Investigating the issue of inequality in workplaces Essay Sample
Assessment Description:
This essay will be developed based on the plan from Assessment 1.3. In 1800 words, you will write an argumentative essay that applies two different sociological concepts to a particular topic. You will reference the different types of sociological research that have been undertaken on the topic, noting both established studies in the area as well as recent work. Also, you will examine how relevant structural forces influence the social lives of individuals in ways that are beyond their direct control – and perhaps about which they are not significantly aware. Your discussion should make links between the existing sociological research you identify and the social issue case you select. In your arguments, you need to address the significance of the topic that you have chosen, key concepts related to the topic and cite relevant literature using UniSA Harvard referencing style.
Assessment Aims:
This final assessment allows you to demonstrate your ability to perform a sociological analysis of a particular topic through multiple lenses.
This skill is important as you will be expected to communicate your critical thoughts about a topic or issue in a majority of the courses in your study program. You would be expected to locate, read, evaluate and critically discuss an issue in writing. You would also be expected to synthesize ideas from different texts and form a coherent and cohesive argument that is based on evidence.
The assignment relates to these course outcomes (COs):
CO1. To discriminate between major concepts in sociology
CO2. To identify key sociological methods
CO3. To discuss how social differences are expressed in society
CO4. To construct a sociological argument
Assessment Criteria:
To satisfy the base requirements of the assignment, you are expected to:
Put forward an argument (thesis) that responds appropriately to the essay question that you have selected;
Write a clear and concise introduction that sets out what you will argue;
Structure your essay in a logical and coherent manner, using subheadings as needed;
Produce a conclusion that makes a final statement in answer to the assigned question;
Give a title to your essay that does not simply repeat the text of the essay prompt;
Engage with and reference at least 7 academic sources, which directly pertain to the subject matter you are writing on;
Identify the strengths and/or weaknesses of the sociological theories, studies, and/or approaches that you are engaging with;
Stay within 10% of the 1800-word limit; and Use APA7 referencing style
Solution
Introduction
The sociological issues impact societal lifestyles that also reveal the structural influence over the social lives of individuals. Awareness of sociological issues helps address the challenges that the issues bring to social beings. The issue of inequality in the workplace increases challenges for people engaged in the workplace to perform jobs effectively (Roberson, King, & Hebl, 2020). Inequality in a workplace creates a hostile workplace environment that degrades employees' approach towards their roles and responsibilities. Uni assignment help, Concerning this, the thesis statement formulated in this essay is that workplace inequality adversely impacts employee morale and organisational culture. The essay will address different aspects of inequality in the workplace, including the importance of chosen factors, gender and ageing. Also the essay will then review the concepts of Karl Max's theory and Conflict theory, including how these concepts can address the issue of workplace inequality. After that, the essay will analyse different sociological concepts in accordance with the chosen issue. This essay concludes by stating how technology can be utilised in modern workplaces to address the issue of workplace inequality.
Influence of Ageism on Workplace Inequality
The sociological problem of inequality in the workplace is prevalent in small and large corporations. People engage in the workplace to improve professional performance and contribute their skills to operations. The different treatment of males, females, and other genders destroys the confidence level within the individuals and increases their dissatisfaction. According to Scarborough, Lambouths III & Holbrook (2019), discrimination based on gender roles also mar the spirit of team collaboration and team management. Due to injustice based on gender differences, women, in most cases, are underestimated in their job roles (Biswas, Roberts, & Stainback, 2021). Gender inequality issues are increasingly impacting the workplace culture of inclusivity and developing challenges in managing the performance improvement of an entire organisation. Contemporary organisations, to avoid the issue of gender inequality, focus more on inclusive practices. For example, the long-standing dedication of Amazon Inc to engage individuals at workplaces inclusively engaged the company to maintain gender equity.
