuals sexual orientation. In this case, an individual can be attracted to any gender. From a social perspective, there are four major forms of sexual orientations, including heterosexuality (opposite sex attraction), homosexuality (same sex attraction), bisexuality (attraction to all sexes), and asexuality (inability to develop a sexual orientation).

Human sexuality is influenced by educational, political, legal, and philosophical factors. In other words, sexuality is usually understood through observation of ethical issues, religion, spirituality, and morality. Scholars observe that sexuality is not in any way related to gender. Based on this definition, an individual should be allowed to practice the form of sexuality that pleases him or her.

Works Cited

Jenkins, Philip. Moral Panic: Changing Concepts of the Child Molester in Modern America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. Print.

Layte, Rubin. The Irish study of sexual health and relationships. Dublin: Crisis Pregnancy Agency, 2006. Print.

Burt, Brian. Gay Leader Says Dream Is to Promote Homosexuality in Schools. Lambda Report on Homosexuality, 4.1 (1998): 1-31. Print.

Rind, Bruce, Tromovitch, Philip, and Bauserman, Robert. A Meta-Analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples. Psychological Bulletin, 124.1 (1998): 46-71. Print.

Connelly, Joel. Washington approves same-sex marriage.

Gardner, David. Maine Passes Gay Marriage in Historic Question 1 Vote. Huffingtonpost.com.

Gary, John. Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey. Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, 3.1 (2010), 18-28. Print.

Szymanski, Dawn, and Carr, Erika. The roles of gender role conflict and internalized heterosexism in gay and bisexual mens psychological distress: Testing two mediation models. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 9.1 (2008), 4054. Print.

Introduction

Gender inequality in politics is a major issue in the contemporary world. In most countries around the world, women have taken political backstage due to several factors that encourage political chauvinism.

The majority of nations have elective political posts, and this aspect explains the small number of women occupying political seats across the world. However, some countries have achieved gender equality in politics. Differences in political gender inequalities amongst countries are based on cultural, religious, economic, and social backgrounds. This paper explores the role of women in politics in India and Iran as the two countries have different nature of political gender inequalities.

Political Gender Inequality in India and Iran

Women are great leaders, but stereotypes have denied them the opportunity to be at the political forefront for many decades. Scholars argue that women play a major role in decision-making processes. In most cases, women are sober-minded in highly intense situations, and thus they make rational decisions in such cases (Dahl 2007: 109). The world is currently going through political evolution where dictatorial leaderships are waning slowly with the emergence of democratic political party politics, thus enhancing majority rule governance.

However, Iran still has dictatorial leadership, but international pressure is compelling the government to embrace gender equality, but little has been achieved so far. In addition, women are continuing to be empowered with the spread of feminism from the WestWest, and thus they are slowly assuming political positions, hence bridging the political gender inequality in many countries across the world. However, both India and Iran have political systems that are strongly attached to various factors that discourage women from acquiring powerful positions, as explored in this paper.

Cultural Factors

Cultural factors are the major hindrances to the achievement of political equality in both India and Iran. Men are the rulers, and thus they make all decisions according to traditional cultures, which favored chauvinism.

India is strongly attached to the Hinduism culture, which inhibits women from ruling over men, but they can assume powerful positions for legislative and policy implementation purposes. The Indian cultural tradition requires women to be loyal to their husbands, which explains the small number of women in political leadership positions even in the face of concerted efforts to promote gender equality in the country (Al-Azri 2013: 98).

Traditionally, women were acquiring powerful positions, but they were not at the forefront in the decision-making processes as they stayed behind their powerful husbands as advisers. Women were viewed as unintelligent, and thus they could not be trusted in matters related to the governing of a community.

Allegedly, men were afraid of competition if women assumed powerful positions that could lead to the degradation of family values and culture. Even though there are increased cases of family fallouts in the developed world, there is hardly any evidence to relate women empowerment to the problem, but this goal is yet to be seen in both India and Iran because gender equality has not been achieved yet.

