Thursday, June 30, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Women and Job Equality
The need for social and legal, justice has been expressed for centuries in one form or
another. It has been called upon to give adults the right to work and children the right not to
work. Specific concrete steps must be taken to alter discriminatory environments and
Promote the principles of fairness and equality. This paper will introduce affirmative action as a remedy to the gross inequalities inflicted upon women in the workforce by ( 1 ) examining the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, ( 2 ) exploring job equity and social goals ( 3 ) examining job equity programs ( 4 ) examining how to put designated groups into leadership positions
Examination of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Royal Commission on the Status of Women
The Royal Commission on the status of women was reported in 1970. Four underlying principles were stated in the introductory section; the first principle was that women should be free to choose whether or not to take employment outside their homes. It recognized women's double role, noted the validity of both sectors of it, and gave women the right to autonomous decisions about their choices. The second principle stated that the care of children is a responsibility to be shared by the mother father and society. The third principle was that society has a responsibility for women because of pregnancy and child birth, and special treatment related to maternity will be necessary, recognition of women's biological specificity and its value. Finally, the report specifically noted in the fourth principle the existence of discrimination and the need for affirmative action in order to counteract its consequences: in certain areas women will for an interim period, require special treatment to overcome the adverse effects of discriminatory practises ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The employment equity act was legislated by the Mulroney government in response to a November 1984 recommendation of the Royal Commission on Equity in Employment. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms contains two sex-equality provisions, however there are three sections 15(1 ), section 15(2 ). Subsection ( 1 ) and section 28.
Section 15 ( 1 ): Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
Section 15 ( 2 ). Subsection ( 1 ): Does not preclude and law program of activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions for disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
Section 28: Notwithstanding anything in this Charter, the rights and freedoms referred to in it are guaranteed to male and female persons ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
However, there are two significant limitations on this mandate. In the first place, it applies only to legislation and not to everyday relationships, many but not all of which are governed by the non discrimination provisions in federal and provincial human rights codes. Secondly, the Charter nowhere defines "equality" which leaves the task of resolving any disagreements that may arise about meaning and practical application of these two new Charter sex-equality provisions with the courts ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
The importance of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms arises from the fact that they are fruits of historical struggles against women's rights. Therefore, they represent a certain Canadian consensus regarding the values to be promoted and a common norm to be observed through concerted actions among the Canadian people. Similarity, the fight for fairness in dealing with child labour can be unilaterally compared to the women's movement to achieve equality in the workforce in Canada. Although the fight against child labour will not be won through legislation, it certainly cannot be won without it. Child labour laws are essential to deal with the worst forms of child work where they exist and provide minimum levels of protection where child labour is unavoidable. Such laws play a catalytic and supportive role in efforts to establish more humane order and in prodding society to give the child the best it has to offer
( Bequele, Myers, 1995 ). The Charter of Rights and Freedoms has forced women's rights to be recognized especially since 1984. Despite the Charter gross violations of women's rights in the workplace, is a fact of life. Without proper monitoring and enforcement the charter is simply a useless piece of paper. Without proper monitoring and enforcement, this valuable piece of legislation is without any real authority and still leaves women without any protection from exploitation in the workforce. For this reason the arguments against affirmative action are inconsistent with democracy and social justice.
Historically, there has been a shift in emphasis of discrimination as an intentional and individual matter to an intentional feature of institutionalized corporate behaviour. The sad part of this is that prior to 1984, historically, women had to behave as men in order to fit into the male dominated society. Weight and height restrictions were commonly enforced by some shops prior to the 1980's ( Daly, 1999 ).
Due to historic systematic discrimination of organizations and sensitivity to diversity efforts, women have been excluded from top leadership positions in organizations. In Canada, equity in the workforce is every body’s right, women have been excluded from top leadership positions in organizations. Equity in the workplace is everybody's right, women should be established as leaders in organizations to ensure the Canadian Charter of Rights.
Job Equity and Social Goals
Other justifications for job equity programs are to promote public welfare. Due to past discrimination, a high correlation between race and poverty now exists. Today women, on average, earn only about 65 percent of what men earn. And while women's union membership has increased in the past few years, women still make up only 40 percent of all unionized workers Their jobs tend to remain concentrated in the clerical, sales, and service sectors ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ). Women have always been systematically excluded from better paying and more prestigious jobs, they have become impoverished. This impoverishment has led to a lack of self respect, resentment, social unhappiness and crime.