On the other hand, Choroszewicz & Adams (2019) opined that the challenges in managing work productivity and teamwork also occur due to growing inequality based on age difference. Ageism is a prevalent issue that does not depend on gender. Age discrimination can be discovered at the workplace for any of the genders. Old female employees are often considered misfits due to weakness and limited capacity to contribute to work with full physical capabilities. It shows both gender and age discrimination based on stereotypical conventions. For example, it was found that IBM 2018 faced a case of age discrimination in the workplace. As per the lawsuit, the organisation's authorities discriminated against employees according to their age as IBM laid off its old age employees and preferred to keep the younger ones for achieving high productivity (Claburn, 2022). According to Andersen et al. (2019), age and gender discrimination in the workplace revealed substantial inequality in the labour market. Lack of opportunities for the senior employees due to the issue of ageism resulted in growing dissatisfaction that not only hampers the employee morale but also develops issues in creating a positive workplace culture. The visible gender gap at different ages also hampers the global labour market, which may show uncertainties in acquiring the right talents at modern workplaces. The equilibrium in workplace culture can be destroyed due to growing discrimination based on age and gender.
The sociological issue must be addressed through proper awareness and change in workplace culture and organisational behaviour. For example, in 2019, Google also faced allegations of lawsuits due to age-based recruitment processes and discrimination in the workplace (Gurchiek, 2019). From the report, it is found that Google favour hiring younger employees over old age employees, which significantly showcases the discriminative behaviour of Google towards people. According to Azmat, Hensvik & Rosenqvist (2022), the prevalence of gender inequality and age discrimination in the workplace hamper the workplace culture and limits productivity. Modern workplaces require us to stand against stereotypical approaches based on sociological issues. It may help to avoid discrimination and ensure inclusiveness in workplaces.
Roscigno, Zheng & Crowley (2022) argued that age discrimination in the workplace affects the mental health of the employees working within a specific work culture. Due to changes in preferences based on age difference, the experienced and aged employees become dissatisfied as organisations mostly prefer young employees due to their increased enthusiasm level. It shows injustice towards the aged employees who have similar capabilities and knowledge to others. Gender discrimination may happen at any age that may have a limited impact on employees' mental health.
In contrast, age discrimination against elderly employees hampers their mental health and self-confidence levels adversely and often increases the job turnover rate of elderly employees and their dissatisfaction with workplace culture. Nonetheless, Park, Pankratz & Behrer (2021) argued that variations in age and gender at modern workplaces also increased safety risks. Age discrimination may show an adverse attitude toward prime-aged employees also. The experience of safety risks due to indulgence in work that may lead to safety risks of the worker shows discriminatory attitudes that go against the safety rules at the workplace. The poor treatment of employees based on age discrimination also results in the denial of career opportunities. People unfit for a specific job or promotion are assessed based on their age at the workplace.
The influence of Gender on Workplace Inequality
Ryan (2023) assessed that gender inequality based on sexual orientation shows more privilege towards the masculine gender due to their physical strength and lack of absenteeism. The common pitfall associated with this stereotypical idea is injustice toward women working in multidisciplinary fields. Women workers are less preferred due to their absenteeism during pregnancy. It shows the biased attitude of managers and the authority of an organisation. Preference towards privileged workers also controls women's capabilities, who may contribute equally to organisational growth. Essig & Soparnot (2019) elaborated on the aspects of gender inequality in the workplace, revealing male perspectives on gender discrimination. Lack of equality in employment based on gender discrimination also violates human rights. Considering the privileged gender for job positions unveils the hypocrisy under the modern organisational culture.
Preferential treatment also deteriorates the self-confidence level of the less privileged gender in the workplace. It may also devoid the candidate of opportunities to grow a career in a professional field. However, various companies suffer from toxic workplace cultures due to gender discrimination or inequality within the working environment. In this regard, for example, in 2017, Uber faced the typical issue of gender discrimination when a blog post was published by Fowler, who worked at Uber from 2015 to 2016. Fowler outlined that her manager propositioned her for sex to provide better opportunities (Solon, 2017). Warren et al. (2019) contradicted that a positive workplace environment can be toxic due to the hidden practices of gender discrimination. Unequal payment to employees based on their gender limit benefits towards the less privileged gender. The disparity in promotions and compensation also reduces the satisfaction level, which directly hampers the productivity level at the workplace. The instances of sexual harassment based on gender inequality are dangerous and unfortunate consequences of gender discrimination. It reveals injustice towards a specific gender and may also lead organisations under legal obligations. The belief that males are better equipped to manage specific jobs underestimates the skills of female employees. The discrimination also shows that men are positioned in the highest-paid jobs while women workers are left with mediocre positions. For example, in 2015, Microsoft faced a lawsuit for gender discrimination where the company's authorities discriminated against female employees in terms of pay and promotion. Even the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, did not respond to the criticisms and argued that women in technical jobs should not ask for higher payment and promotion and should keep faith in a company that they will treat women employees fairly (Wiessner, 2015).
