Gender at Work
Discrimination
Pay Gap
One of the first areas of my life is the workplace. As a woman, different gender-based discriminations can be seen at work. Stereotypes and biases that are associated with women usually preoccupy some people’s minds, which affects the quality of work or attitude they show towards me. For example, one of the evident factors of discrimination I faced during my work is the pay gap between genders. Although there is no transparent data on the salaries of individual workers in my company, it is still widely accepted that men, on average, earn larger salaries than women, despite the equal quality of work they provide.
Decision Making
Another discrimination factor is the bias towards the decisions I make, since they can be dismissed or attributed to my gender. This, unfortunately, undermines my position as a professional worker and causes my gender to be more important than my personal capabilities. In such a working environment, it is impossible to negotiate with such biased people, whereas men usually do not experience such an issue at work. In this sense, women’s empowerment is crucial, as it affects various aspects of life, including the workplace and personal situations (Pworkin et al., 2017).
Privilege
Development Opportunities
There are, however, some privileges experienced in the workplace. Some global efforts to promote gender diversity and inclusivity created opportunities for women in the workplace. It seems like a privilege to have more opportunities to develop personally and in terms of a career as a woman, and to be promoted due to the longstanding discrimination that was present previously. Although the pay gap and other issues remain unresolved, the introduction of more empowerment incentives in the workplace has allowed me to benefit professionally. For example, I received higher salary benefits because the program helped eliminate the gender pay gap.
Support
Another privilege is that as a woman, there are more supportive networks and communities to help in professional terms. I also benefit from these opportunities as they enable me to participate in networking events and receive guidance from different mentors.
Gender in Romance
Discrimination
Gender Role
In terms of romantic relationships, there is also discrimination and privileges faced by me. First of all, one of the issues can be conservative standards on women’s roles in relationships, as it is expected of them to be caring and understanding individuals. This burdens a romantic partner’s expectations, which in turn stands as discrimination in terms of freedom and autonomy. For example, many of the male partners that I had were expecting me and other women to fit their standards and stereotypes that were not particularly correct.
Beauty Standards
Secondly, there are social beauty standards that lead to discrimination and objectification of women. Some partners expect their female counterparts to be “beautiful” all the time, perpetuating these expectations in subsequent relationships. Conversely, male partners usually do not have such strict standards of beauty; therefore, they are not required to adhere to them in order to fit social norms. It seems to me that an essential part of discrimination is one pressure to conform to the image, which can lead to harmful consequences, such as a diminished sense of self-worth.
Privilege
Emotional Support
There are, however, some privileges that women experience in romantic relationships. As with the workplace, more counseling services and networks are available for women. Friends and other social circles are also keen on helping women with their relationship issues, while men are usually left out of these conversations. It is seen as a privilege to speak openly about one’s feelings, while it is evident that some men are forced to suppress their emotions due to social norms and rules.
Understanding
Another benefit is that this emotional expression also leads to greater support for women in the event of any issues. In this sense, women are usually more understood and validated in relationships that help them to grow socially and individually.
References
Pworkin, s., Gandhi, M., & Passano, P. (2017). Women’s empowerment and global health: A twenty-first-century agenda. University of California Press.