PHILOSOPHY TERM PROJECT

TOPIC: ISSUES OF JUSTICE IN SOCIETY

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: ASIM MUBASSHIR
GROUP MEMBERS:
MUSTAFA NAQVI

NOMAN AZHAR

KUMAIL HUSSAIN

BRIAN JOSEPH
 - ACKNOWLEDGEMENT -
We are thankful to Almighty Allah for giving us this opportunity
so that we can complete our project in a successful manner.
Secondly, we are grateful to our course facilitator Sir Asim
Mubasshir for giving us such an opportunity to explore our
talent and for immense help and encouragement. We
acknowledge that without his guidance and concepts clearing
we couldn’t have completed this project effectively.
GENDER INEQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE

- A MATTER OF SOCIAL JUSTICE -

Introduction:
The workplace has sometimes been referred to
as an inhospitable place for women due to the
multiple forms of gender inequalities present.
Some examples of how workplace
discrimination negatively affects women’s
earnings and opportunities are the gender
wage gap, the dearth of women in leadership,
and the longer time required for women (vs.
men) to advance in their careers. In other words, workplace discrimination
contributes to women’s lower socio-economic status. Importantly, such
discrimination against women largely can be attributed to human resources (HR)
policies and HR-related decision-making. Furthermore, when employees interact
with organizational decision makers during HR practices, or when they are told
the outcomes of HR-related decisions, they may experience personal
discrimination in the form of sexist comments. Both the objective disadvantages
of lower pay, status, and opportunities at work, and the subjective experiences of
being stigmatized, affect women’s psychological and physical stress, mental and
physical health, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and ultimately, their
performance.
Every day, in every country in the world, women are confronted by discrimination
and inequality. They face violence, abuse, and unequal treatment at home, at
work, and in their wider communities – and are denied opportunities to learn,
earn, and lead.
Women are the majority of those living in poverty. They have fewer resources,
less power, and less influence compared to men, and can experience further
inequality because of their class, ethnicity, and age, as well as religious and other
fundamentalism.
Let’s face it: from giving birth to a child, managing a family, preparing food, raising
a child, and trying to find time for exercise and friends, women do everything
without complaining. A woman has to prove herself each day, and still, she is
treated as “less than” in the workforce. Despite juggling with all the crazy life
demands, women make the world go round. 
Although, over the years, the world has gotten a bit closer to achieving gender
equality. Now there is a better representation of women in politics, more
economic opportunities, and better healthcare in many parts of the world.
However, according to the World Economic Forum, it will take another century
before gender equality becomes a reality.
 Gender Inequality In Girls’ Education

Even before the pandemic, girls were more likely than boys to never set foot in a
classroom and be denied equal opportunities. Conflict, poverty, and other forms
of social disadvantage also magnify gender inequality in education. Girls living in
countries affected by conflict, for example, are 2.5 times more likely to be out of
school than boys. Some 9.7 million children were at risk of being forced out of
school by the end of 2020, with girls facing an increased risk.
Pakistan is positioned fourth-worst in the world for gender parity in the 2021
Global Gender Gap Report. In terms of educational attainment, Pakistan is ranked
144th out of 156 countries in the report. Pakistan’s entire education system has a
13 percent gender disparity in enrollment. In addition, just 46.5 percent of
women are literate, 61.6 percent attended primary school, 34.2 percent attained
high school, and 8.3 percent attended tertiary education. The report further
revealed that Pakistan will need 136 years to bridge the gender disparity at its
present rate of progress. There are insufficient government schools for children,
or those that are available are inaccessible to schoolchildren. The situation is
significantly worse in Pakistan’s rural areas, where schools lack essentials such as
water, power, and other educational necessities.
When gender inequality in education rises, it has an impact on a family’s
socioeconomic position. While on the macro level, gender disparities in education
lead to the underutilization of human capital, which has the potential to stifle
economic growth. As a corollary, the government should reassess its laws and
norms in order to expeditiously bridge the gender gap. Explicitly, women’s
education improves social objectives like educating the coming generation,
preventing child mortality, reducing fertility, and enhancing child nutrition. On the
flip side, such social goals have a progressive impact on the economy, for
instance, reducing poverty, improving labor productivity, and human
development, and eventually driving economic growth.
In a nutshell, improved gender parity and women’s participation in economic
activities are strongly tied to social and economic progress. Women’s education,
health, and autonomy are essential for human development and long-term
stability. Pakistan tends to lag in all critical parameters.