Another negative development has been an increase in the number of jobs women are expected to accomplish. Susan McDaniel, her examination of the changing Canadian family, shows not only how labour-force participation has resulted in additional work for most women, but also how there has been no corresponding reduction in domestic labour. Many of the new recruits into the workforce are women ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ). Public welfare, therefore, must be promoted with special education and employment opportunities targeted towards women.
Statistics show that jobs are in fact distributed by sex. Whether we compare average incomes, proportional representation in the highest economic positions, or proportional representation in the lowest economic positions, women are not equal to white males, nor have the last few years seen a narrowing of the racial and sexual gaps ( Ferrell & Fraedrich,1994 ). The principles of distributive justice should be used to eliminate these criteria from all job positions, particularly leaders. Discriminating by sex is contrary to the employment equity act.
Women do not have equal job opportunities. Traditional hiring practises have limited the number of women allowed to pursue leadership positions. Prejudice has been primarily taken and practised by white males who evaluate job applicants ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ). The second goal of job equity is to neutralize conscious and unconscious bias so that women would have equal access to lead in business.
Job Equity Programs
In order to rectify past discrimination, many companies have instituted job equity programs. They were designed to achieve a higher representation of designated groups that are currently under represented. In order to rectify the effects of past discrimination, many employers have instituted equity programs designed to achieve a more representative distribution of minorities and women within the firm by giving preference to women and minorities ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ).
An acceptable job equity program must include good faith efforts in order to correct deficiencies and to increase minorities and women at all levels and segments of the workforce. Under utilization would be defined as fewer minorities and women in a particular job classification than would be reasonably expected according to their availability.
Some people would criticize the fact that an institution is discriminatory when a minority group is under represented. Discrimination only exists when we know that a specific instance exists. The problem with this criticism is that it is impossible to know whether a specific individual was discriminated against or not ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ). People compete for jobs and promotions. There are many chance factors involved, how interviews happen to see them, who their competitors happen to be, how this person happened to perform in critical moments. When a minority individual loses in this competitive process there is no way of knowing if the individual's loss was due to competition for the job, or is a systematic discrimination. The only possible way of knowing if there is a systematic discrimination, is by looking at the whole group of minorities. If a minority group regularly loses out in the competition process in which their abilities match that of their competitors, non minority group, we can conclude that the process is systematically discriminatory.
Compensatory justice, implies that people have an obligation to compensate those whom they intentionally and unjustly wronged ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ). Designated groups have not been traditionally considered for leadership positions. However, now programs are being set up for preferential treatment to provide compensation for their wrong doing. Although this may seem logical, there is opposition to compensatory justice. The argument is that compensation should only be given to those individuals who were actually discriminated against in the past. Since this type of equity program usually benefits all members of a minority group, it is unfair. Some people believe these programs would hinder every white male regardless of whether he himself specifically discriminated against someone in the past or not. In essence, the argument is people who must pay for these injuries to minorities are usually not the ones who inflict them.
In favour of Equity Programs is Martin Redish. He writes: "It must be argued that whether or not the ( white males ) of this country have themselves practised in the acts of discrimination, they have been the beneficiaries conscious or unconscious of a fundamentally racist society. They thus may be held independently liable to suppressed minorities for a form of enrichment ( Redish, 1972 ).
Women and minorities have been systematically discriminated against for years and deserve retribution for these injustices. Groups of women and other groups of minorities who are always at risk of discriminatory practises in organizations, are very aware that very specific concrete steps must be taken to alter discriminatory environments and promote the principles of fairness.
How to Put Designated Groups into Leadership Positions
Due to history and sensitivity issues, many certain principles and diversity efforts are ignored. This section is devoted to a 5 step procedure that will put women into leadership positions ( Morrison, 1992 )..
( 1 ) Discover the problems in your organization by collecting information. Statistics on promotions, salaries and bonuses can be obtained from company records to determine if certain women have been discriminated against. Survey, focus groups, individuals and experiences can expose subtle differences in getting access to developmental opportunities and being fairly evaluated by supervisors. A combination of statistics and perceptions will help target problems. An investigation of the organization should be done by a diverse team represented by women that serve in all functions and levels of organizations, including white males. The team might decide and an ethics consultant might also be helpful ( Morrison, 1992 ).
( 2 ) Strengthen upper management commitment to diversity efforts. Commitment from top executives must exist. The finding from the investigation usually increases upper management's commitment because now they are aware the problem exists. Awareness is the first step.
