1

Critically discuss the current nature of gender in

contemporary workplaces.

Introduction:

The aims of this article will be to evaluate the current nature of gender diversity in workplaces. It
seeks to determine the relationships between the feminine and masculine representations in
workplaces. In the management of culture and diversity in organizations, either the current status
or changes that have been made through gender diversity are covered. Coverage of gender
diversity in the contemporary workplaces will be of help in understanding the current situation at
workplaces. We will also examine the challenges that different sexes go through at workplaces.
In this article, we will also cover the kind of difficulties that women face at workplaces and how
they are discriminated upon by their managers and fellow workmates.
The report will also look into a review on the stressors that particularly faces women at places of
work. The major types of stressors may include lack of career progress, confronted with multiple
tasks, and stereotyping and discrimination in places of work. Most studies have been conducted
to study the current or the level of gender diversity at workplaces and the kind of gender-based
discrimination. Much of the research that has been carried out shows that women were reporting
a higher standard of stress at their places of work as compared to men. However, a bigger portion
of the studies also reported no difference between the genders as the evidence for the effects of
lack of career progress, discrimination, and multiple tasks and gender stereotyping seemed
inconsistent. The studies have found out that gender diversities in most organizations are built on
the assumption that diversity in organizations is fraught with some difficulties. From the
available resources, it will be okay for someone to conclude that there is enough evidence that

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relate to the role of gender in workplace discrimination, stress and stressors. The challenges
faced by the women at workplaces are also highlighted.

Background
In the current workplaces, there are cases of diversity that are based on cultural issues gender
being one of them. To manage culture and diversity in workplaces only means the
acknowledgment of various cultures and other differences within our places of work by ensuring
that everyone feels at home at workplaces. A good management system will focus on embracing
gender differences and treat both sexes in an equal manner without discriminating on either of
them (Guadagno et al., 2007). In the study of current gender diversity in organizations, some
keywords will be reviewed. The words include gender, workplace stress, stressors and many
more.
Workplace stress: Workplace stress means the kind of stress that people that are working
experience and is as a result of the kind of work that they do. Stress in workplaces is a major
issue that faces both the organization and their employees. According to Health and Safety
Executive, it is estimated that an approximate of 13.4 million working days in a country like
Britain is lost per year just as a result of stress, anxiety and depression (Robson et al., 2007).
Gender; the kind of gender differences that are witnessed in most of the current workplaces do
stem from the social factors that have an influence on the behavior of the women and men in the
society. Some organizations have appeared to have welcomed gender diversity and have
encouraged the inclusion of all genders in the decision-making process within their organizations
(Francoeur et al., 2008). In such organizations, promotional opportunities are offered in an equal
manner without discriminating on staff members based on their gender differences. On the other

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hand, still appear to discourage the all gender initiative and are still biases based on gender
differences in workplaces. Achieving gender equality at workplaces will require that people are
allowed to access and enjoy same, resources, rewards and opportunities at workplaces regardless
of their gender differences.
Stressors; women at workplaces are believed to be going through a higher level of stress as
compared to men. However, a good number of studies have reported no differences between the
stress that is experienced by both the women and men at workplaces. The main sources of stress
that women face at workplaces are a lack of career progress, facing multiple tasks both at work
and home, and stereotyping and discrimination (Klassen et al., 2010).

Challenges Associated with Gender Diversity at Workplaces

Cross-gender communication at workplaces: There are several incidences where gender
inequalities are manifested at workplaces. One of the ways through which gender inequality is
evidenced is in cross-gender communications at workplaces (Ridgeway 2011). There are
challenges that are associated with cross-gender communication at workplaces. The conversation
that resolve around gender differences in workplaces has experienced some difficulties as they
are full of stereotypical examples, defensive reactions, and conflicting personal experiences.
Whenever people engaging in cross-gender communication disagree, the person who was
speaking would be seen as wrong and the colleagues would simply stop listening. The worst part
of the story is that such type of exchange may prohibit opportunities that individuals may have
gotten to learn and discover some new things about different genders.
Therefore, for there to be an improvement in cross-gender communication at workplaces, it will
be imperative for both the administrators and the employees to refrain their thinking. In however

