Gender discrimination,sexism in jobs.

Some careers are better suited to one gender?
It’s often seen that some groups or people are given more preference to do certain jobs because of their so called innate ability to perform better as well as some preconceived notions. While it’s true that in the contemporary world more and more people have begun to oppose and raise concerns against the jobs given solely on the basis of gender, there are still a large number of jobs given to men on the basis of their gender. Sexism, unfortunately, in jobs is a niggling reminder the way today’s world depreciates women’s ability and role in society.

The job discrimination against women in science and technology is often based on the fact that men are better at calculations and in solving seemingly intricate mysteries of physics than women; hence, most of the scientists working, currently, at the top of their fields are men. Granted there are more men than women working in scientific and tech related fields. But does it mean that women are not better at doing these jobs? Similarly, can’t men as well take part in the domesticated activities such as nurturing their children and looking after the house hold chores that are commonly labeled as women’s ‘jobs’.

Men are given preference because of the firmly etched prejudice against women that they should only do house hold jobs because their bodies are not fit and ,they are not mentally strong to do physically enduring tasks such as working in a factory and making decisions in a company. In the early ages men went out to hunt and brought food whereas women stayed back and feed their babies and satisfy the needs of their men. And these traditional roles of men as bread and butter of their families and women as maintaining and running their families are still ubiquitous especially in the conservative societies and countries such as Pakistan .In tribal areas of Pakistan, according to a report published in the Dawn news, only men go out to work and earn money while women stay back and look after their children. In certain cases, women are kept in extreme captivity and are even subject to physical abuse by their husbands even if they were to leave their houses for shopping.

However, in certain societies women are working in extremely difficult situations and supporting their families. For example, in the brick kiln industries in Pakistan, about sixty percent of the laborers are women and young girls who work from dawn to dusk in piercing sun rays and make bricks. Moreover, they are given low wages. Unfortunately, no one has taken any steps to stop these women from working in hazardous conditions in the brick kilns and in many other jobs. Suddenly, their wobbly bodies have become as strong as iron steel that everyone seemed to have no problem whatsoever.

Women are discouraged to take certain jobs not because they are physically weak and mentally frail but because people don’t want them working at the top level in the companies. For example, even in Silicon Valley, only about 10% women are working at the management level and all others are doing low salaried jobs such as waitress and receptionists. Paradoxically, pioneer members in the field of computer programming and the first famous computer programmers were not men but women. In 1960’s many women such as Betty Holberton worked to make first general computers .However, as the importance of the computer programming was realized, people began to label women as inefficient and lethargic. Then, personality tests and jobs interviews were made to favor male over the women. Slowly, computer programming which was once predominantly women career became male dominated career.

Historically, women had worked as scientists and researchers, so the idea that they may not be good at mathematics and science should be dispelled. It is required that jobs should be given entirely on the basis of merit and steps should be taken to provide equal opportunities for both the genders.