Women in the Workplace

1. Women in the Workplace Kelly Carter Stephanie Johnson Jessica Paulson Casey Windmuller

2. Chapter One Women as Leaders

3. What defines a leader and their effectiveness?

4. Activity Luong, A., Durgunoglu, A., Hennek, J., & Thao, M. Perception of leader effectiveness as function of gendered language in electronic mail. Communication Journal of New Zealand, 19-30.

5. Communication • “Recipients can identify the gender of senders due to the fact that men communicate differently from women, even online” (Guadagno & Cialdini, 2007) • Tag questioner, apologizer, indirect requestor VERSUS… • Devil’s advocate, direct requestor (Tannen, 1994)

6. Communication • Existing double-standard “which permits men to be aggressive and dominant, while women occupying the same leadership roles are expected to be kind and communal” (Luong et. al) • Competence – form of interpersonal influence (Madlock, 2008) • Fulfilling communicative functions and goals (effectiveness) • Maintaining conversational and interpersonal norms (appropriateness)

7. Role Congruity Theory • Gender = characteristics (Rutherford, 2001) • Masculine • Feminine • Androgynous? • Gender role sets • Expectation of individual • Perceived abilities & inabilities

8. Role Congruity Theory • Gender of leadership • The “Feminine / Competency bind” (Appelbaum, 2003) • The stereotypical “B” (Eagly, 2003)

9. Fact-based perception of reality? • Goldberg paradigm experiment (1968) • U.S. Army (Biernat et. al., 1998) & University cadet corps (Boldry et. al, 2001) • Airco Airlines (Rutherford, 2001) • Residential Leadership Community at Virginia Tech

10. We’re all employed on Earth… • “Women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their oppressors” (Guillemets, 1998) • “Leadership” and the Generation Y • Changing and calling for both gender roles

11. Chapter Two Effects of Race and Image on Women in the Workplace

12. Income Differences • Men and women have significant differences in income. • Men still make twice as much than women in authoritative positions. • Men and women working in the same occupations have a 65 percent gap in salaries. (Smith, 2002.)

13. Homosocial Reproduction • When faced with uncertainty, an authority will promote a person who shares similar social and demographic characteristics (Smith, 2002). • Not the same as social closure. • This is why there are so many more white males in authoritative positions. • African American women also rely on this, likely due to the multiple oppressions of being both female and black (Smith, 2002).

14. The Glass Ceiling • Idea that women can’t achieve higher levels of authority because of the glass ceiling, a barrier to their success (Daily, Certo, & Dalton, 2004). • Expanded to include racial and ethnic minorities.

15. Image and Women • Women within ideal weight ranges may more easily penetrate the glass ceiling. • Obese women earn $6710 less in annual income than thinner women. • Feminist theory of thin women in male-dominated occupations. (Haskins & Ransford, 1999)

16. Goldman Sachs • 10,000 Women • Provides a business and management education to 10,000 underserved women. • Committed $100 million over the next five years • Found that strengthening education for women is critical for economic growth (Lawson, 2008).

17. Activity Activity Time!

18. Chapter Three Facing Inequality and Discrimination in the Workplace

19. Facing Inequality and Discrimination in the Workplace http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxZ3A9giyIo

20. True Life: Women are Paid Less Than Men • White women are paid $.79 for every $1.00 a man makes and the inequality is even more of an issue for minority women (Kolb, Williams and Frohlinger, 2009). • The gap is higher when men and women both have very high levels of education and increases the more hours a woman works (Lips). • Women in management positions make 62.7% of what executive men make (Kolb, Williams and Frohlinger, 2009). • That really adds up!

21. Do Women Earn Less Because They Work Less?! • Gendered Notions of the Value of Work: Social Psychologists have said that occupations associated with feminine skills are rated as less prestigious and deserving of less pay than occupations associated with masculine skills (Lips). • Women are grouped at lower paying positions and instead of comparing what they make to a man they compare salaries to women they work with (Kolb, Williams and Frohlinger). • Women are also more likely to work part-time and take off for family reasons (Kolb, Williams and Frohlinger).

22. “Be A Woman Who Makes More Than a Man” • Men ask for things 8 times as often as women. • Be a negotiator and “ask, ask, ask.” • Learn to enjoy the game of negotiation and ask for things even when its not the right time. • Be ready for a promotion. Slide: (Clark, 2008).

