IAS Materials

A Free Way to Become an IAS

  • Home
  • Prelims
  • Mains
  • Optionals
  • Coaching Materials
  • E-Books
  • Test Series
  • Current Affairs
  • Advertise With US

Join other Aspirants

Enter your Mail ID and get Access for Everything !

You are here: Home / Fine Editorials / A working woman’s burden

A working woman’s burden

December 17, 2017 By Swamy Vivekananda Leave a Comment

It’s time to consider safety along with social and economic variables to explain the skewed gender ratio

A woman’s career stagnates after she experiences harassment at the workplace. Photo: iStock

Here Each and Every PDF is provided for Free and should be used for Education purposes only. Please utilize them wisely and don't make them Commercial. We request you to respect our Hard Work.

Join Our Telegram Channel

We gather all these tests and Materials with intense struggle, so if anyone subscribed to any test series or material please forward us at [email protected], We remove all the tracing items from the pdf and We Respect Your Privacy.

If you are fresh UPSC Aspirant, We recommend you to know about UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains and also UPSC Optionals for better Understanding. Here, All our Advertisements are Decent ads [we don't compromise in the Quality] and if anyone have any problem with website or advertisements please contact me [email protected]

Short Notes IAS Yearly Current Affairs Revision

 

A woman’s career stagnates after she experiences harassment at the workplace.

Earlier this year, Susan Fowler opened the floodgates. A blog post chronicling her experiences as a female engineer at Uber set in motion events that led to the chief executive officer’s dismissal. From that lone voice almost a year back, the conversation around workplace harassment has now become mainstream. With the #metoo campaign bringing to the surface a new name every week, thousands of women all over the world are openly sharing experiences of the harassment they have faced in society and in the workplace.

Cathartic as this process is, the public shaming doesn’t do justice to the victims. Once the surprise and outrage wears off (“him too?”), it’s worth pondering over the careers of the women that were stunted or destroyed by such behaviour. Harvey Weinstein was unmasked after more than a dozen women suffered serious physical and mental harm. For every Matt Lauer, there were multiple co-anchors who stepped away from a lucrative career.

The loss of talent is real. According to data collected by sociologist Heather McLaughlin and her colleagues, about 80% of women who experience harassment leave their jobs within two years. Their research also indicates that a woman’s career stagnates after she experiences harassment at the workplace. These women often choose to work in an environment perceived to be safer, but perhaps disconnected from their field of interest.

Has India fared any better? Unlike the US, India doesn’t have a body overseeing workplace equality. The sexual harassment law, while welcome, is fairly recent, with little or no oversight. It’s not easy to bring class-action suits to hold powerful men accountable. The burden of reporting harassment at work or in society lies on the individual facing it. Faced with the prospect of a long and frequently insensitive legal recourse, most women choose to move on. In the process, their careers suffer.

There’s data to support this view. A recent study of over 4,000 students from the University of Delhi showed that women are more likely to choose a college that is perceived to have a safer commute, even if it isn’t the top choice academically.

Policymakers frequently lament the dismal number of women students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Girls formed only 8% of the total students enrolled in the Indian Institutes of Technology in 2016. But Indian girls consistently outperform their male peers in the higher secondary examination.

Perhaps it’s time to consider safety along with social and economic variables to explain the skewed gender ratio.

There is also a long-term cost on a woman’s well-being. Successive studies have documented the mental health impacts of being a victim, from depression to loss in confidence. More importantly, scientists have found evidence that harassment early in the career has long-term effects on depressive symptoms.

And it’s not just the employee that suffers. In the US, employers paid about $125 million in the past two years to settle claims through the equal employment opportunity commission (EEOC). One of the major cases that was settled in court included damages of $167million to a single complainant. Data on Indian companies is also starting to emerge. The figures don’t include the loss of productivity and morale that such behaviour imposes on the company.

Not surprisingly, women, not men, are the solution for alleviating the epidemic of sexual harassment. The increasing number of women in leadership positions has a direct effect in preventing harassment.

In male-dominated industries such as mining or construction, far more women report sexual harassment than in other fields. In comparison, female-dominated and gender-balanced fields, such as education, harbour less tolerance of hostile behaviour.

This correlation is more pronounced with other underrepresented groups. Male-dominated management teams are more likely to tolerate, sanction or even expect, aggressive behaviour from peers. This leads to what we often call the ‘bro-culture’—a culture of complicity where complaints are not taken seriously. Companies with a diverse leadership are more sensitive to such complaints.

In the US, it has been widely observed that a lot more African-American, Latina and other minority women leave after bringing forth a complaint as they find very little support and protection within the company. It isn’t a stretch to imagine the implications for disadvantaged groups in the Indian workplace.

Finally, in order to fully understand this phenomenon, it is important to understand the profile of a harasser. While it’s impossible to build a simple model that identifies would-be harassers, there are clues.

A study involving shooting video games showed that lower-skilled or poor-performing males were more hostile towards female competitors whereas higher-skilled males were more positive. So, perhaps, in the end it is a question of hurt ego and the display of power to salvage it.

But if the #metoo movement is to be a watershed in workplace equality, the harasser, not the harassed, should suffer the consequences.

