Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Essay

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management - Essay Example They needed to disprove men’s suspicions that they could be efficient workers. Men were surprised at the skills women were learning at such a fast rate that they were usually at a loss as to what orders to give them. Women were initially trained to the same standard as men, but employers eventually didn’t want to hire fully trained women because they received better pay, which upset the trained male workers, causing friction in the workplace. The government tried to remedy this problem by reducing the length of training courses for women, which inevitably resulted in the occurrence of work-based accidents among women. The government also entered into the ‘relaxation agreements’ with trade unionists, which stated that women could undertake men’s jobs as long as they were regarded as temporary and were paid the same as men. The predominantly male trade unions, therefore, initially looked like they truly wanted equal pay and equality for women, but in r eality, they were merely trying to protect the traditional working rights of men. Yet, when faced with discrimination, the majority of women continued to work hard to gain their superiors’ respect and often carried out their jobs to a higher standard than their male equivalents (Trueman, 2000). The new millennium has ushered overwhelming changes that call for the empowerment of men and women alike to contribute to globalization efforts. Women, in particular, have seen the change in their roles more dramatically than in the past centuries. The most salient change is their joining the workforce and even climbing up the hierarchy to positions in organizations that were previously reserved for men. However, sexual stereotypes passed on from generation to generation seem to dictate that women have no place in the workforce and their rightful place is at home, caring for their family. Thus, some work places may not be too accepting of the empowerment of women in employment and may strip them of their dignity to make them realize that they do not belong there. In the United Kingdom, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (amended 1986 and in the Employment Act 1989) makes it unlawful to discriminate in terms of gender who is offered the job; opportunities for promotion, transfer and training. (Equal Opportunities Management Guidelines, 2006). The Gender Equality Duty, which is included in the new law as of April 2007, requires public entities to remove sex discrimination and facilitate equality in all their services, policies, and employment and recruitment practices (Thompsons Solicitors, 2012). Presently, women now can occupy positions even in professions considered male-dominated. Many researchers try to prove that women are more responsible and hard working and can perform with more efficiency than their male counterparts. However, there appears to be a constant conflict between mutually beneficial relationships and contemporary situations, where males dominate t he social, political and professional spheres (Taylor, Kemeny, Reed, Bower, & Grunewald, 2000). Many women claim that they have fewer opportunities to succeed in their work than men do and have to exert greater effort in order to be promoted in their jobs. Men are more readily employed and more supported by their employers than women (Bergman, 2003). Research funded by the European Commission showed that generally women who work full-time, receive only three-fourths of the hourly earnings of men.