23. Better Hide That Baby Bump • It has been illegal to discriminate against pregnant employees for over thirty years (Couric, 2008). • The problem is still prevalent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvHQbpCN8z8

24. Sexual Harassment: No Occupation Is Immune • According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sexual harassment is “a form of gender discrimination that is in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Sexual Harassment in the Workplace). • 62% of companies now offer sexual harassment prevention training programs and 97% have a written sexual harassment policy (Sexual Harassment in the Workplace). • How big of an issue is this? • Women in less traditional female occupations are most likely to be harassed (Sexual Harassment in the Workplace).

25. Where Does the Venus and Mars Analogy Come From? • Men and women really do seem to be from different worlds at times. • Many believe that gender issues in the workplace are because of the different ways women and men think of the world (Banducci, 2009). • The following are differences in cultures and perceptions of men and women (Banducci, 2009).

26. Why Cant We All Just Get Along? • Although men and women are very different there are ways to get past that and work together for a productive and enjoyable working environment (Banducci). • The most important thing men and women can do is realize that they are different and learn to manage that. • Be respectful of each others ideas • There also are many ways that organizations can alleviate the tension and make it a more enjoyable working environment for men and women (Cooper and Lewis, 1995).

27. Medical Equipment Services • Troutman, North Carolina • Dale Allman • Women in this business http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxZ3A9giyIo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvHQbpCN8z8

28. Other Organizations Who Have It Right • Xerox has been named one of the top ten companies in the world for women leaders (Predictive Communications). • Benefits of women in the Xerox company (Predictive Communications). • IBM has also been named a top company where women succeed (IBM). • Women at IBM (IBM).

29. Chapter Four Stress, Depression and Women

30. Stressed out World • According to a recent report by the World Health Organization, stress alone will be the leading cause of mortality worldwide over the next 20 years. • Labeled as an epidemic • In a National survey throughout the 90s, 36-40 percent or more of workers report high levels of stress in the workplace. • More women then men • 60 percent of those women report job stress as their number one life problem (Swanson, 2000)

31. What is stress? • According to Naomi Swanson from the National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health: “ Occupational stressors are working conditions that overwhelm the adaptive capabilities and resources of workers, resulting in acute psychological, behavioral, or physical reactions. Prolonged exposure to a stressful working condition may lead to illness or disease”(Swanson, 2000).

32. Two Big Types of Sex Specific Stressors • Sex Discrimination • Combining Work and Family Every woman’s biggest fear is being labeled acomplainer (Burke, 2002), (Swanson, 2000)

33. Link between Stress and Disease • High strain jobs have been linked with psychological distress, pain and reduced physical function among nurses • Increased sickness absenteeism and depressive symptoms among all workingwomen • Significant increase in blood pressure among more highly educated white female workers (Swanson, 2000)

34. Depression • According to the American Psychiatric Association: Depression is a mood disorder by at least two weeks of feeling down at least one of the four: • Changes in sleep • Changes in weight • Changes in appetite • Decreased energy • Feelings of guilt or worthlessness • Difficulty thinking, or concentrating • Recurrent thoughts of death Depression is expected to become one of the world’s LARGEST health problems by 2020, with women twice and likely to receive this diagnosis

35. Causes of Depression • Biochemistry • Genetics • Personality: “people with low self esteem, who are overwhelmed with stress appear to be venerable to depression” • Environmental factors Since more women report job stress as being their number one life problem, there is obviously a link between the increased depression and stress for women (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 317)

36. What stress and depression can do to the body? • Old studies of fight or flight hormone • Your heart speeds up • Blood flow to your brain increases 400 percent • Digestion stops • Breathe faster • Produce hormones • In Women: • Women actually “tend and befriend” • Even animals from different species respond much differently to stress then men • Women nurture themselves, and form alliances with others (Azar, 2000)

37. Organizations • Mary Kay • Flexible work hours (helpful for mothers) • Offer support systems for home sales team • Website offers resources for de-stressing • Opportunity for philanthropy: Mary Kay calls her own personal stress reliever • “The success of Mary Kay is much deeper than just dollars and cents and buildings and assets. The real success of our company is measured to me in the lived that have been touched and given hope”–Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay)

38. Organizations (cont.) • Henderson County Public School System • Women employees at West Henderson started a meditation time/area during lunch • Allows for break from stress, and gives teachers break from lunch duty

39. Ways to Reduce Stress in the Workplace • Plan each day • Prioritize your tasks • Learn to say no • Delegate • Take the time you need to do a quality job • Break large tasks, into smaller ones • Practice the 10 minutes rule • Evaluate how you’re spending time • Limit distractions • Get sleep • Take a break (American Psychiatric Association)

40. Activity Meditation Activity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hp1SpEKv3c&feature=related

41. Thank you!!!