Technological Impact on Workplace Culture Regarding Increased Inequality
Using smartphones, smartwatches, and other advanced technological devices in the workplace developed discrimination issues. The sociological issue of workplace inequality has become more prominent after digitalisation. The limited capabilities of older employees to flexibly use those technologies for work also revealed discrimination based on age. Workplace inequality due to age discrimination in the era of technology may develop a gap in skills and may reflect bias in attitude. According to Wynn (2020), the ideologies shaped by workplace culture are becoming more intense after the digital transformation. Silicon Valley technology companies are trying to accept the change by reducing discrimination based on age and gender. Organisations such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Infosys, and many others are accepting the policies of anti-discrimination. Pregnant women and mothers of newborns cannot cooperate with fast-changing technological operations due to health issues. Similarly, aged employees can also not cope with the fast changes in the digital era, which hampers their performance. It significantly increased the gap between genders and age groups in the workplace.
Sociological Theories in Addressing Inequality
Two significant theories of sociology can be taken into account in order to address the issue of inequality in the workplace. Karl Marx's theory of social inequality represents that a person's economic position entirely depends on the production that defines social class. Karl Marx also segregates the class into two sections which working class and capitalist. According to Karl Marx's theory, if in 8 hours of the working day, a worker takes 2 hours to produce goods equivalent to the wages, then the remaining 6 hours' surplus value goes to the employer (Germov & Poole, 2019). Hence, the division of classes and surplus values can be taken into account by an individual in order to address the scenario of workplace or social inequality. Karl Marx focuses on worker empowerment and, as a peer, the theory that workers should have ownership in controlling their production volume. Hence, empowering people without any factors like gender, age, and others can help society to overcome the issue of inequality in the workplace. Alongside this, Karl Marx also focuses on education and raising awareness among people, with the help of which more informed people can develop different workplace policies that promote equality can be advocated.
Moreover, the Conflict theory of inequality is another crucial theory that can assist in addressing the vital issue of workplace inequality. The main aspects of the theory are that capitalists' economic competition unfairly prefers the rich, which have control over creating a unique system that can work in their favour of them. "Losers" who stay at the bottom of society have little chance to improve their situation (Social Sci Libre Texts, 2018). Thus, the central concept of conflict theory is that inequality occurs due to the control of the rich and social stratification, where a hierarchical arrangement is present in terms of social class and caste. Hence, the approach of the theory can be taken into account in terms of addressing the issue of inequality by examining the broader social injustice beyond the economic disparities. According to the theory, power imbalance should be addressed to obsolete inequality everywhere. Also, the theory focuses on police development through people's welfare, and workers' rights and accessibility can be enhanced to a greater extent.
Conclusion
Inequality in the workplace based on gender and age shows challenges in maintaining an influential work culture. The sociological perspective on the issue of workplace inequality generated ideas that gender discrimination may occur at any age, whereas age discrimination is mainly associated with elderly employees. Lack of clarity in inclusive practices shows a stereotypical attitude of people at the workplace that reflects discrimination. Technologies in modern workplaces also developed challenges for aged employees to accept the changes in the work management process. It has also increased difficulties for pregnant women or new mothers to accept the changes frequently. The solution, such as training and education, may help to promote inclusive practices and teamwork to avoid inequality in the workplace.
References
Andersen, L. L., Jensen, P. H., Meng, A., & Sundstrup, E. (2019). Strong labour market inequality of opportunities at the workplace for supporting a long and healthy work-life: the SeniorWorkingLife study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(18), 3264. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/18/3264/pdf
Azmat, G., Hensvik, L., & Rosenqvist, O. (2022). Workplace presenteeism, job substitutability and gender inequality. Journal of Human Resources, 1121-12014R2. https://jhr.uwpress.org/content/wpjhr/early/2022/11/01/jhr.1121-12014R2.full.pdf
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