Running head: GENDER IN THE WORKFORCE

Gender in the Workforce

Brenna Rowe
Durham College

GENDER IN THE WORKFORCE

The Social Issue

Gender is a social construct. Gender can be defined as the, social, cultural, and
psychological traits and behaviours connected with being masculine or feminine (Carl &
Belanger, 2015). Gender is different than sex, which is about the biology of a persons body
which determines if they are male or female (Carl & Belanger, 2015). Both men and women
are limited by their gender and this limitation is especially prevalent in the Canadian
workforce.
Since the most recent federal election, a large conversation has begun about women in
politics. Canadas Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has been an advocate for gender equality.
Within his 31-member cabinet which includes him, there are 16 men and 15 women (Full
list of Justin Trudeaus cabinet, 2015). While Trudeau was able to choose to make his
cabinet gender balanced, parliament is not. 88 seats are occupied by women out of 338 seats
since the 2015 election, which is an increase from 76 seats out of 308 in 2011 (Federal
election results 2015, 2015). The amount of women in parliament gives Canadians an idea
of how gender influences a person and their career.
Gender is a large aspect of the workforce. A persons gender can determine what field
they choose. According to Statistics Canada, the goods-producing sector, which includes jobs
in fields like agriculture and manufacturing, is dominated by men (Statistics Canada, 2015).
In contrast, more woman work in the services-producing sector, which includes industries
such as health care and social assistance and educational services (Statistics Canada, 2015).
It is clear that gender plays a role in the workforce. The human capital model is a
theory that attempts to explain that there is a gender discrepancy in fields such as engineering
and education because men and women are born with different traits that help them excel in
certain jobs (Carl & Belanger, 2015). For example, most of society believes that woman are

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naturally more nurturing than men, therefore women are better suited for jobs like teaching or
nursing. Whereas men are perceived as more logical, and therefore excel in a job has to do
with medicine or engineering. If these beliefs are not broken, men and women feel limited in
the career choice.
However, breaking the belief does not necessarily solve all issues. The wage gap is a
well-known dispute and many people believe women earn less than men. According to a
Statistics Canada research paper, which discusses the data in the Income Trends in Canada
report by Statistics Canada, womens average earnings have been 70% of mens earnings
since 1992 (Lu, Picot, Morissette, 2013). The paper also considers a study by Baker and
Drolet done in 2010. Baker and Drolet compare hourly wages between men and women,
instead of comparing annual earnings like Statistics Canada. They report that women earn
85% of what men earn, per hour (Lu et al., 2013). In conclusion, women do earn less than
men.
There are many factors that influence a person in their career choice, which may be
contributing to the wage gap between the genders. When choosing a career, people often
consider the perceived fit between them and a job (Behrend, Thompson, & Meade, 2013).
When considering the perceived fit, both genders may depend on social factors like whether
the job is traditionally suitable for their gender (Behrend et al., 2013). This can also be
applied to the example of jobs in logical fields like engineering or nurturing jobs like
teaching. Only considering innate gender based traits that help one excel in a field further
limits people. It helps to consider the social factors that push a person into a career.
I am drawn to this issue because I believe that limiting people based on their gender
does a disservice to society. For example, there were likely many qualified women who
would have made great members of past prime ministers cabinets. But, it was not until the

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2015 election that women had equal opportunity. Many women missed great opportunities,
not because they did not have the skills, but because they were not men. When discussing
gender, men should not be forgotten about. I do believe that much of society is patriarchal
meaning it benefits men (Carl & Belanger, 2015), but men are limited as well as woman.
Before I was educated on socially constructed gender roles, I often believed in traditionalism.
If I heard a nurse was male, I thought that was odd. I believed he must be gay or simply
feminine. When considering their perceived fit, men may choose a certain job over another
because of how society perceives them.
I chose a photo which features a women in an executive position. Women hold top
positions much less often than men. According to the S&P 500 index, 14.2% of the top five
leadership positions out of the 500 companies are held by women (Egan, 2015). Additionally,
the very top position, CEO, is only held by 24 women (Egan, 2015). The course textbook
discusses the concept of the glass ceiling, which is an invisible barrier preventing women
from reaching executive-level positions in the workplace (Carl & Belanger, 2015). Shelley
Corrells study on labour distribution can explain this barrier, which found that societys
beliefs about gender affect how men and women feel about their abilities (Carl & Belanger,
2015). Society is limiting women from reaching their full-potential.
Perspective
Symbolic interactionists focus on how people interact with others and how symbols
influence their communication (Carl & Belanger, 2015). In relation to gender, interactionists
would see gender as a social construct. Interactionism understands gender as something that
exists through human interaction. Gender exists because of the way people act and how the
feelings that they have.

