Gender Inequality in Workplace

According to the blog in consecutive weeks, most of the people at least had encounter once regarding to issue of gender inequality in lifetime especially to female. Regardless of the factor about culture, education even entertainment, most of the women usually will experience gender inequality of treatment in life. Nowadays, Information and communication technology (ICT) has an important role in the world since all of us are in the information age era. ICT has involving in our daily life such as use it in the internal interest even in workplace sector. (Ekaputri, n.d.) Most of the people are using ICT products, ranging from mobile phones, digital TVs through to personal computers and the World Wide Web. Therefore, as the last post in this week, we will explore more about how the gender inequality in workplace regarding ICT.

First of all, there are a lot of gender bias and discrimination in the workplace. Research has found that women are more frequently face limitations and even harassment in the workplace than men. Women received gender discrimination, for example women are often being excluded from company events, they being labeled as “bossy” and "too aggressive". Women feel that they have fewer opportunities and felt excluded from key social or networking events because of their gender (Turner, 2016). Although some of the women are being treated in equal or higher ranking jobs than men but “unconscious bias" still penetrates in the workplace and hence limiting women's opportunities. From the ancient times to the present, most of the people believe that women cannot be competent in higher position in workplace even the work involve used of ICT tools. Female often been discriminate as women have to place in the home rather than leave home for work. Most of the company usually won’t employ married women as their worker, it is because of they think that they will take leave when menstrual period, pregnant and even childbirth. There is a short maternity leave in Malaysia given to women when they after give births, they can get paid leave in a month of maternity and their employer cannot fire them as well.  Pregnant women who work in environment full with electronic device for a long period time, they will be affected by work stress or even radiation, and this will cause fetus premature birth or grow incomplete. Therefore, companies prefer to hire male workers rather than female workers.

Besides, most of the employers think that women are not techno-savvy as men and always rely on men to help them when it comes to ICT for example like setting up their internet connection and internet access. Some of the companies prevent majority women access to internet at work due to there is a common belief in their lack of competent computer knowledge or training and fear of technology which limited them to use ICT even when they have access to the technology. For example, some of my female friends and even myself were called as computer idiot by some of the male friends, it is because we are not being expected like men who often play online games and explore the function of computer. In gender-role socialization, most of the people agree that men have support from IT training more than women and most of them are consider as techno-savvy therefore possessing certain natural skills that enable them to perform better in technology compared to women. For instance, in Jamaican, men are expected to help women for set up their computers and Internet connection at home even workplace, whereas women perform less demanding consumer-related activities in relation to ICTs. Most of them were agreed that it is unfeminine for a women to perform certain IT-related roles that are considered masculine (Muturi, 2005). Since women were acknowledge lack of adequate to computer knowledge, so companies have to develop online training programs on technical and soft skills needed in the ICT, also use a variety of media tools to publicize the current information on the ICT sector for female employees.

Furthermore, pay gap also consider a bigger problem on gender inequality in Malaysia. Women in our country are normally drawing much smaller wages than their male counterpart. According to the gender-related development index report, income earned by Malaysian women are less than half (47.2%) of men’s income. As a matter of fact, the gender wage gap in Malaysia is still relatively high compared to the surrounding countries such as Thailand (61.2%) and Singapore (51.4%) where the after-tax salary for women in these countries surpass more than half of men’s income (chaynee, 2006). Lower salary seems to be a big problem in workplace. Based on the research of Ginste (2015), she states that 94 % partially or fully agree that men have an advantage when it comes to pay. In Malaysia, there are many employers made hiring or salary decisions based on the worker's gender, this consider a gender inequality. In our society, we still see men are dominating the senior management roles rather than women. Many gender stereotypes toward women are too obvious, people typically associate with leadership are always masculine not feminine, because most of them believe women are basically perceived as communal (caring, communicative & encouraging) (Aynsley, 2015), women don’t have the power and controlling force to govern their subordinates, department or even an organization appropriately. Women work in ICT sector is not to be excepted, also many people think that they cannot done well in this field.

In conclusion, gender discrimination is deeply rooted in our mind and perception. Gender biases actually affect both sexes, it is powerful but very subtle and invisible barriers for women. In this few years, there are a lot of country genuinely start to respect and not to deprecation to women, have to change the mindset regard to traditional roles of men and women, eliminating discriminatory practices in workplace, they know that women also can done ICT jobs same as men. The fight against gender inequality must go on, especially in Malaysia. Government play an important roles to take serious action on these issues and narrow down the gender gap in workplace. The government has to made good on its promise and been consistent in its efforts to improve the status of women in Malaysia. Women also have to access frequently to education and training in order to created greater opportunities for participate in the labor market. As long as provide more opportunities to women access to ICT sector, cultivate them to access internet and technology, I believe that Malaysia will reduce poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance in the future.

Reference:

Aynsley, B. (December, 2015). THE PROMISE OF DIVERSITY GENDER EQUALITY IN THE ICT PROFESSION. Retrieved March 25, 2016, from http://acs.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/87681/ACS-Gender-Equality-FINAL.pdf

Ginste, H. (June 16, 2015). What women (really) think? Retrieved March 25, 2016, from http://across-technology.com/what-women-really-think/

Muturi, N. (2005). CHALLENGES TO ACCESS AND USE OR ICTS. Gender Empowerment through ICTs: Potential and Challenges for Women in the Caribbean, 133-146. Retrieved March 24, 2016, from file:///C:/Users/O.K/Downloads/Dialnet-GenderEmpowermentThroughICTsPotentialAndChallenges-3664681.pdf.

Turner, S. (January 20, 2016). Gender inequality in the workplace goes beyond the "pay gap. Deseret New. Retrieved March 25, 2016, from http://newsok.com/article/5473647