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RECOMMENDATION REPORT ON REDUCING GENDER GAP IN THE WORKPLACE

Introduction

Gender equality can be achieved when people of both genders enjoy the same rewards, bonuses, payments, opportunities as well as resources irrespective of whether they are men or women. Countries such as Australia have made tremendous progress towards gender equality, especially in areas such as education (Milkman, 2016). In spite of this, women have continued to earn less in comparison to men. As a result, they continue to remain poor. In some cases, men find it hard to access flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies than men. The main objective of gender equality in the workplace is to ensure there are equal outcomes for both men and women and not the same outcomes for both genders. To achieve this, workplaces ought to offer equal participation and pay for both men and women as well as eliminate cases of discrimination of either gender. Several intervention methods can help eliminate gender inequality in the workplace. This recommendation report aims to compare two of the most effective approaches to eliminate gender inequality in the workplace for a government department in Germany.

Recommendation 1: Evaluation and Standardization of Pay.

To find the best approach to this issue, it is important to understand two of the most effective methods, after which the best will be chosen after comparing them. The first approach to eliminate gender inequality in the workplace is to ensure there is evaluation and standardization in terms of pay (Czymara et al., 2020). Based on the same amount of work, women often earn less, which accounts for the large gender pay gap. This is common in sports, such as football where women complain that men earn more even though the amount of effort put in is almost equal, which is replicated in most companies. To eliminate this, the department needs to evaluate the pay structures to harmonize compensations and remove any discrepancies. To ensure this is achieved, there is a need for women in your department to earn equal pay and promotions just like men. There is a need to ensure your department develops compensation systems that promote equal pay for equal work.

Recommendation 2: Implementation of Gender Neutral Recruitment Processes

Another solution to attain gender equality in your department is by implementing gender-neutral recruitment processes. These processes should be fair for both men and women. You ought to avoid using adjectives such as "determined" and "competitive" which have proven to give men an undue advantage over women during recruitment processes (Kalev & Deutsch, 2018). However, adjectives such as “cooperative” and collaborative” tend to give women an advantage over men. You ought to avoid such adjectives to provide a level playground for both genders during recruitment. In addition to this, you ought to recruit from more diverse backgrounds. When recruiting men, it is also important to consider recruiting women in the same fields to ensure there is a balance. Attaining gender equality at the workplace is a process that starts from recruitment down to company and national policies (Dashper, 2019). Therefore, achieving gender equality during recruitment is important in achieving gender equality in the workplace in the long run.

Comparison of Approaches Based on Effectiveness and Public Acceptance

In my view, these two approaches provide the best solution to this issue. In coming up with the best of them, it is important to compare them based on effectiveness and public acceptance. The first solution can be considered as the step in the right direction in achieving gender inequality in the workplace. Proponents of this approach argue that it helps in improving the overall working conditions for women, makes sense from a justice perspective and ensures there is a reduced gender gap (Van der Lippe et al, 2019). However, with this approach, outstanding performance is not rewarded because people are paid equally and hence hard work does not pay off, which affects productivity. In addition to this, men and women have different weaknesses and strengths; hence, it may not make sense to pay both men and women equally. Therefore, this approach, despite being one of the solutions to this issue, may not be effective. On the other hand, implementing gender equality from the recruitment stage is more effective considering people are recruited based on meritocracy, hence, only the best are recruited. Additionally, more people feel this is the best approach because recruitment processes are often fair and open in the country. Therefore, the second approach, to me, is the best.

Conclusion

In conclusion, gender inequality is an international issue that needs to be addressed, and this must start from your department. There is a need for you to come up with solutions to this issue. Research shows that women make 22% of the parliamentary and ministerial roles. They take up a paltry 15% in terms of board seats. In addition to this, 70% of people in the world think men are better suited for careers while women are suited for responsibilities at home. There is a need to address this. To me, the best approach is the implementation of gender equality from the recruitment stage. This is effective because these processes are open and free for all. Additionally, people are recruited based on meritocracy leading to only the best being recruited.

References

Czymara, C. S., Langenkamp, A., & Cano, T. (2020). Cause for concerns: Gender inequality in experiencing the COVID-19 lockdown in Germany. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/bxm9g

Dashper, K. (2019). Challenging the gendered rhetoric of success? The limitations of women‐only mentoring for tackling gender inequality in the workplace. Gender, Work & Organization, 26(4), 541-557.

Kalev, A., & Deutsch, G. (2018). Gender inequality and workplace organizations: understanding reproduction and change. Handbook of the Sociology of Gender, 257-269.

Milkman, R. (2016). On gender, labor, and inequality. https://doi.org/10.5406/illinois/9780252040320.001.0001

Van der Lippe, T., Van Breeschoten, L., & Van Hek, M. (2019). Organizational work–life policies and the gender wage gap in European workplaces. Work and Occupations, 46(2), 111-148.