( 3 ) Select practises to fit a balanced strategy. This step involves picking diversity practises that are strategically effective for all organizations. There are three elements. The first element is education. Making employees aware of the value of diversity. Helping women obtain skills, experiences and credentials essential for promotions is important. Training programs, rational assignments, mentors, performance feedback tools should be extensively used ( Morrison, 1992 ).
A second element of diversity is enforcement. The need to reward and reinforce the education that is taking place. Awareness by itself is not enough. In order to change behaviour, incentives must be set up to change how employees treat each other. Merit, pay criteria selection and promotion procedures will help encourage employees to devote more time and energy to employment equity goals.
The third element involves exposing managers to talented non-traditional. This way, managers are shown false stereotypes of women because they haven't had much contact with them. Recruitment practises for jobs can provide exposure to women at every level where diversity efforts are aimed. Executive levels where key management positions are filled with women are essential role models. Since women have not been represented in society's prestigious positions, women have no role models in order to motivate them to compete for such positions as young white males have ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ). Getting to know and like a non-traditional can make senior management for diversity and can enhance education efforts and help enforce policies for diversity. The mix of practices selected in our diversity effort should give non traditional managers an appropriate level of challenge that will stimulate a continuous learning. Motivation and adequate recognition and support should sustain the non-traditional over the long term. Imbalances seem to be a problem with these three elements. This may explain why non-traditional with high potential seem to burn out before they have reached their full potential( Morrison, 1992 ).
( 4 ) Demand results and revisit goals. What gets measured gets done. Simply monitoring is not enough. The Canadian, government requires companies to meet Job Equity guidelines. An organization might also look at increased representation in key functional areas such as senior management positions. An organization might keep a close eye on certain high potential women to be sure they are getting appropriate and outside training.
A model organization would use personal statistics, information about employee satisfaction with work and career. Prospects and other aspects of organizations should be collected to go purely beyond a statistical description of multicultural organizations. Demanding results and revisiting goals set forth for diversity is essential. There is no substitute for hard numerical evidence ( Morrison, 1992 ).
( 5 ) Use building blocks to maintain momentum. This step involves capitalizing on characteristics of an organization to encourage continued success in a diversity effort. For example, an organization with a strong sense of job rotation of developing managers would use this same rotation to develop managers in job diversity.
Another way to use building blocks is to publicize success that has been achieved in the diversity effort. One example is a manager who sends out a report every two or three months and reminds people of the diversity effort and details the progress that has been made. Building on diversity means that progress is being made with women. Putting them in prestigious positions may represent a head start with dealing with employees, customers, vendors and partners on a global basis ( Morrison, 1992 ).
Conclusion
After four decades of economic, political and social changes, women are by no means equal partners with men in economic or family life. Women are still primarily responsible for providing or finding child care and taking care of domestic chores. Thus most women's economic fortunes still depend far too much on men's fortunes ( Albelta, Tilly, 1997 ). According to Professor Daly it's the lenses people wear that cloud society’s view of women and how women view themselves. Women's work is never recognized, in politics Hilary Clinton and Kim Cambel are just fill in's until they are replaced by other white male politicians.
Personally my experience at Chryslers for the last years has taught me that affirmative action, although may not be the total answer to women's problems, it is partial solution. The aggressive pursuit of diversity goals consistent with job equity programs has established women in non traditional jobs. Hopefully this will eventually break the old boys club in top management and will allow women in. Furthermore, the principles of compensatory and distributive justice along with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, makes it illegal and immoral to discriminate against women.
another. It has been called upon to give adults the right to work and children the right not to
work. Specific concrete steps must be taken to alter discriminatory environments and
Promote the principles of fairness and equality. This paper will introduce affirmative action as a remedy to the gross inequalities inflicted upon women in the workforce by ( 1 ) examining the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, ( 2 ) exploring job equity and social goals ( 3 ) examining job equity programs ( 4 ) examining how to put designated groups into leadership positions
Examination of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Royal Commission on the Status of Women
The Royal Commission on the status of women was reported in 1970. Four underlying principles were stated in the introductory section; the first principle was that women should be free to choose whether or not to take employment outside their homes. It recognized women's double role, noted the validity of both sectors of it, and gave women the right to autonomous decisions about their choices. The second principle stated that the care of children is a responsibility to be shared by the mother father and society. The third principle was that society has a responsibility for women because of pregnancy and child birth, and special treatment related to maternity will be necessary, recognition of women's biological specificity and its value. Finally, the report specifically noted in the fourth principle the existence of discrimination and the need for affirmative action in order to counteract its consequences: in certain areas women will for an interim period, require special treatment to overcome the adverse effects of discriminatory practises ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The employment equity act was legislated by the Mulroney government in response to a November 1984 recommendation of the Royal Commission on Equity in Employment. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms contains two sex-equality provisions, however there are three sections 15(1 ), section 15(2 ). Subsection ( 1 ) and section 28.
