Women and flexibility in a workplace

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Flexibility of women in the workplace as a social and structural issue

The flexibility of women in the workplace is a structural and social issue. It is strongly influenced by the society and the structures that have been put in place in the workplace. The structure of the workplace today was designed in such a way that it suits the desires of a male breadwinner. The workplace was designed for people who work full time, everyday, yearly with no opportunity for one to fulfil care-giving responsibilities. It means that the structures in place do not suit women who the society views as care-givers. The career paths today are designed in a straight out way whereby, one starts advancing in their career when they are in their twenties. Once a person gets to their sixties they are required to retire (Srivastava, 2007). The existing structures and career paths do not fit the needs of the workforce that is changing constantly especially the needs of working mothers.

About 80% of couples who are married are dual earner couples. In these households, the couples work for more than 80hours (Srivastava, 2007). It means that no one is present at home to look after the children, cooking, house work, cleaning and all other job within the house. The society still views women as being charged with the duty of taking care of the home. They are thought of as caregivers and expected to work at home and not in offices. In most cases, it is women who are forced to leave the workforce and stay at home in order to take care of the homes. People need jobs that are more flexible and those they have more control over time. The workplace today is very rigid and highly structured hence does not fit the needs of families and couples that work flat out. They need more flexibility and control so as to take care of their families, children and homes. There is need for a change in the structure and flexibility of the workplace so as to reduce the decline of the family structure and home (Srivastava, 2007).

Factors that have affected women’s flexibility in the workplace throughout history

The economic recession has driven more women to get into the workforce. Despite more women getting into the workforce, there is still a problem of flexibility. There are several factors that have affected the flexibility of women in the workplace throughout history. First, the structure in the workplace throughout history has affected the flexibility of women in the workplace. Women are expected top work for long hours and hence hindering their flexibility in the workplace. Another factor that has affected the flexibility of women in the workplace is the role of women in the society. Women have the duty of taking care of their families and homes. It becomes difficult for women to juggle between working in offices and working at home. They end up being tired overwhelmed because they are expected to perform well in everything they do. It forces women to leave their jobs adapt to stay at home because it becomes difficult to manage the two (Freedman, 2010). Another factor that affects flexibility of women in the workplace is employers who do not want to adopt policies that encourage flexibility of women. They do not understand the need for flexibility of women in the workplace and hence see no importance of implementing flexibility policies. Women also fear to ask for flexibility since they are afraid of jeopardizing their jobs. An employer might fail to see the need of flexibility unless prompted. Women fear speaking out such issues to their employers because they would not want to loose their jobs.

Factors that have affected women’s pay in the workforce

Throughout history, women have been paid as compared to their male counterparts. Women’s pay is affected by various factors one of them being women lack the negotiating power. Women often fear to speak out about pay when they are employed. They are afraid of speaking out and demanding for better pay for fear of loosing their jobs. Generally, women are less aggressive when it comes to fighting for their pay as compared to men. Another reason is that work performed by women is considered to be less demanding than that of men (Freedman, 2010). Most employees believe that work performed by women deserves less pay since it is not demanding. Women’s pay is also affected by a lot of career interruptions and working for shorter hours. Women face a huge challenge in balancing between work and home life. Women are often interrupted from their work to take care of some home duties. It weakens the career progression of women and hence impacting their financial position. Women’s pay is also affected by the fact that they tend to choose part-time work so that they can be able to combine their responsibilities at home and work. Another factor affecting women’s pay is discrimination. There is still unequal treatment of women in the workplace despite the existence of legislation that prohibits discrimination.

Hypothesize what may change for women in the workplace within the next 10 years

There are many changes expected for women in the workplace in the next 10 years. They say that it is a man’s world, but this will not be the case for a longer period. About one billion women are expected to get into the workplace in the next 10 years. The number of women joining the workforce is expected to go up as compared to that of men. Another thing expected to change for women in the workplace is a decrease in gender equality (Kunin, 2012). It is expected that women will join the occupations that are termed as being meant for men. Women will equally fight for similar working opportunities as men without fear. There is also going to be a decrease in gender discrimination in the workplace. Women will be given similar opportunities like those of their male counterparts. Women are also likely to receive the same pay as that of their male counterparts. Another expected change is flexibility in workforce. Women will be provided with an opportunity to work for fewer hours without affecting their pay.

References

Freedman, J. (2010).Women in the workplace: Wages, respect, and equal rights. New York: Rosen Pub.

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Kunin, M. (2012). The new feminist agenda: Defining the next revolution for women, work, and family. White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green Pub.

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Srivastava, S. (2007). Women in Workforce: Work and Family Conflict. Management and Labor Studies, 411-421.