Causes of Gender Inequality at Work

With increased publicity and discussion around the inequalities women face in the
workplace, there remains a tremendous amount of work to be done to close the
gender gap. Here are some of the major causes of gender inequality in the
workplace.

Unequal Pay 
According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “women earn 49 cents
for every dollar men earn.” Even women have to take time off from work or leave
work to shoulder the demands of raising children or other family obligations.
More than half of women leave the workforce within a year, which is twice the
rate of men.

Sexual Harassment 
Sexual Harassment is the biggest threat many women face in the workplace.
According to a survey by a non-profit organization, Stop Street Harassment, “38%
of women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, and 81%
reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment in their life that includes
verbal and physical assault.”

Less Promotion 
Yet, being more educated and hard-working, women are less often promoted to
higher positions than men. Gender biases work against women on the
professional front. Historically, it was believed that men belong at work and
women belong in the kitchen. This resulted in men dominating the workplace,
which has resulted in the underestimation of women’s talent and hard work.

Bias Against Mothers 

Giving birth to a life is the greatest gift given by nature to a woman, but
sometimes it impacts the professional life of women. A working mother is
expected to work like she doesn't have a kid and raise a kid as if she doesn’t have
work. Therefore, this is the root cause of gender inequality in the workplace. 
Motherhood makes women choose between work and family, and eventually, a
woman leaves work and chooses family. According to a study published in the
American Journal of Sociology, “mothers are 79% less likely to be hired 100%, less
likely to be promoted, and are offered a lower salary.” 
The conclusion is that it is believed that a woman’s dedication to family and
childcare makes her less committed and unable to put in long working hours
compared to her male colleagues, especially at high-level jobs.

Solutions & Recommendations:

Every woman, once in a lifetime, experiences gender inequality in the workplace.
But as we say, every problem has a solution. We can begin to make a significant
difference in bridging the gap. We can start by implementing the below pointers:
 Educating the employees about unintentional gender bias.
Everyone can have unconscious biases and prejudices about people or groups.
Educate managers to make them aware of these hidden biases towards minorities
so that they can actively avoid discriminatory behavior and make more informed
decisions to promote gender equality.
 Appointing diverse interviews to hire more deserving candidates
Train interviewers so that they hire employees based on talent, skills, and
intelligence regardless of their gender.
 Giving employees the flexibility to work
The pandemic has proven that remote work is equally, if not more, productive.
Provide flexibility in when and where employees can work. For women, this
flexibility in work hours can prove to be a “critical enabler” of retention in the
workforce because it allows them to maintain a work-life balance.
 Taking care of their mental health. 
Make mental fitness part of the company culture by modeling empathy and
training managers to be more empathetic. Offer personalized support to meet
women where they are at and help them grow in their careers.
 Offering paid parental leave
Paid time off to nurture a new child has immense health and career benefits.
Establish generous policies for maternity leave, with a minimum of four months.
Provide separate parental leave for fathers, like in Sweden and Iceland, to
encourage men to take time off and share in household responsibilities as well as
let women back into the workforce.
 Empowering women through sessions
Provide women with regular coaching sessions so they can build skills and
develop the mindsets they need to thrive, especially in leadership roles. 
 Giving honest feedback to leaders on their gender bias attitude
If a leader shows stereotypical gender biases, point them out and educate them.
 By making salaries transparent and equal
Conduct a company-wide audit to ensure that men and women in the same roles
get paid equally. Use the findings to adjust salaries and close any gender wage
gaps.
 Provide development opportunities to enable women to transition to
higher-skilled roles
Provide women with opportunities to learn new skills and become more tech-
savvy. which could lead them to more productive and better-paying work.
Prioritizing women’s advancement has many benefits for organizations, too,
including high revenue growth, more innovation, and increased customer
satisfaction.

- CONCLUSION -
Gender inequality in the workplace is a concerning issue of social justice; women
all over the world face obstacles in their professional lives. Whether it is a lack of
education, a gender pay gap, harassment, or any other issue, most women tend
to remain silent and allow themselves to be neglected. However, as a society, we
should fully empower them, ensuring that such practices do not continue, and
motivating them to prosper and succeed.