Section 15 ( 1 ): Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
Section 15 ( 2 ). Subsection ( 1 ): Does not preclude and law program of activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions for disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
Section 28: Notwithstanding anything in this Charter, the rights and freedoms referred to in it are guaranteed to male and female persons ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
However, there are two significant limitations on this mandate. In the first place, it applies only to legislation and not to everyday relationships, many but not all of which are governed by the non discrimination provisions in federal and provincial human rights codes. Secondly, the Charter nowhere defines "equality" which leaves the task of resolving any disagreements that may arise about meaning and practical application of these two new Charter sex-equality provisions with the courts ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ).
The importance of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms arises from the fact that they are fruits of historical struggles against women's rights. Therefore, they represent a certain Canadian consensus regarding the values to be promoted and a common norm to be observed through concerted actions among the Canadian people. Similarity, the fight for fairness in dealing with child labour can be unilaterally compared to the women's movement to achieve equality in the workforce in Canada. Although the fight against child labour will not be won through legislation, it certainly cannot be won without it. Child labour laws are essential to deal with the worst forms of child work where they exist and provide minimum levels of protection where child labour is unavoidable. Such laws play a catalytic and supportive role in efforts to establish more humane order and in prodding society to give the child the best it has to offer
( Bequele, Myers, 1995 ). The Charter of Rights and Freedoms has forced women's rights to be recognized especially since 1984. Despite the Charter gross violations of women's rights in the workplace, is a fact of life. Without proper monitoring and enforcement the charter is simply a useless piece of paper. Without proper monitoring and enforcement, this valuable piece of legislation is without any real authority and still leaves women without any protection from exploitation in the workforce. For this reason the arguments against affirmative action are inconsistent with democracy and social justice.
Historically, there has been a shift in emphasis of discrimination as an intentional and individual matter to an intentional feature of institutionalized corporate behaviour. The sad part of this is that prior to 1984, historically, women had to behave as men in order to fit into the male dominated society. Weight and height restrictions were commonly enforced by some shops prior to the 1980's ( Daly, 1999 ).
Due to historic systematic discrimination of organizations and sensitivity to diversity efforts, women have been excluded from top leadership positions in organizations. In Canada, equity in the workforce is every body’s right, women have been excluded from top leadership positions in organizations. Equity in the workplace is everybody's right, women should be established as leaders in organizations to ensure the Canadian Charter of Rights.
Job Equity and Social Goals
Other justifications for job equity programs are to promote public welfare. Due to past discrimination, a high correlation between race and poverty now exists. Today women, on average, earn only about 65 percent of what men earn. And while women's union membership has increased in the past few years, women still make up only 40 percent of all unionized workers Their jobs tend to remain concentrated in the clerical, sales, and service sectors ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ). Women have always been systematically excluded from better paying and more prestigious jobs, they have become impoverished. This impoverishment has led to a lack of self respect, resentment, social unhappiness and crime.
Another negative development has been an increase in the number of jobs women are expected to accomplish. Susan McDaniel, her examination of the changing Canadian family, shows not only how labour-force participation has resulted in additional work for most women, but also how there has been no corresponding reduction in domestic labour. Many of the new recruits into the workforce are women ( Burt, Code, Dorney, 1993 ). Public welfare, therefore, must be promoted with special education and employment opportunities targeted towards women.
Statistics show that jobs are in fact distributed by sex. Whether we compare average incomes, proportional representation in the highest economic positions, or proportional representation in the lowest economic positions, women are not equal to white males, nor have the last few years seen a narrowing of the racial and sexual gaps ( Ferrell & Fraedrich,1994 ). The principles of distributive justice should be used to eliminate these criteria from all job positions, particularly leaders. Discriminating by sex is contrary to the employment equity act.
Women do not have equal job opportunities. Traditional hiring practises have limited the number of women allowed to pursue leadership positions. Prejudice has been primarily taken and practised by white males who evaluate job applicants ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ). The second goal of job equity is to neutralize conscious and unconscious bias so that women would have equal access to lead in business.
