Compare and contrast gender discrimination, the glass ceiling, pay equity and sexual harassment by defining and providing an example of each concept

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There are several different terms that must be addressed, and a comprehensive answer will touch on all of these areas:

(a) Gender discrimination is defined by the textbook as denying someone a job solely on the basis of whether that applicant is a man or a woman. Students may choose to extrapolate from this and comment that such discrimination might also involve promotion decisions made on such a basis within a company.
(b) A glass ceiling occurs when there is a level to which a person may rise within a company but beyond which they may not go. It is called a glass ceiling because often the barriers that prevent further advancement are subtle, covert, and understood in a non-explicit way. The glass ceiling can affect people based upon multiple factors, including sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, and physical limitation, among others.
(c) Pay equity refers to people doing the same job receiving the same job. It is usually discussed in terms of gender inequity. The textbook notes that women coming out of college can expect to make 80% of what men will make, and that after 10 years that number drops to 69%. There have been different governmental initiatives to interrupt this trend, and students might note these.
(d) Sexual harassment is more difficult to define, as there is no universal definition. The textbook does not discuss "quid pro quo" or "hostile environment" harassment, but if instructors address these terms they may expect them in an answer. Generally, such harassment involves unwanted comments, physical contact, jokes, or innuendo of a sexual nature that creates difficulties or discomfort in the workplace. It can involve overt or covert actions, can be directed at men or women, and can be same-sex or cross-sex harassment. Global research indicates that between 40% and 50% of women in the European Union and 30% to 40% of women in Asia Pacific countries experience workplace sexual harassment.