Economic Factors

Economic factors play a major role in politics in the modern world. In every democratic political system like India, economic factors determine the most viable candidates for political posts. India has a multi-party system, and thus it normally experiences abnormal inflations during the campaign periods prior to the election because of the huge amount of money spent in the campaigns by the political parties as they campaign for their candidates. In addition, the candidates who win the support of their political parties are economically empowered persons in most cases.

This aspect has hindered women from assuming political positions because they have been subjected to economic subjugation for a long time and thus denied the support of their political parties, especially in Iran. Surprisingly, the majority of women who manage to assume political positions have a strong relationship with economically powerful who back them up to acquire the positions like the case of most women politicians in both India and Iran.

Economic factors were the major cause of feminism movements that originated from the WestWest. Women needed the right to have economic power and earn equal pay as men provided; they were doing the same jobs in the same environment (Lijphart & Waisman 1996: 111). Women were often paid a lesser amount of money than men were because they were viewed as weak workers, and they lacked competitive skills as well.

However, feminism movements played a major role in ending that prejudice, which marked the beginning of women empowerment. As a result, women were given equal opportunities as men in the education system, and as a result, the political systems started to accommodate women in powerful positions. However, Iranian women are denied economic rights, and this aspect deters them from becoming powerful politicians, but Indian women are better off because they have been empowered economically.

Religious Factors

Religion plays a major role in determining human behaviors. Religion influences the political culture and thus is viewed as a major player in determining the role of women in the political systems. Some religions have embraced gender equality due to their values that view women as equal to men. Hence, religion has been a major factor in determining the measure of gender equality in a country. Women can hardly assume a ruling position under some religious cultures because men will oppose them.

The Islamic religion is conservative, and it hardly adopts new changes. Hence, few women in Iran are economically empowered because their religion prioritizes men in economic matters. On the other hand, Hinduism is the dominant religion in India, and it has played a major role in influencing changes towards women empowerment in the country, hence women in India have benefited from religious support, which allows empowerment.

Social Factors

Social factors are a combination of different aspects, and thus the most influential elements in determining the nature of political gender inequality in most countries. In India and Iran, women are socially viewed as insecure, regardless of the position they hold in society. Scholars argue that women are naturally weak, and thus they can be empowered by being supported by their men. Therefore, gender inequality is the least in environments where men have played a major role in empowering their female counterparts.

In India and Iran, men are responsible for carrying on cultural values and passing them to future generations. Therefore, men change the cultural beliefs that do not favor gender empowerment before passing them on to future generations. In addition, Muslim men cling to religious beliefs more strongly than women do, and thus they play a major role in promoting gender equality in Iran. In addition, the ability of economic factors to favor gender empowerment can only be determined by men, and thus they have a major role to play in order to achieve political gender equality.

Feminists blame men for oppressing women by paying them indiscriminately in the workplace, coupled with fathers denying their daughters the right to formal education in Iran. Hence, men are responsible for adjusting social factors to favor gender equality, hence increasing the number of women in political positions. However, in India, men are supportive of their women counterparts, hence the more women in political positions as compared to Iran.

Declining Political Inequality in Indian Politics and the Role of Women in Politics

According to Schmitter and Karl, democracies have the capacity to modify their rules and institutions consensually in response to changing circumstances (1991: 87), and India is adjusting to allow women in political positions. However, the efforts being made to ensure that the country achieves a considerable number of women in the political spheres seem to be overpowered by strong factors.

According to Kaur, The reservation has been mandated by the Constitution of India (73rd Amendment Act), which was enacted in 1992 (2014: par. 5). According to the act, minimum one-third of seats for women, both as members and chairpersons, would be reserved within all of the locally elected governance bodies of India, generally known as Panchayati Raj Institutions (Kaur, 2014: par. 6). Unfortunately, this constitutional provision has not promoted political gender equality significantly for only less than ten percent of women occupy political seats in India (Kaur, 2014).

Different parties have labored to empower Indian women, where their huge population ratio above men is hardly reflected in the political system. For instance, the state of Kerala with the highest female to male ratio [1,079: 1,000] has an astonishingly low number of females in politics (Kaur, 2014: par. 8).

