Essay On Gender Discrimination In The Workplace

Discrimination against mothers in the workplace Before examining the how the workplace discriminates against mothers, one must acknowledge how the social construction of gender contributes to domesticity, or the gender system that organizes market work and family work. The social construction of gender is the belief that society, not biologically sex differences, is the foundation of gender identity (TAW 22). Even before a child is born, the social construction of gender is already in the works, as clothes and toys given as gifts to the newborn are often defined as either “for girls” or “for boys”. For example, toys that are marketed for boys are action figures while toys marketed for girls are dolls. Likewise, young boys are socialized to
Although changing one’s sex is a biological process and often unchangeable, changing one’s gender is a fluid social process. It is hard to distinguish so-called natural and social qualities of one’s gender or sex since culture strongly impacts what society believes to be natural (TAW Social construction of gender 26). The social construction of gender is important to note when thinking about domesticity, because girls are taught from young age to believe they are naturally better suited for family work rather than market work. For instance, toys for toddlers mimic gender norms as toys directed for girls involve care-centered play, such as pretend vacuums, kitchen sets, and baby dolls. On the other hand, toys for young boys involve science experiments and building blocks, toys that help to develop cognitive skills (39). The differences in toys relate to the different skills boys and girls learn at a young age; girls tend to learn nurturing skills while boys tend learn motor skills. As a result, the difference in toy design, as well as the fact that there are toys made for one gender over the other, are examples of how domesticity pervades US society. Girls grow up to believe that they are more suited towards