Question

11) Discussion: Female Employment Engagement

As we discussed in the lecture,

The decades between 1950 and 2010 were associated with a steady decline in the percentage of working age males in work and a steady increase in the percentage of working age females in work. Increased female employment was associated with both low-paid insecure work (retail, hospitality) and high-paid secure work (education, health care). Since 2010, we have seen major steps to improve female employment – unpaid paternity leave of 12 months; guaranteed right to return to work, paid paternity leave.

Given the recent initiatives to improve female employment – and the deliberate strategy of large private and public entities in seeking to redress ‘gender imbalances’ – we would expect female employment to increase in percentage terms. This has not happened.

Considering this statement, why do you think this has not happened? What strategies do you think would improve female – and male – labour force participation? write an research essay

Answer 1

Ans1 We think this is not happened because according to the Mckinsy’s report for every 100 men promoted and hired to manager and only 72 women are promoted and hired. The biggest obstacle women face is at the first step to manager. This result into more women stuck at the entry level. Second reason can be, companies focus on diversity efforts in hiring and promotion at senior levels instead of lower levels.

The issue today is not so much how to bring women into companies, but how to create more successful women leaders to motivate other women. Workplace flexibility is also main reason, most women want flexible hours of works. Companies must ensure that tendency for women not to raise their hands for jobs do not get interpreted as a lack of ambition; there can be other reasons as well. Some other reasons which not let this happen are: pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, gender pay gap, race and ethnicity, and navigating career and motherhood. Lack of women at senior level leads to no motivation for women at lower level, they do not have any leader who can guide them for their work and to whom they can follow and made their inspiration.

Gender pay gap and sexual harassment at workplace plays a major role why women are not so much at workplace instead of all the efforts done by government policies, laws and an organizational policies. Companies are being biased at paying salaries and compensation to women. If all these issues are eliminated then women at workplace increases.

Ans2 In the era of ever-intensify competition for talent, companies that can appeal to and retain diversified workers are more likely to succeed and gain competitive advantage. Strategies which can improve male and female labor force participation are as follows-

1. Maintain employer and employee relationship effectively

2. Improve the ways to hire, retain and promote diversified workforce

3. Define clearly how diversity links to their business results

4. People systems and processes must be fair

5. No gender pay gap

6. No biased promotions

7. Proper, fair and transparent performance evaluation

8. Timely feedback given for improvement

9. Promotions and job placement should be fair

10. Flexibility of working should be there

11. Give them chance to make their career choices