In addition, women politicians are denied the opportunity to participate in critical decision-making processes. Unfortunately, women politicians are only allowed to participate in matters touching on female issues like the payment of dowry. They are not part of the legislative process that decides on economic and security matters of the country.

Hence, women are defined, and their roles are confined to women-related issues. In addition, women play a huge role in empowering their fellow women through introducing legislation that aims at improving gender equality in the country in line with the international gender empowerment requirements where women are required to enjoy equal social and economic rights with men.

Unfortunately, male politicians oppose motions seeking to empower women, and thus very few women are expected to join politics in the near future. However, society will gradually change its perception towards women, and this move will allow many women to pursue their political ambition without the fear of unnecessary backlash from society.

Despite the challenges, some prominent women politicians hold powerful positions such as Sonia Gandhi, who is the President of the Congress, which is one of the biggest and oldest political parties in India (Kaur, 2014: par. 9). However, other powerful women in politics have gone so far due to their closeness to powerful male politicians, and such issues deny them the opportunity to influence women into acquiring political positions in India.

Hence, to change the position of women in politics, they must stand out as an independent winner&they should be well-educated and versed with all the facets of politics&.confident to take the necessary decisions apart from handling just women related issues (Kaur, 2014: par. 8).

Persistent political gender inequality in Iranian politics and the role of women in politics

Iran is one of the countries that have denied women the right to assume political leadership positions in the world. The country runs under dictatorial leadership, and thus international pressure yields minimal results. As an Islamic state, religion, and culture play important roles in determining the role of women in politics. Muslims view women as subjects to men. Therefore, a man can hardly be influenced by a woman in the decision-making process for fear of being discovered, which makes it hard for the rights of women to be addressed exhaustively. Consequently, women can hardly assume powerful political positions.

Even though Iran has an elective parliamentary system, a constitutional amendment allows at least thirty percent of posts to be reserved for women; however, only a few are nominated for party posts. However, the few women in politics do not play a major role, as their low numbers do not allow them to pass motions. Olson (1971: 84) holds that individuals in a democratic set up need huge numbers to pass motions.

Sadly, women in Iran have to implement the political agenda of powerful male politicians who help them to assume political posts. Hence, such women do not have a particular role because society also does not recognize them as powerful politicians. The country can hardly have an elected woman leader because society is strongly attached to the conservative Islamic faith, which views women as mens subjects. Hence, Iran does not have a favorable environment for promoting gender equality as opposed to India and other countries that have democratic governing systems (Susman 2009: 172).

The few women in politics are not active in the decision-making processes since they are discriminated against, and their mandate is to implement their roles as representatives, but not as policymakers. Women are economically, socially, and politically subjugated, and in Iran, this would attribute affiliation to the Muslim faith, sub-regional disparities, and lack of civil liberties as triggers of gender inequality, which exacerbate economic inequities (Susman 2009: 174). Hence, Iran has persistent political gender inequality that is far from being bridged due to socio-cultural and religious beliefs.

Conclusion

Gender equality is vital for healthy economic growth in any given country regardless of cultural and religious backgrounds. However, political gender equality is determined by religious and social factors in a given country, since they determine the role of women in society. Hence, the increasing number of women in political positions in India is attributed to the favorable sociocultural and religious environment in the country.

On the other side, the persistent political gender inequality in Iran is attributed to the strong attachment that the country has towards culture and religious beliefs. Indian women politicians play a crucial role in the endeavor to empower women in the country by moving motions that seek to enact policies that discourage women from political subjugation. On the other hand, Iranian women politicians can hardly influence the government to implement policies that would be defined as women agenda because they are inferior politicians, and thus incapable of agitating for women empowerment.

Reference List

Al-Azri, Khalid.2013. Social and Gender Inequality in Oman: The Power of Religious and Political Tradition. New York, NY: Routledge.

Dahl, Robert. 2007. On Political Equality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Kaur, Ramandeep. 2014. Women in Indian politics. Web.

Lijphart, Arend, and Carlos Waisman. 1996. Institutional Design in New Democracies: Eastern Europe and Latin America. Denver, CO: Westview Press.

