Barriers Women Face in Male-Dominated Organizations

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Reflection
1 Based on these readings, what types of barriers do women face in organizations like Price Waterhouse (based on the Ann Hopkins case we covered in class) or the Military (based on the Rebecca Halstead case we covered in class). What are some similarities and some differences in these two types of organizations?
It is common for women to receive lower remuneration packages in their workplaces than their male counterparts for the same job title or position. Women also tend to be locked out of certain positions based on superficial factors such as social constructs that define and allocate tasks based on gender perspectives. Despite the remarkable strides made toward embracing gender equality in organizations across the diverse economic, social, and political sectors, gender discrimination in the workplace remains a common problem. Gender discrimination against women is a prevalent issue in many institutions and organizations around the world, curtailing efforts to achieve gender parity in the distribution of opportunities and resources alike. Ann Hopkins’s case at Price Waterhouse Coopers makes an excellent example of gender-based biases facing women in business organizations. The multinational organizations denied Ann Hopkins the opportunity to make a partnership despite her impressive record and academic qualification because she was not feminine enough for the position. Hers was a case of gender stereotypes at play against her career aspirations. The highly decorated Brigadier Rebecca Halstead, on the other hand, faced the difficult challenge of overcoming gender bias against her ability to command a 25000 military person combat mission in Iraq. Her boss explicitly expresses his lack of confidence in her ability to carry out the mission successfully and even dooms her to fail despite having an impressive military record meriting her rise through the ranks. Her male boss believes that her position is merely a representation of gender parity in the military without any real value or application to the enormous task of leading missions. She becomes a victim of tokenism despite her merited rise through the ranks.
It suffices, therefore, that both organizations feature gender discrimination against their female employees. Price Water House Coopers holds on to the gender stereotypes, emphasizing women's nature and appearance as essential to their interaction and integration within the organization. One of the partners, Thomas Beyer, advises her to change her appearance towards becoming more feminine while Joseph Connor implies being a little bit submissive. These are stereotypical attributes of women, which the organization uses to discriminate against the female gender. The U.S. Military also features stereotypical discrimination against women as they are perceived incapable of leading combat missions, a predominantly male role. The only difference between the two organizations is the manifestation of gender discrimination against women, discrimination against women based on stereotypical gender roles in the U.S. Military, and feminine stereotypes for Price Water House Coopers.
Diversity management in the presence of the different forms of gender discrimination outlined in both cases requires the development of an effective management plan. The plan would build around the awareness, empathy, and ally or action framework. It is important to acknowledge or show an awareness of gender discrimination based on feminine and gender-role factors. The next step of the plan would be to empathize with the victims of gender discrimination by encouraging them to share their experiences and opinions or ideas on how to address the issues. The third and final stage of the diversity management plan would be to engage all the stakeholders in a collaborative effort toward developing and implementing an effective interventional approach against gender discrimination in the organization.
2 Picture this scene: you are conducting an interview with Ann Hopkins andRebecca Halstead
Ann Hopkins is a very hardworking woman who is passionate about her work. She strongly believes in her abilities to meet the competencies demanded of partners at Price Water House Coopers. Hence, Ann Hopkins makes for a model leader for women to emulate in pursuing their dreams and aspirations, especially in male-dominated organizations across the social, political, and economic domains. Like herself, Ann Hopkins would advise fellow women to embrace hard work and determination as the basis for realizing their career goals and aspirations. Hopkins was the only woman shortlisted out of the 87 candidates for partnership with Price Waterhouse Coopers. Her hard work and determination stood out among the nominated candidates. She had an unmatched record of securing contracts with over five years of field experience and the required academic training. She would, therefore, impress by being a hardworking and determined woman driven by the passion for achieving her dream based on the results of her work. She would also advise women to be resilient and not give up when...