Gender Inequality in the Job Market, by George

Women and men are often considered to possess different strengths and weaknesses. This is often reflected in the job market, where certain professions are traditionally dominated by men, while others by women. In some professions the prejudice against men or women is so strong that they may even be excluded from these professions. However, I am of the opinion that, wherever possible, gender equality should be encouraged.

Moreover, in the male-dominated professions, women find it very difficult to climb the career ladder due to this discrimination. By the same token, men do not easily get promotions or pay raises in female-dominated professions.

Such examples are very common in professions that require manual labour as well as professions related to technology and executive positions. In construction, police or firefighting women are seen as lacking the physical strength needed to perform the tasks associated with these jobs. In technology-related fields like IT, there is this stereotype that men are more talented (probably because technology is usually more attractive to men than women). In the case of executive positions, men are often considered as more competitive and dynamic. On the other hand, women are considered as more strategic, forthcoming, and emotional. Thus they are preferred as teachers, managers, nurses and waitresses.

Even though it might be true to some extent that men and women possess different strengths and weaknesses, judging somebody solely based on their gender is unlikely to result in a safe or wise choice. There will always be women who will outperform men in male-dominated professions and vice versa. Therefore, in my view, it is reprehensible to reject a job candidate because of their gender. It is equally unethical when somebody cannot climb the career ladder because of their gender. If someone does a very good job and does not get promoted even though they deserve it, then they lose their motivation and feel that their work is not valued.

Managers and the people involved in the process of hiring new people have to be fair and offer equal opportunities to men and women. They should assess the employees based on their performance, their skills and experience instead of innate traits like their gender. By doing so the satisfaction of the employees would increase since they would feel that they are fairly treated.

It is true that men and women are discriminated by their gender and they are not offered equal opportunities in the workplace. Although men and women might have, in general, different strengths and weaknesses, judging them based on their gender is narrow minded and can result in dissatisfaction in the workplace.