Job Equity Programs
In order to rectify past discrimination, many companies have instituted job equity programs. They were designed to achieve a higher representation of designated groups that are currently under represented. In order to rectify the effects of past discrimination, many employers have instituted equity programs designed to achieve a more representative distribution of minorities and women within the firm by giving preference to women and minorities ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ).
An acceptable job equity program must include good faith efforts in order to correct deficiencies and to increase minorities and women at all levels and segments of the workforce. Under utilization would be defined as fewer minorities and women in a particular job classification than would be reasonably expected according to their availability.
Some people would criticize the fact that an institution is discriminatory when a minority group is under represented. Discrimination only exists when we know that a specific instance exists. The problem with this criticism is that it is impossible to know whether a specific individual was discriminated against or not ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ). People compete for jobs and promotions. There are many chance factors involved, how interviews happen to see them, who their competitors happen to be, how this person happened to perform in critical moments. When a minority individual loses in this competitive process there is no way of knowing if the individual's loss was due to competition for the job, or is a systematic discrimination. The only possible way of knowing if there is a systematic discrimination, is by looking at the whole group of minorities. If a minority group regularly loses out in the competition process in which their abilities match that of their competitors, non minority group, we can conclude that the process is systematically discriminatory.
Compensatory justice, implies that people have an obligation to compensate those whom they intentionally and unjustly wronged ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ). Designated groups have not been traditionally considered for leadership positions. However, now programs are being set up for preferential treatment to provide compensation for their wrong doing. Although this may seem logical, there is opposition to compensatory justice. The argument is that compensation should only be given to those individuals who were actually discriminated against in the past. Since this type of equity program usually benefits all members of a minority group, it is unfair. Some people believe these programs would hinder every white male regardless of whether he himself specifically discriminated against someone in the past or not. In essence, the argument is people who must pay for these injuries to minorities are usually not the ones who inflict them.
In favour of Equity Programs is Martin Redish. He writes: "It must be argued that whether or not the ( white males ) of this country have themselves practised in the acts of discrimination, they have been the beneficiaries conscious or unconscious of a fundamentally racist society. They thus may be held independently liable to suppressed minorities for a form of enrichment ( Redish, 1972 ).
Women and minorities have been systematically discriminated against for years and deserve retribution for these injustices. Groups of women and other groups of minorities who are always at risk of discriminatory practises in organizations, are very aware that very specific concrete steps must be taken to alter discriminatory environments and promote the principles of fairness.
How to Put Designated Groups into Leadership Positions
Due to history and sensitivity issues, many certain principles and diversity efforts are ignored. This section is devoted to a 5 step procedure that will put women into leadership positions ( Morrison, 1992 )..
( 1 ) Discover the problems in your organization by collecting information. Statistics on promotions, salaries and bonuses can be obtained from company records to determine if certain women have been discriminated against. Survey, focus groups, individuals and experiences can expose subtle differences in getting access to developmental opportunities and being fairly evaluated by supervisors. A combination of statistics and perceptions will help target problems. An investigation of the organization should be done by a diverse team represented by women that serve in all functions and levels of organizations, including white males. The team might decide and an ethics consultant might also be helpful ( Morrison, 1992 ).
( 2 ) Strengthen upper management commitment to diversity efforts. Commitment from top executives must exist. The finding from the investigation usually increases upper management's commitment because now they are aware the problem exists. Awareness is the first step.
( 3 ) Select practises to fit a balanced strategy. This step involves picking diversity practises that are strategically effective for all organizations. There are three elements. The first element is education. Making employees aware of the value of diversity. Helping women obtain skills, experiences and credentials essential for promotions is important. Training programs, rational assignments, mentors, performance feedback tools should be extensively used ( Morrison, 1992 ).
A second element of diversity is enforcement. The need to reward and reinforce the education that is taking place. Awareness by itself is not enough. In order to change behaviour, incentives must be set up to change how employees treat each other. Merit, pay criteria selection and promotion procedures will help encourage employees to devote more time and energy to employment equity goals.
The third element involves exposing managers to talented non-traditional. This way, managers are shown false stereotypes of women because they haven't had much contact with them. Recruitment practises for jobs can provide exposure to women at every level where diversity efforts are aimed. Executive levels where key management positions are filled with women are essential role models. Since women have not been represented in society's prestigious positions, women have no role models in order to motivate them to compete for such positions as young white males have ( Ferrell & Fraedrich, 1994 ). Getting to know and like a non-traditional can make senior management for diversity and can enhance education efforts and help enforce policies for diversity. The mix of practices selected in our diversity effort should give non traditional managers an appropriate level of challenge that will stimulate a continuous learning. Motivation and adequate recognition and support should sustain the non-traditional over the long term. Imbalances seem to be a problem with these three elements. This may explain why non-traditional with high potential seem to burn out before they have reached their full potential( Morrison, 1992 ).
