Gender Stereotypes at the Work Place

Gender stereotyping in workplaces has been a widely discussed topic for a long time. There had been significant steps towards gender equality, but the problem remains persistent, thereby demanding further research. While gender discrimination and low wages are the most common outcomes of gender stereotyping, there are other more indirect effects that should to be discussed. This will be a summary of peer-reviewed articles discussing different aspects of gender stereotyping in workplaces. Gender stereotyping mainly affects women, but it extensively affects people of color (both men and women) more. 

Literature Review 

The first research paper, Failed Theories: Explaining Gender Difference in Journalism by Linda Steiner, tries to navigate the different theories and concepts used to argue and the cause and impact of gender in workplaces. She mainly focuses on the field of media and journalism. Steiner (2012) argues theories such as the glass ceiling; evolutionary psychology of women in communication has helped build a particular kind of discrimination. For instance, uses the evolutionary psychology theory to show how the theory placed conventionally beautiful women on a pedestal. The result was an even segmented type of gender segregation that relegated Black, Hispanic, and Asian women to low paying jobs. 

She introduces the theory of feminism as one of the fewer theories that carefully discussed gender stereotyping. Steiner (2012) explains that feminism does not make assumptions about the causes and impact of gender discrimination. Unlike patriarchy, feminism actually aims at leveling the board for both genders. 

Connecting Gender Stereotypes, Institutional Policies, and Gender Composition of Workplace by Donna Bobbitt-Zeher analyses reports of gender discrimination in Ohio to try and establish the correlation between institutional policies and gender bias in workplaces. She also explains the psychological effects of gender bias on women. Some of the stereotypes labeled on women include women being seen as less invested in their work, women are constantly sexualized, some men believe some feminine traits are incompatible with certain jobs, et cetera (Bobbitt-Zeher, 2011). She also found that these stereotypes are largely cemented by existence of gendered institutional policies. For instance, legal definitions of discrimination are not short. While that does not necessarily result in discrimination, it is how those definitions are put in use that mostly places women at a disadvantage. In her research, she found that such policies are especially harsher to women the more integrated a work place is. This means that in such work places, men often have power over women by numbers, and by use of policies. 

Occupational Stereotypes and Gender-Specific Job Satisfaction by Simon Janssen and Uschi Backles-Gellner explores the relationship between stereotypes and job satisfaction. This research was more inclusive as it measured job satisfaction for women in male working conditions, and men in female working conditions. The findings led to the conclusion that women working in masculine fields are less satisfied with their environment and the job description. However, they are somewhat satisfied with the pay as compared to women in stereotypically female jobs. On the contrary, when it came to men, there was no significance difference in wage, work environment, and job description when it came to men in male jobs and women in women jobs. Janssen & Backles-Gellner (2016) argue that women feel the need to trade off work satisfaction for a higher pay while men are accommodated in most working environments. Once again, gender stereotyping in workplaces places women at a disadvantage. 

Gender and the Workplace: The Impact of Stereotype Threat on Self-Assessment of Management Skills of Female Business Students is written by Jennifer Flanagan. Flanagan (2015) posits that the fear of being stereotyped affects people’s psychology, productivity, behavior, goals, and attitudes. This research paper does not limit itself to women only. It broadly covers both genders and people of different races. Jennifer measured the impact of stereotyping against three variables; how a worker ranks their own management skills, how the worker thought colleagues would rank their management skills, and the worker’s goals in the workplace. 

Jennifer found out that when gender was mentioned before the assessment, women, and especially those most threatened by stereotypes (mostly women of color) ranked their management skills lower. The women also felt they would be ranked lower by their colleagues. The women also ranked their business and initiative skills lower as they felt they were not in control of their success. 

HYPOTHESIS 

The following hypothesis will be tested: 

Participants (both male and female) who are vulnerable to stereotypes will have a lower Positive Psychology Capital than their former colleagues who are not constantly stereotyped. 

Psychology Capital will be measured in; 

Confidence and efficacy- the ability to take on and solve challenges. 

Optimism- being positive about their current situation and future prospects. 

Hope- having the perseverance and focus to realize one’s goals. 

Resilience- having healthy and positive mechanisms to help one succeed. 

GENERALIZATION 

This research will involve not less than 50 participants, both male and females. The group will be diverse to accommodate people of all races and working ages. The participants will also come from various working fields, both from the white-collar division and the blue-collar division. 

