Sociology

Men and women are two sides of a coin that cannot see each others face yet cannot be separated. They can be described as a combination of fire and water but complement each other so well. The battle between man versus woman is going on for centuries in almost every norms of life whether it is home or the workplace.

Due to the physically weakness in the feminine sect the males have dominated and controlled them centuries. This unequal distribution of power has created social dis-balance which until a few decades ago was up to the level of national apartheid against women. For years women were even deprived of the right to vote in US until in the year 1756 when the first women, Lydia Taft, was allowed to vote in America.

The idea of dual labor was initiated in the era of globalization when extreme advancement of technology forced the companies to put in more labor force as current level of workforce could not suffice the requirement. Other than that, the inflationary periods in different countries also led this phenomenon to grow further as a single person salary was not enough to finance the entire family. With increase in prices of the basic commodities, head of the family alone cannot fulfill the needs of the whole family and thus creating a need for other house members to go out for work to live a sustainable life. Although globalization has fueled this change in great ways as with the passage of time the companies operating in the industry had a need to change their thinking pattern and bring in some new innovation to fulfill the current demand. For this purpose there was a thirst for ideas and companies have to go far beyond from normal practice. This was only possible when women apart from men workforce were also given the opportunity to come forward and put in something beneficial for the company. And it proved to be successful as women have made their significant leaps and bound with their numbers in the workforce. They made their stance and showed that they can produce effective results and are very strong on their commitment regarding the work life.

 But times started to change in the 19th and 20th century which was a remarkable rise in awareness thanks to advancements in print and electronic media. Women have realized the needs of time and have overcome their weakness and have turned themselves in strong individuals. Women are coming forward in both education and pursuing most careers at their will. However, there is still an unseen barrier between opposite sex and thus have developed different career interest which may well be because of different social and cultural pressures. Cross-cultural studies show the diversified pattern of jobs that are considered suitable for women (Cartmill, 1999). Due to these trends there are still many career fields which are male and female dominated and thus has led to occupational sex segregation for instance politics, engineering, plumbing, construction which are male segregated sectors while nursing, teaching and child care remain to be female segregated areas.

Occupation sex segregation can be describes as a difference between male and female dominated jobs. There are certain jobs which are more suitably performed either by man or women however which does not imply that it can only be done by one gender. This terminology basically states the proportion of men or women on a particular job and on that basis it can be categorized into male and female oriented jobs. In another context this term has a different definition and it is described as a significant proportion of earning gap between men and women. This means that women are kept at lower tier positions and are paid lower wages as compared to men.

 In a workplace when workers get together to form group or teams there is always an seen attempt to gain power to affect decision making, achieve rewards and promotion. Since all employees want a favorable evaluation of their performance and for salary adjustments, therefore women in power are usually subjected to sexual harassment, nasty remarks, comments and jokes from the males who occupy lesser power or positions in the organization (Robbins, 2005). But this usually happens when theres majority of male workers. The roles get reversed in women dominated work areas. In this war of power, conflicts arise, egos clash and this brings a negative impact on organization interests. It becomes more of personal achievement rather than that of the companys. It may affect organizations productivity and usually creates a less comfortable workplace.

Also occupational segregation leads to difference in earnings as women often work in places where women dominate while men tend to work where men pre-dominate. Here the number of occupations is larger and so the women earnings average reduces. Studies show that in US of average womens earnings 60 of that of men (Reskin, 1986).

Occupational sex segregation in US saw a decline from 1960 and 1970 when sex discrimination laws and regulations were made. These laws came under Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited gender discrimination in employment practices and workshops. Since equally qualified men and women were given different levels of jobs, it clearly affected their career advancements. These laws gave women to fight for their rights legally and thus it certainly brought a positive change career persuasion in women. Many countries then followed the steps of the US. Britain also enacted such laws in 1970s.

One of the finest example which I have seen in day to day life is that of drivers particularly taxi and bus drivers. These are completely male dominated as female rarely have entered this field. Even when they are eager to become a part of this job, due to some factors and society restrictions hold back especially in developing countries. While in other countries this scenario is little bit different as majority of women population are into this business and working successfully in this direction and also dont hesitate in doing such jobs.

Conclusion
There is a need to bring change in the thinking pattern of the people. As long as men and women will consider each other a threat to their success, the current situation will prevail. Women are also part of the society they should be given equal opportunity as men and should not be de-motivated. Like men, women are also a valuable resource which should be used in an effective way in order to bring balance and to produce fruitful results. The following quotation of ex secretary general of United Nation Kofi Annan best describes the beauty of women,

Gender equality is more than a goal in it itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance (Kofi Annan)