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Individuals are constantly observing gender, but it is most likely first taught at home.
For example, if a child observes their mother performing the majority of the domestic duties
(cleaning, cooking, taking care of children, etc.) then they will probably associate those
duties with women, unless they are educated otherwise. If they observe their father as the
provider for the family or the breadwinner, then they will likely associate men with those
roles. Another way individuals observe gender is through how others appear. People often
identify long hair with women and short hair with men. When people step out of those
associations, like when a women cuts her hair very short, it can confuse people. People can
become so confused that they bully someone who has stepped outside of the gender norm.
Interactionists would believe individuals are concerned with gender because gender is
the basis for how they interact with everyone including people of the opposite sex. When a
woman meets a man, she likely treats him differently than she would if he was a woman, and
vice versa. Things like an individuals mannerisms and attitude may change, depending on
what gender they associate with the person they are communicating with. This is because
gender can be associated with sex and sexual preference. For example, a man who desires
femininity, such as a softer voice or long hair, may like and flirt with a women who exhibits
feminine traits.
Within the workforce, men and women are associated with particular jobs because of
how they act and how they are perceived. If during communication, a woman is perceived as
very feminine then people may not find her suitable for a job which is usually held by a man
such as a plumber.
Solutions
Creating equality in the workforce is essential. In order for change to be made,
peoples views need to change. If people believe in following gender norms, then they will

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have no desire to create equality in the workforce. Having a conversation about gender
equality and educating people on it is the only way complete change can be made. With
Justin Trudeau promoting gender equality and implementing it in his cabinet, a conversation
has begun by someone whose opinion matters to many Canadians. When asked why a
gender-balanced cabinet is important to him, Trudeau simply replies, Because its 2015
(Ditchburn, 2015). This short statement has caused people to discuss gender equality and how
important it is. The conversation has begun, and it can continue through the federal and other
levels of government. Individual companies should also focus on this issue.
An ongoing conversation needs to happen, but other steps need to be taken as well.
Promoting the split of domestic duties is one way to promote equality in the workforce. It is a
well-known fact that women generally take on more domestic duties than the male in their
household. According to Statistics Canada, a 2010 report reveals that men spend an average
of 8.3 hours on domestic duties, while women report spending 13.8 hours (Keown, Milan,
Urquijo, 2011). Women who were in a dual-earning relationship but worked part time,
reported spending 21 hours a week on domestic duties (Keown et al., 2011). One way to split
domestic duties and reduce the burden, so both genders have time to focus on their careers, is
to encourage partners to share parental leave after a baby is born. The Canadian government
offers employment insurance parental benefits to parents who are caring for a new baby,
which can be shared between two parents. This means that each parent would have time off
work to care for the baby, while the other parent will probably be at work. By encouraging
the public to share domestic duties more equally, it will reduce gender limitations in the
workforce.

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Conclusion
Gender in the workforce causes unequal opportunity and prevents many people from
reaching their full potential. A conversation is currently going on about gender, in particular
gender in politics, because of new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, having a
conversation is not enough to end the disparity. In order for gender roles to end and to have
the wage gap close, people need to be educated and encouraged to step outside of what is
expected of them.

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8
Photograph Page

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References

Carl, J. & Belanger, M. (2015). Think: Sociology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education.
Behrend, T. S., Thompson. L. F., Meade, A. W., Grayson, M. S., & Newton, D. A. (2007).
Gender differences in career choice influences. New York: North Carolina State
University. Retrieved from
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~awmeade/Links/Papers/IRT_Med_career(SIOP07).pdf
Ditchburn, J. (2015). 'Because it's 2015': Trudeau forms Canada's 1st gender-balanced
cabinet. Retrieved November 22, 2015, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadatrudeau-liberal-government-cabinet-1.3304590
Egan, M. (2015). Still missing: Female business leaders. Retrieved November 19, 2015, from
http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/24/investing/female-ceo-pipeline-leadership/
Federal election results 2015. (2015). Retrieved November 20, 2015, from
http://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/results-2015/
[Untitled image of a female executive]. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from
http://www.ceda.com.au/news-articles/2013/06/06/wil2013_mr
Full list of Justin Trudeau's cabinet. (2015). Retrieved November 22, 2015, from
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/full-list-of-justin-trudeau-s-cabinet-1.3300699
Keown, L., Milan, A., & Urquijo, C. (2011). Families, Living Arrangements and Unpaid
Work. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503x/2010001/article/11546-eng.pdf
Lu, Y., Picot, G., & Morissette, R. (2013). The Evolution of Canadian Wages over the Last
Three Decades. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Retrieved from
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11f0019m/11f0019m2013347-eng.pdf

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Statistics Canada. (2015, January 28). 2014 employment by industry and sex [Table].
Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/labor10aeng.htm