Women as Change Agents

Most business leaders and employers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of workplace flexibility with the increasing number of jobseekers who would prefer to work on a flexible schedule rather than work in a highly paying job with a tight schedule. Therefore, more and more employers are seeking options and programs to implement workplace flexibility in their organizations.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Women as Change Agents specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, there is a notable gap in workplace flexibility between men and women. In fact, some business leaders such as Kathleen Christensen believe that flexibility for women in the workplace is a social and structural issue. This is a fact considering that the traditional workplace was designed to fit the male workers because they could afford to work full-time without taking breaks to attend to other social imperatives such as care-givin g responsibilities (Richard Heffiner’s Open Mind, 2005, para. 3). Furthermore, most career paths were designed in such a way that people got employed in their early twenties, advanced through ranks, and retired in their sixties. This type of career path does not fit the needs of parents especially women who are currently contributing to almost half of the workforce. In the long run, people end up working for 80 hours and over while neglecting important social responsibilities such as child rearing, cooking, and cleaning. Therefore, it is obvious that this workplace structure does not fit the working parents, and hence, it is important to allow more flexibility in jobs in order to enable parents attend to other equally important matters (Richard Heffner’s Open Mind, 2005, para. 2-6). On the other hand, various factors underlie the historical trends in women’s flexibility in the workplace. According to Domenico and Jones (2006, p. 1), women have been subjects of c riticism throughout history with some critics viewing working women as immoral, unfeminine, objects of pity, and negligent mothers. Therefore, for a woman, having a career was a challenge considering their responsibilities and duties as mothers and wives, which could compromise their professional responsibilities. Because of these simultaneous work-family demands, it was difficult for most women to put their career aspirations first, and thus, their careers were significantly affected (Domenico Jones, 2006, p. 1).Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, despite most women joining the workforce in large numbers over the years, their success in achieving career goals and objectives have been dwarfed by different factors including working in low-paying and less flexible jobs such as sales, nursing, social work, and teaching; or remaining in some conventional careers that could only afford them inflexible job opportunities. These factors are also closely related to stereotypical occupational roles designated to the male and female genders, which subsequently cause discrepancies in income, opportunities for growth, and career advancements between the two genders (Domenico Jones, 2006, pp. 2-7). Accordingly, two schools of thought have arose in an attempt to highlight the factors affecting women’s pay (gender wage gap) in the workforce while taking note that women are likely to earn about two-thirds of what is paid to males with comparable qualifications and experience (Domenico Jones, 2006, p. 1). According to the human capital explanation, women are bound to earn less because their labor and hence productivity are divided between the family and work in comparison to men. Thus, the family responsibilities influence the working woman’s decisions when it comes to investing in education and devoting time to professional work. For exa mple, since women are expected to remain in the workforce for fewer years compared to men, it is obvious that they will invest less in obtaining work-related skills. Overall, less investment in work-related skills, lower productivity, discontinuous work history, and skill depreciation among most working women are the main factors driving the discrepancies in wages between women and men (Levine, 2003, p. 9). On the other hand, the discrimination school of thought holds that the work-related variables and sex segregation determine the gender wage gap. For example, men and women are bound to be clustered into different occupational groups whose pay grades are different. Hence, since most women are excluded from well-paying jobs through occupational segregation, their pay is also low compared to men (Levine, 2003, p. 11). The underlying factors affecting women’s workplace flexibility and income notwithstanding, the number of working women is projected to increase in the next 10 y ears considering that most women are venturing into the once male-dominated careers such as finance, construction, and engineering. The same trend can also be noted from the rising number of women-owned firms and businesses most of which are non-farm businesses.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Women as Change Agents specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These businesses have been contributing a significant percentage of revenues generated from non-farm businesses in America while employing more than 7 million workers. Therefore, it is hereby hypothesized that as more and more employers fail to meet the flexibility requirements of most working women, more and more career women will turn to women-owned businesses, which have shown a solid growth according to statistics taken in 1997-2002. Therefore, most employer firms are challenged to embrace workplace flexibility in their organizations if at all they are to rec ruit and retain talented and experienced workers especially the career women in the contemporary society (Levine, 2003, pp. 13-19). References Domenico, D.M., Jones, K.H. (2006). Career aspirations of women in the 20th Century. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 22(2), 1-7. Levine, L. (2003). The gender wage gap and pay equity: Is comparable worth the next step? USA: The Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service. Richard Heffner’s Open Mind. (2005). Women as change agents in America, Part I. The Thirteen Editorial Services. Web. This case study on Women as Change Agents was written and submitted by user Frederick Marquez to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Quotes That Reveal the Most Hate Around Us

Quotes That Reveal the Most Hate Around Us Hatred is a powerful emotion. Unless kept in check, hate can cause an avalanche of destruction. It wreaks havoc on relationships, breaks up families and even takes innocent lives. It preys on civil societies. With hate, dark thoughts of revenge and destruction can cloud the mind. These quotes illuminate this most devastating and destructive emotion that has been with man throughout time and illuminated in religious texts as well as pop culture. Famous Quotes on Hate Jonathan SwiftWe have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another. Kurt TucholskyThose who hate most fervently must have once loved deeply; those who want to deny the world must have once embraced what they now set on fire. Maya Angelouâ€Å"Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.†Ã‚   Coretta Scott KingHate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated. Oprah WinfreyYou cannot hate other people without hating yourself. George Bernard ShawHatred is the cowards revenge for being intimidated. William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatraâ€Å"In time we hate that which we often fear.†Ã‚   Rene DescartesIt is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve, and bad things are very easy to get. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it. â€Å"Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.†Ã‚   Napoleon BonaparteA true man hates no one. Lord ByronHatred is the madness of the heart. AristotleTo enjoy the things we ought, and to hate the things we ought, has the greatest bearing on excellence of character. Stephen KingMonsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win. Victoria WolffHate is not a good counselor. Charles Caleb ColtonWe hate some persons because we do not know them, and we will not know them because we hate them. Sir Walter RaleighHatreds are the cinders of affection. Zsa Zsa GaborI never hated a man enough to give him his diamonds back. Arnold SchopenhauerHatred comes from the heart; contempt from the head; and neither feeling is quite within our control. Henry Ward BeecherThere is no faculty of the human soul so persistent and universal as that of hatred. Kathleen NorrisHate is all a lie; there is no truth in hate. George EliotHatred is like fire - it makes even light rubbish deadly. Henry Emerson FosdickHating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. Ivy CullerHate less; live longer. John Steinbeckâ€Å"Try to understand men. If you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and almost always leads to love.†