Olson, Mancur. 1971. The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Schmitter, Philippe, and Terry Karl. 1991. What democracy is& and is not. Journal of Democracy: 75-88.

Susman, Katie. 2009. Income Inequality and Poverty in Iran. Tropical Review Digest, March, 173-183.

Gender disparity in citations in high-impact journal articles by Chatterjee and Werner (2021) is published in JAMA Network and considers the differences among scholars. Both authors have qualifications in the Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Werner has a Ph.D. The articles title does not describe the type of study, variables, and population identified but rather the object of the work. The abstract of the article, in turn, is clear in explaining the importance of the study, its design, setting, and participants, as well as the results of the research.

Next, it is necessary to explore the problem and the purpose of the study. Namely, it is argued in the work that the frequency with which academic publications are mentioned is a major metric of scholarly influence and is widely used to determine professional development. It is also known that women less often take leadership positions in academic medicine (Chatterjee & Werner, 2021). As a result, it is inquired whether the rate of citations is the same for female and male scholarly articles in medical journals; the answer to this question is the purpose of the work. The significance of this problem lies in the discovery of the relevance of discrepancies in article citations to the issue of inequities in womens advancement and promotion in academic medicine.

It might seem that a literature review is not present in the article since there is no such subheading. However, the authors have described the relevant previous studies in the introductory section with conciseness and succinctness. For example, it is explained that women are less likely to be acknowledged as professionals, with fewer women presenting at major medical conferences, getting honors, being promoted to full professorships, or holding leadership positions (Boiko et al., 2017; Carr et al., 2018; Fournier et al., 2020; Silver et al., 2017). These references are all within the range of ten recent years, meaning that they are current. Moreover, these studies provide ample background for Chatterjee and Werners (2021) research and highlight that the number of citations plays a role in assessing academic achievement. Thus, it could be stated that the article adequately presents the previous knowledge on the topic to synthesize a new hypothesis.

Furthermore, the theoretical perspective of the work should be discussed. The framework of the study is not explicitly expressed, and the reviewer must extract it from the implicit statements in the introduction. It is clear that the research is qualitative and based on a feminist theoretical perspective since gender relations are described in a way that underlines the suppression within society. Moreover, it applies tentative data from other academic works: information is derived from a statistical analysis of the social phenomena in the medical scholarly sphere. The framework defines the frequency of citations as the metric of academic achievement; namely, it is argued that the citations affect acceptability, influence, and acknowledgment by scientific groups, as well as professional assessments and advancement (Chatterjee & Werner, 2021). The mentioned concepts (academic recognition, et cetera) are closely connected to the studys variables: the number of times an article was cited for each published one and the gender of the authors of the medical works. As a result, the framework provides a fundamental base for the research of gender discrepancies within a specific field.

The research objectives, questions, or hypotheses, as well as variables and concepts, also should be taken into account for the critical evaluation. As was mentioned, the study aims to observe if academic publications produced by men and women in high-impact medical journals are referenced differentially (Chatterjee & Werner, 2021). Hence, the question is uttered: are male and female academic works in elevated medical journals quoted diversely? Based on the rare representations of women in major medical conferences, the authors hypothesize that female authors receive lesser citations after the publication of their works. Moreover, the result of this deficiency is the inability of women to be appreciated as professionals in medicine. Hence, the variables of the research are the number of citations as well as the genders of the authors in the sample; in turn, the main concepts are academic achievement and recognition. Therefore, the demographic variable is gender, while attributes are their articles recognition, counted in mentions.

One needs to consider the research design when evaluating the article as well. The researchers collected data on publications published in five top academic medical journals and included all peer-reviewed original research publications and comments in each paper. Then, they gathered the names of the prominent (or first) and senior (or final) authors and the date of publication for each piece. Next, they utilized Genderize, an online database previously used to investigate gender differences in academic article authorship. They summarized the documents in the sample based on the genders of authors, publication date, periodical, and article category. Lastly, they viewed how citation counts differed across gender combinations of significant and senior author pairs. They used nonparametric medians tests to assess the number of citations between paired groups (Chatterjee & Werner, 2021). Thus, the research clearly describes the protocol and each step in the study, providing details on the rationale for interventions.