( 4 ) Demand results and revisit goals. What gets measured gets done. Simply monitoring is not enough. The Canadian, government requires companies to meet Job Equity guidelines. An organization might also look at increased representation in key functional areas such as senior management positions. An organization might keep a close eye on certain high potential women to be sure they are getting appropriate and outside training.
A model organization would use personal statistics, information about employee satisfaction with work and career. Prospects and other aspects of organizations should be collected to go purely beyond a statistical description of multicultural organizations. Demanding results and revisiting goals set forth for diversity is essential. There is no substitute for hard numerical evidence ( Morrison, 1992 ).
( 5 ) Use building blocks to maintain momentum. This step involves capitalizing on characteristics of an organization to encourage continued success in a diversity effort. For example, an organization with a strong sense of job rotation of developing managers would use this same rotation to develop managers in job diversity.
Another way to use building blocks is to publicize success that has been achieved in the diversity effort. One example is a manager who sends out a report every two or three months and reminds people of the diversity effort and details the progress that has been made. Building on diversity means that progress is being made with women. Putting them in prestigious positions may represent a head start with dealing with employees, customers, vendors and partners on a global basis ( Morrison, 1992 ).
Conclusion
After four decades of economic, political and social changes, women are by no means equal partners with men in economic or family life. Women are still primarily responsible for providing or finding child care and taking care of domestic chores. Thus most women's economic fortunes still depend far too much on men's fortunes ( Albelta, Tilly, 1997 ). According to Professor Daly it's the lenses people wear that cloud society’s view of women and how women view themselves. Women's work is never recognized, in politics Hilary Clinton and Kim Cambel are just fill in's until they are replaced by other white male politicians.
Personally my experience at Chryslers for the last years has taught me that affirmative action, although may not be the total answer to women's problems, it is partial solution. The aggressive pursuit of diversity goals consistent with job equity programs has established women in non traditional jobs. Hopefully this will eventually break the old boys club in top management and will allow women in. Furthermore, the principles of compensatory and distributive justice along with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, makes it illegal and immoral to discriminate against women.
Addiction and the Economy
Currently, addiction is on the upswing fueled by the pressures from our economic downturn’ says Howard Mettiner, President and CEO of Phoenix House the nations largest non profit alcohol and drug abuse treatment centre in the United States. When people loose their homes, their savings, and their pensions, they often lose their self respect. In fact, workers can actually go through grief reactions similar to bereavement particularly if they have been unemployed a long time, have dependents, have lost relationships and had little notice of job loss. Too often people escape into substance abuse and addiction. In hard economic times, we’re seeing the dark side of optimism. The addiction or the mental illness has a deeper effect on people, consequently, it’s harder for counselors to provide hope in order to motivate their clients to change.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Couple's Communication
Communication amongst couples is commonly poor when a climate of fear and mistrust is perpetuated through criticism, placating, blame, and scapegoating. In these circumstances the communication can become highly reactive, attacking, and critical. This leads over time to withdrawal, loss of hope, and marital dissolution. My main approach to counseling couples is to help improve communication and identify issues and resolve problems that hinder open honest communication.
Sometimes simply changing the form of communication from "you" to "I" messages, couples can drastically improve their communication. Couples who are used to blaming, frequently begin messages with or include the word you in their messages. The word you is an accusation and can put the receiver on the defensive. To counter attack, the receiver typically responds by also blaming in return. Beginning sentences with "I" forces the sender to not only send a clearer message but also to disclose something of his or her own thoughts and feelings. The importance of this for counseling couples is knowing that the emotional health of children is profoundly affected by the emotional relationship between the parents.
Sometimes simply changing the form of communication from "you" to "I" messages, couples can drastically improve their communication. Couples who are used to blaming, frequently begin messages with or include the word you in their messages. The word you is an accusation and can put the receiver on the defensive. To counter attack, the receiver typically responds by also blaming in return. Beginning sentences with "I" forces the sender to not only send a clearer message but also to disclose something of his or her own thoughts and feelings. The importance of this for counseling couples is knowing that the emotional health of children is profoundly affected by the emotional relationship between the parents.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)