Ishani Roy is the founder of Serein Inc., a diversity and inclusion consulting company.

 

Source : LiveMint

Join other Aspirants

Enter your Mail ID and get Access for Everything !

SHARE AND SUPPORT
Twitter Facebook Telegram WhatsApp

Related posts:

  1. Labour intensive exports need a policy push
  2. A year when the tide turned against big tech
  3. Why India should intervene in Maldives [IR]
  4. Two-front war: a debate for more opulent times [IR]

Filed Under: Fine Editorials, UPSC Tagged With: Editorials

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Short Notes IAS Yearly Current Affairs Revision  

Recent Posts

  • Rau’s IAS Prelims 2021 Test 19 PDF
  • GS Score Prelims 2021 Test 27 PDF
  • GS Score Prelims 2021 Test 26 PDF
  • Next IAS Prelims 2021 Test 1 PDF
  • Insight IAS Prelims 2021 Test 17 PDF [Subject Wise]

Top Posts & Pages

  • Prelims 2021 Test Series
  • UPSC Mains 2018 Test Series
  • Standard Books
  • GS Score Prelims 2021 Test 27 PDF
  • UPSC Mains 2019 Test Series
  • UPSC Prelims Test Series
  • Prelims 2020 Test Series
  • GS Score Prelims 2021 Test 26 PDF
  • Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh 12th Edition PDF
  • Rau's IAS Prelims 2021 Test 19 PDF

Categories

  • Anthropology Optional (4)
  • ART & CULTURE (11)
  • Coaching Institute Materials (198)
  • Current Affairs (1,057)
  • CURRENT AFFAIRS MONTHLY MAGAZINES (950)
  • DOWNLOAD STANDARD EBOOKS (61)
  • ECONOMICS OPTIONAL (140)
  • ECONOMY (144)
  • ENVIRONMENT & ECOLOGY (10)
  • ESSAY (52)
  • Ethics (4)
  • GEOGRAPHY (9)
  • GEOGRAPHY OPTIONAL (14)
  • Governance (1)
  • GS-1 (29)
  • GS-2 (25)
  • GS-3 (27)
  • GS-4 (30)
  • Hindi Medium (78)
  • Hindi Medium Test Series (80)
  • HISTORY (22)
  • HISTORY OPTIONAL (22)
  • IGNOU (8)
  • Important Articles (14)
  • Important News (82)
  • INTERVIEWS (6)
  • MAINS (10)
  • Mains 2016 Test Series (10)
  • Mains 2018 Test Series (248)
  • Mains 2019 Test Series (285)
  • Mains 2020 Test Series (192)
  • Mains 2021 Test Series (10)
  • Mains Special (44)
  • Mains Test Series (25)
  • MATHEMATICS OPTIONAL (12)
  • Motivation (1)
  • Motivation Mitra (5)
  • NIOS (1)
  • Notifications (34)
  • Optional 2017 Test Series (10)
  • Optional 2018 Test Series (86)
  • Optional 2019 Test Series (88)
  • Optional 2020 Test Series (15)
  • Optional Materials (1)
  • Optional Test Series (122)
  • Other Articles (2)
  • PHILOSOPHY OPTIONAL (3)
  • POLITICAL SCIENCE OPTIONAL (20)
  • POLITY (6)
  • Prelims 2016 Test Series (8)
  • Prelims 2017 Test Series (39)
  • Prelims 2018 Test Series (344)
  • Prelims 2019 Test Series (388)
  • Prelims 2020 Test Series (671)
  • Prelims 2021 Test Series (122)
  • PRELIMS PAPER – 2 (CSAT) (10)
  • PRELIMS PAPER – I (GS) (65)
  • PRELIMS PREVIOUS PAPERS (5)
  • Prelims Special (30)
  • Previous Question Papers (96)
  • Psychology Optional (4)
  • Results (13)
  • Society (1)
  • SOCIOLOGY OPTIONAL (24)
  • Success Mantra (10)
  • TMH (5)
  • Topper Notes (17)
  • Uncategorized (14)
  • UPSC (3,717)

Archives

February 2021
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
« Jan    

Tags

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Current Affairs ECONOMICS OPTIONAL ECONOMY Forum IAS Forum IAS Prelims 2020 Test Series GS Score HINDI MEDIUM Hindi Medium Prelims 2019 Test Series Hindi Medium Test Series IAS Baba IAS Baba Prelims 2019 Test Series Insight IAS Insight IAS Current Affairs Insight IAS Prelims 2019 Test Series Insight IAS Prelims 2020 Test Series MAINS Mains 2019 Test Series Mains 2020 Test Series Mains Test Series Mrunal No Ads Optional 2018 Test Series Optional 2019 Test Series Optional Test Series pdf Prelims 2019 Test Series Prelims 2020 Test Series Prelims 2021 Test Series Prelims Test Series Raus IAS Shankar IAS Test Series Unacademy Vajiram Vajiram and Ravi VISION Vision 365 Vision IAS 365 Vision IAS Mains 2020 Test Series VSN IAS

Get Everything in your Inbox

Enter your Mail ID and get Access for Everything !

Copyright © 2021 · About Us · Privacy Policy · Contact Us

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT