Equality and Equity
Inequality within Organizations
Equality and equity: Applications
One of the most notable deficits in equality within my organization is the lack of women in senior management positions. Although women are represented at lower level and middle level positions of leadership, the top leadership remains disproportionately male. One possible reason for this is the fact that women still bear a disproportionate amount of the child-rearing and housekeeping burden in our society. Women are being forced to 'do it all' if they wish to 'have it all.'
When women are not at the upper echelons of leadership in an organization, the organization lacks the input and the perspective of 51% of the population. In social service agencies in particular, which are often given the responsibility of dealing with the unique needs of women and children -- who are more likely to suffer poverty than males -- a lack of female representation in leadership positions is particularly troubling. And women remain underrepresented on Capital Hill and as CEOs of major organizations
First, the organization must define...
Institutionalized sexism can play a significant role in female promotions. But the blame does not always lie solely in the hands of the organization's formal policies. A recent article was published in the Atlantic magazine by Anne-Marie Slaughter entitled: "Why women still can't have it all." Women themselves feel torn between the time demands of home and career. They are still expected to be the parent who is there for the child when the child is sick, and to volunteer for the PTA, yet employers demand a full commitment from women at work. The result is burnout and a difficulty in achieving a 'life balance' which can result in women being more reluctant to take top-level positions in some instances, or to leave. Treating women 'the same' as men does not always foster equity.
Society is often slower to change on a personal level than an organizational level, and if the demands between life and work are tearing women apart, the organization must clarify the root of the problem, evaluate if this is true and clarify how to make accommodations for women when it…
