Cudd, Sandberg And Jolls: An Analysis

Cudd, Sandberg and Jolls all provide different arguments defining the key drivers for women’s underrepresentation in positions of power. According to Cudd, the definition of oppression includes limitations on some individuals in society, subordinate groups of people, that those in the dominant group do not face. This limited freedom causes subordinate groups to suffer just because they fall into that category. This suggests the idea of them not having a choice to change their circumstances. Some think that because we live in a free country, individuals need to be responsible for the choices they make. However, Cudd believes that women don’t actually have choices, because they are oppressed. This leads to the vicious cycle, explaining why women “are coerced
Lastly, Jolls believes the glass ceiling, the existence of barriers blocking advancement, interferes with women’s ability to hold more powerful positions. There is unlawful sex discrimination in place that prohibits women from exceling in their fields. This discrimination of sex in the work place is demonstrated through the orchestra, restaurant, and MIT study. For example, in the orchestra study, women were underrepresented in the major American symphony orchestras. Blind auditions were introduced to see if that influences who gets chosen. The results showed that blind auditions increased the likelihood that a female would be chosen compared to a male. However, in the non-blind trial that same male was more likely to be selected. This supports Jolls’ idea that “women are prevented by discrimination from attaining positions that are higher level, and pay more, than those they have traditionally occupied” (Jolls, 15). Women that are equally qualified for a job, will be looked over because of discrimination in the work force. Due to this inequality, women are unable to be represented in positions of