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much there is a possibility for the existence of at least two conflicting world views, it will be
unfair to assume that because someone else do not experience any difficulty in communicating
with different genders; therefore, such difficulties do not exist. We need to know that both the
realities can simultaneously exist where an individual either has trouble or completely feels
comfortable while communicating with people of different genders. In addition, someone may
feel comfortable while the other opposite gender person that he/she is talking with is not
comfortable.
What should be considered is that genders do differ from sexes. Sex is seen as being
physiological as it is about physical characteristics. On the other hand, gender is socially based
and is a social construct that seeks to serve societal goals. Since biology does establish the norms
that governs behavior, it will make sense to explore the science that is behind gender differences
that will enable us to gain insight and perspectives in the understanding of gender at workplaces.
Science has it that male and female brains function differently (Kimchi et al., 2007). For
instance, some studies indicate that mens brains are extra larger than the womens brain. The
variance is believed to be 10 percent where the mens brain is believed to be ten percent larger
than womens brains. However, before anyone believes such claims as part of the man's
superiority, we need to remember that it is the same science that has also claimed that men do
use half of their brain at times (Biswal et al., 2010). Therefore, when their brain is slightly bigger
than that of the women, and they do not fully apply it any all times, then the big size of the brain
is put to waste. From the facts, it appears that there is no superiority that men will enjoy based on
the bigger size of their brains as they do not put the whole of it to function.
It will be vital for anyone to note that science is always controversial in their findings, as
different scholars have been coming up with their theories on the same issues that contradict

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other findings. Science is also much celebrated when a scholar disapproves the existing theories
by either criticizing them or coming up with new theories. Therefore, with the conflicting
information on cross-gender communication by scientists, it may imply that the difficulty in
communication at the workplace based on gender differences may be muddled.
Another research survey also indicated that a bigger portion of women at the workplace believe
that there are incidences of gender discrimination in places of work. The discrimination is
manifested in many ways that include; lost productivity among women, discrimination when it
comes to promotions at workplaces and the kind of destruction that such discrimination results in
the life of individuals.
Lost Productivity; people who suffer gender discrimination at workplaces suffer the loss of
motivation and the morale that may be needed to perform the expected duty at workplaces
(Kinkingninhoun-Mdagb et al., 2010). According to a certain report that was written by Jodi L.
Jacobson of the World Watch Institute, gender discrimination may also lead to loss of
productivity among the affected workers (Marmot et al., 2008). The factors that may lead to the
loss of the needed motivation and morale may include creation of mockery jokes about a certain
employees gender that would be implying that they are inferior or the jokes would be offensive
to specific sexes within the workplace. A joke would be created that may imply that an
employees work is at sub-par due to their gender. In the U.S, Federal Laws have a provision that
protects employees against such abuses in their places of work from their bosses or their coworkers (Nielsen et al., 2010).
Promotions: When it comes to promotion at workplaces, there have been stereotypical views
that regard to gender differences (Eagly et al., 2009). Such stereotypes have been reported to
make the supervisors involve themselves in illegal practices that may make them pass an

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employee for promotion based on their gender. In as much as this can happen to both genders in
the organizations that they work for, supervisors have been mostly reported to recommend more
men for promotions. Women have been most discriminated as their roles are mostly viewed as of
less significance to the company, or they may be considered inferior to men (Eagly et al., 2009).
In some instances, a supervisor may also pass over a qualified man for promotion because the
particular organization prefers working with more women than men do. The organizations that
have been seen to prefer more women than men includes teaching positions and the institutions
that involve taking care of small children.
Family responsibilities: Another factor that has contributed to the discriminations that are
witnessed at workplaces relating to gender differences is the family responsibilities that
employees of different genders face in their respective homes. Women who have young children
at their homes, mostly experience push-backs when conducting interviews due to the
responsibilities that they have on their families. Although it is always criminal for prospective
employers to ask questions about family responsibilities outright, it still comes out during most
interview processes (Rubin et al., 2010). It is believed that a hiring manager may decide to pass
over a qualified female candidate just after they have learnt about their responsibilities back at
home, as they do feel that such candidates may be torn between their job and home
responsibilities. But in case women with children at home makes it finding the job, their
supervisors may review their files and find out the kind of responsibilities they have at home like
taking care of young children back at home. The children will be signed up on the insurance
policy of the company and other benefits that they may be entitled to, which is an advantage to
the female employee (Rubin et al., 2010). However, in most cases, such candidates do find it
rough when it comes to job allocation as she might be allocated less responsibility or may be

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assigned menial tasks that may not be fitting her qualifications and her job description too. Such
practices are illegal, but do still exist in many offices in the contemporary societies in many
offices.
Destructions: In many offices today, those employees that are discriminated against do feel a
strong resentment and even a loss of self-esteem that is reported to be to destruction as a way to
pay back on either the discriminating employer or coworkers or both. Destructiveness of an
employee may present itself as a physical violence against other people around them at
workplaces or the spread of malicious rumors about the company or the staff at the company and
even destruction of properties around them (Noon et al., 2013).
Research on Gender Diversity at Workplaces
Studies indicate that diversity in the workplaces based on gender has been in existence from the
time immemorial. It is the mode of acknowledgment of the diversity that keeps on changing on a
daily basis (Herring et al., 2009). Research that was carried out on the gender diversity before the
1990s, mostly focused on discriminations and biases that resulted from the issue of an employee
not similar to the majority of the people who were around them (Herring et, al., 2009). Many
studies reported intense discrimination on women at workplaces (Herring et al., 2009).
A review of recent diversity at workplaces that is gender based since the year 2000 seems to
suggest that most of the research that are currently being published do incorporate some
theoretical perspectives that hold some bits of negative predictions on the gender diversity.
However, the studies that have been done in the recent years shows that gender diversity may
include both the negative and the positive perspectives (Herring 2011). The gender reproduction
theory seeks to explain why the masculine and the feminine behavior have been occurring in
different contexts of workplaces (Herring 2011)

