Gender Issues in the Workplace
11 Pages Posted: 21 Oct 2008
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Abstract
Gender in the workplace. Is it still an issue? While it is increasingly easier in the early 21st century for women to work, manage, and take positions of high responsibility in American business, some issues and difficulties still remain. This series of vignettes touches on some difficult situations—for both women and men—involving sexual and romantic relationships in the workplace, decisions on whether to start a family, dress codes, family obligations, and sexual harassment.
Excerpt
UVA-E-0284
GENDER ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE
Doug and Angela
At 31, Doug loved commercial banking, enjoyed his job as assistant branch manager of Key Bank, and hoped to get a branch of his own in the near future. He had started as a teller with Key Bank in his last year of college, was promoted to financial specialist after three years and then, after four years, became the assistant branch manager. Doug had been married to his high school sweetheart for eight years. They had no children but were hoping to start a family in the near future.
During Doug's second year as assistant branch manager, Angela started at the company as a financial specialist. She was 26 years old and very attractive. Doug had heard through the grapevine that Angela was recently divorced and single.
As assistant branch manager, Doug's duties included training and supervising all five financial specialists in the branch. Because Angela was the newest to join, she and Doug met for one-on-one training frequently throughout her first few months. All five financial specialists also met with Doug on a weekly basis to review their sales and prospects. Angela received only mediocre reviews in her first six months on the job. She did not appear particularly motivated to meet the monthly goals and only did the minimum to get by from week to week. Along with everyone in the branch, Doug liked Angela, but she appeared lazy and lacked ambition, unlike the other four.
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Keywords: ethics, business ethics, diversity, gender, workplace issues
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