Next, the research sample should be assessed while the setting has been already implicitly described in the studys design. The authors picked the articles from five journals based on factors and discussions within academic medical faculty on the long-term professional effect of publishing in these journals. They included all peer-reviewed study publications but rejected clinical recommendations and omitted editorials, systematic reviews, and narrative reviews (Chatterjee & Werner, 2021). After gathering data, the papers whose authorship was attributed to research collaboration and articles whose writers gender could not be identified were also excluded. As a result, the sample size is 5554 articles (Chatterjee & Werner, 2021, p. 3). Hence, the sample of the research is well-described and enough for the study.

It is necessary to describe the articles strategies, validity, and descriptions from this point. As such, the measurement strategy is depicted as nonparametric equality of medians tests to compare the number of citations between paired groups and Kruskal-Wallis tests between multiple groups (Chatterjee & Werner, 2021, p. 3). Moreover, they applied 1-tailed tests with statistical significance determined at a threshold of P <.025 (Chatterjee & Werner, 2021, p. 3). These methods are verified, and the authors reference the source for information about the strategy and measurements. The researchers identified the result of the study as significant; moreover, it is consistent if different years articles are compared. Chatterjee & Werner (2021) generalized that research publications produced as primary authors by women had fewer citations than those written by men, meaning they systematically received lesser academic recognition based on the mentioned indicator. The description of the study is sufficient for replication, and the logic behind the conclusion could be comprehended.

Finally, the authors identify study limitations, suggestions, and implications. Namely, limiting this analysis to top medical publications reduced the possible impact of these characteristics. Moreover, the findings may understate disparities reported in other disciplines of medicine where gender distribution is less equal. Yet, it is highlighted that the results are consistent with research from fields other than academic medicine. The suggestions imply that increased training and employment of women will not address some of the observed gender gaps. It is better to ensure that women have a field that recognizes and promotes their accomplishments. The study is significant for academic society in general.

To conclude, the research is primarily following academic standards and requirements. There are several issues, such as a lack of clarity in the title as well as the absence of separate literature review and theoretical framework sections. Yet, these sections are implicitly present in the study, making it entirely validated and relevant. The accurate description of the sample, research design, and findings demonstrate the coherency of the work and its significance for further investigation.

References

Boiko, J. R., Anderson, A. J. M., & Gordon, R. A. (2017). Representation of women among academic grand rounds speakers. JAMA Internal Medicine, 177(5), 722. Web.

Carr, P. L., Raj, A., Kaplan, S. E., Terrin, N., Breeze, J. L., & Freund, K. M. (2018). Gender differences in academic medicine. Academic Medicine, 93(11), 16941699. Web.

Chatterjee, P., & Werner, R. M. (2021). Gender disparity in citations in high-impact journal articles. JAMA Network Open, 4(7). Web.

Fournier, L. E., Hopping, G. C., Zhu, L., Perez-Pinzon, M. A., Ovbiagele, B., McCullough, L. D., & Sharrief, A. Z. (2020). Females are less likely invited speakers to the international stroke conference. Stroke, 51(2), 674678. Web.

Silver, J. K., Slocum, C. S., Bank, A. M., Bhatnagar, S., Blauwet, C. A., Poorman, J. A., Villablanca, A., & Parangi, S. (2017). Where are the women? The underrepresentation of women physicians among recognition award recipients from medical specialty societies. PM&R, 9(8), 804815. Web.

Executive Summary

Despite the development of modern society in relation to human rights, there are still several serious problems. Thus, women still face obstacles on the way to successful management activities. Such aspects as gender prejudice have a very strong and detrimental effect on womens career growth in the business industry. The development of an action plan to solve this problem is presented as an important aspect of management. The application of gender diversity policy in the workplace is of particular value. Action within the framework of this policy can improve the operational and financial indicators of the organization.