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Researchers have that made attempts in explaining the diversity at workplaces. The current
researchers are seen to be involving themselves in building on the works of the ancient
researchers. For example, Herring (2011) had built their research on the previous works of
Banduras (1986) research on cognitive theory that was focusing on predicting whether gender
diversity would moderate the relationship between group efficacy and group outcomes. It was
found that a group efficacy-performance relationship appeared stronger in some mixed gender
groups.
Additional theoretical perspective on gender diversity in workplaces is that covers both the
negative and the positive aspects is the structural hole theory (Herring 2011) and another theory
that talks about the same aspects of diversity in organizations is a configurational theory (Herring
2011). Herring also assessed interactions and did their assessment of the interactions that exist
between gender diversity in the top management teams and their firms growth orientation that
exist between organizational structures and gender diversity in the same organizations. The
cultural, organizational types were believed to support this kind of approach to assessing gender
diversity in workplaces.
These pieces of research clearly indicated that gender diversity in workplaces is something that
have been in existence from the time immemorial and have just been in a dynamic change with
time. Currently, diversity in workplaces is in a way that more appreciates both the sexes. In as
much as there are still cases of discrimination that were reported in the past, a lot of
improvements have been realized as most companies treat their employees based on the merits
and women are nowadays managers in some organizations. In fact, the problem is that most
studies have only been focusing on the discriminations that women face in workplaces yet both
sexes have been facing some form of discrimination from their employers. Most male bosses

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have been biased in promoting their fellow men as they do focus on promoting female working
with an expectation of some sexual favors.
The Antecedents and Consequences of Gender Diversity
Many research surveys in the area of gender diversity have been focusing on the impacts that it
may have on our organizations and the general society. The antecedents that have been realized
to associate with gender diversity at workplaces may influence personality characteristics about
the diversion of attitudes and the number of corporate directors that are women. It also relates to
the gender task orientations at workplaces and group efficacy and a firms commitment to the
current dynamic diversity at places of work with gender (Connelly 2006).
Hagger et al., (2010) in their meta-analysis of some small group found out that a mixed gender
group would perform better than most same-gender groups in some workplaces. There is also a
conclusion that there are inconsistencies in the effects of gender diversity in workplaces
(Connelly 2006). Someone would easily agree with such conclusion that the effects of gender
diversity may either of positive or negative effects of either gender without a necessary
specificity. In some organizations, men may feel discriminated against, as they may not be given
equal opportunities to women, as such employers may prefer working with more women than
men may. When taking a close look at the current situation, some companies would even choose
to have female administrators rather than employing men for such positions. However,
discrimination in the essence of gender should be avoided at all cost, as it is one of the factors
that are affecting our development growth. Either women or men that are discriminated against
may be useful in helping our organizations realize their goals within a short period at a relatively
lower cost as they might be more resourceful than the staff members who were unfairly
deployed.

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Besides, there are also many more non-significant findings that have been reported by some
section of scholars that include the works on task conflict, group performance and attachment in
teams. A good number of researchers have attempted to gain significant clarity to what may even
yield inconsistent ties between gender diversity and the effects it has. For example, the outcomes
of gender diversity were realized to face some moderation from the growth orientation, team
orientation as well as team identification (Connelly 2006). There was a reported existence of
inverted U-shaped connections that existed between the organizational level of gender
composition and the performance of particular firms (Connelly 2006). There were also
incidences of ties between the management and the group in relation to gender heterogeneity and
the productivity of the companies that had a high level of level of risk taking and involvement of
gender diversity (Connelly 2006).
Gender diversity is of importance for the achievement of some developmental goals within
different countries. Employers and societies need to be mobilized to accept gender diversity as it
gives equal opportunity to resources allocation without considering gender differences and it will
also help in achieving the gender equality that most legislation advocate for around the world.
However, in embracing gender diversity, we also need to respect our biological science that
clearly states that men are of more physical strength than women are and any work that requires
a lot of physical strength that may harm a woman need to be left for men. Any woman doing
such physical jobs should be left to choose for herself, such jobs but not allocated to them.

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