Statement and Causes of the Problem

The problem that the manager faces is the issue of integrating female employees into the organization. One of the dominant prejudices about women is their weak ability to compete in comparison with men and lack of initiative. However, Palmer and Bosch (2017) state that women leaders are associated with positive outcomes for women executives particularly when they are in decision-making positions (p. 316). Moreover, several factors can be identified as the reasons for this attitude. They can be used as grounds for explaining the minimal presence of women in the management.

The socio-cultural factor is presented as one of the main aspects that prevent women from developing in the field of management and business. By its very nature, society is characterized by a traditional approach to all phenomena. Thus, the values and views of women and men formed under the influence of culture act as barriers. This is because people form them on the basis of their immediate environment and the national mentality. Thus, when coming to work, individuals broadcast the acquired patriarchal relations, which imply a man as the breadwinner of the family. Because of such an association, there is an unwillingness of people to accept female leaders.

In addition, the promotion of women in management is complicated due to structural and behavioural barriers. Moreover, research highlights that women get much lesser recognition for their success than men (Fels, 2004). These may include the refusal of managers to raise, gender discrimination and measures of state support. Another factor is the psychological factor, which also gives an understanding of the lack of a large number of female representatives in management. It implies the absence of certain character traits inherent in the leader.

It is known that diversity in the workplace plays an important role. This applies not only to religious and cultural differences but also to gender differences. Because of this, the manager is faced with a solution that will contribute to the diversity of employees in the organization. Short-term problems of gender discrimination in the workplace can contribute to stressful situations, infringement of self-esteem and a decrease in morale in the workplace. Long-term problems can be the emergence of social tension in the team, turning into labour conflicts.

Diversity theory can be sufficiently helpful in resolving the problem under study. Nkomo et al. (2019) define this notion as a broad binary construct consisting of visible and invisible or surface-level and deep-level categories of difference (p. 501). Attracting this aspect to the workplace can be the result of making more effective and productive business decisions. Thus, the higher the level of gender diversity in a company, the higher the probability of achieving impressive financial indicators compared to companies where the male gender prevails.

Decision Criteria and Recommended Alternative Solutions

It is not easy to estimate the time that the process of introducing women among employees in the field of management may take since this is a rather lengthy process. Tangible costs also represent a small item of expenditure since attracting new staff is not a highly expensive operation. The funds can be spent on conducting various educational events and coaching on rallying working personnel to facilitate the introduction of a strict policy.

The main criteria for applying a strategy should be its effectiveness, relative simplicity, suitability, and compliance with its goals. As a recommended solution to the problem, managers can apply the following actions:

• appointment of a manager responsible for monitoring, training, and disseminating the diversity program.
• defining and approving standards of employee behaviour and attracting specific individuals who will report on the results.
• Training people at all levels on the topic of diversity.
• Implementation of the diversity policy in the recruitment process, performance management, leadership assessment.
• Creating transparency of indicators to measure the progress of the implemented policy, which will include personnel indicators, key performance indicators and remuneration levels.

All these measures satisfy and correspond to the listed criteria. They consume relatively low amount of time to implement, since the execution of these measures can be done right away. The only cost that organisations will have to pay is for specialists who will conduct meetings with employees. Nevertheless, there is one main disadvantage that can arise when introducing such solution. Many workers, especially men, can meet such initiative with resistance. This is due to the formed prejudice towards woman being unable to operate at the same jobs as them.

If there is no possibility of increasing the number of female staff, an alternative plan may be to improve the situation with actual female employees in the field of management. There is no justification that there are no striking differences between genders in terms of management effectiveness. Despite this, in many modern companies, women meet many barriers when achieving the desired managerial position. This is due to social and psychological factors that cause stereotyping and stigmatization concerning the female sex. Developing an effective strategy for introducing diversity into the organization is seen as a helpful move for the organization.

References

Fels, A. (2004). Do women lack ambition. Harvard Business Review, 82(4).

Nkomo, S. M., Bell, M. P., Roberts, L. M., Joshi, A., & Thatcher, S. M. (2019). Diversity at a critical juncture: New theories for a complex phenomenon. Academy of Management Review, 44(3), 498-517.

Palmer, A. & Bosch, A. (2017). What makes representation of executive women in business happen?. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 36(4), 306-320.