Research design and Methods Section 

The type of research design I will use for my paper is quantitative research design. The type of design entails statistical data to be used to get an approximate figure of both men and women who will give information regarding their experience and opinion regarding gender stereotyping at the work place. The study will utilize the quantitative research design because numbers provide a better perspective on relevant issues in different fields. Gender is a crucial concern in the American society and the rest of the world and therefore using quantitative design will allow for the collecting of raw data in numbers that will enhance accuracy and better perspective on the research issue. In theory quantitative research design utilizes deductive technique in examining a problem to come up with a hypothesis that is usually derived from theory. Another reason for use of the design is because each progress can be standardized to limit chances of bias during collection and analysis of data. Also the results obtained from quantitative design are consistent and generalization to large figures or populations. It is also possible to control the occurrence of ceiling effects. Quantitative methods are also ideal for huge data and this will be suitable as the participants will be 50 and the data to be gathered will be extensive. 

The hypothesis that will be tested in my research will be Participants (both male and female) who are vulnerable to stereotypes and it will have a lower Positive Psychology Capital than their former colleagues who are not constantly stereotyped. Psychology Capital will be measured in; Confidence and efficacy- the ability to take on and solve challenges, Optimism- being positive about their current situation and future prospects, Hope- having the perseverance and focus to realize their goals and Resilience- having healthy and positive mechanisms to help them succeed. The hypothesis is aimed at testing the relationship between stereotyping and positive psychological capital. It is likely that the participants who are constantly stereotyped will have a lower positive psychological capital that their colleagues who are less stereotyped. The study is therefore aimed at proving the phenomenon. The hypothesis can be tested through various methods such as analysis of variance (ANOVA) among others. The testing method will be decided once the data is collected and results analyzed. 

The methods that will be used in the study will be questionnaires that will be prepared and sent via email to each participant. They will be given a guideline on how the questions will be answered for instance answering yes or no or explanation questions. A majority will be yes or no questions. However, a baseline survey will be done first to establish basic information and the reliability of the participants in taking part in the questionnaire. 

The rationale behind the use of questionnaires is that they are relatively cheap. The number of participants in my gender stereotype study will be 50 and the only inexpensive methods that I consider are questionnaire. I do not have to hire people to conduct the interviews. It is also a more practical way of gathering data as I am able to choose the type of questions to be answered by the participants in line with the information I want to obtain. Also, I will be able to decide whether to use open ended or multiple-choice questions. I also choose questionnaires because they give me a way to gather huge amounts of data on the subject of study. It also offers a faster way to collect the results because online tools can be used. It allows data to be gathered from different parts within the scope of study even if it means across the borders. Questionnaires make it easy to compare data obtained from the participants. The method also allows easy analysis as compared to other methods that will require scientific or statistical tools. It also allows the maintenance of anonymity especially in cases where the participant desires such protection. 

Questionnaires also allows the creation of strategies through following the trends of the participants in this regard it is possible to cluster common problems and also discover the most frequent ones. There is no time limit and therefore the respondents can answer the questions at their convenience without having to schedule for an appointment. Online surveys also save on costs and time; they also allow the respondents to answer questions in their own time. Questionnaires are suitable for many participants in a study. 

To ensure validity and reliability will construct the questions that are only within the context of gender stereotyping, I will also ensure that they are easily and readable; I will ensure that the layout and design is easy to understand. I will use the cronbach alpha to form a scale that will help me in ascertaining reliability. It is important to note that the research will be conducted in a span of two months from the time is collected to when it will be analyzed it will allow me to gather all the required materials and set all the procedures in place to avoid inconveniencing the participants and also delaying the process. The scope will be not beyond my states implying that most of the participants will be within. 

Validity, reliability and ethical considerations 

The results are reliable because they were obtained through questionnaires which the respondents who are willing to give information regarding the study were used. The data obtained is almost similar among the respondents implying that the data is accurate and reliable. The answers given by the participants are related implying that if the research is repeated using similar manner then the probability of getting similar results is guaranteed. The study is also valid because the research depicts what can be reasonably believed and to a larger extent generalization can be made. There is external validity because form the results generalization can be made to a wider population. The ethical considerations were also factored because before the beginning of the research the participants were informed of the purpose of the research and their consent to participate in it was also sought. Anonymity was also used to ensure that the privacy of the participants is kept. Consent forms were signed implying the participants read and understood what is required of them and that they have given permission for their information to be used. 

References  

Bobbitt-Zeher, D. (2011). Gender discrimination at work: Connecting gender stereotypes, institutional policies, and gender composition of the workplace. Gender & Society , 25 (6), 764-786. 

Cundiff, J. L., &Vescio, T. K. (2016). Gender Stereotypes Influence How People Explain Gender Disparities in the Workplace.  Sex Roles ,  75 (3-4), 126–138. doi: 10.1007/s11199-016-0593-2 

Heilman, M. E. (2012).Gender stereotypes and workplace bias.  Research in Organizational Behavior ,  32 , 113–135.doi: 10.1016/j.riob.2012.11.003 

Janssen, S., &Backes ‐ Gellner, U. (2016). Occupational stereotypes and gender ‐ specific job satisfaction. Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society , 55 (1), 71-91. 

Nestor, P., &Schutt, R. K. (2015).  Research methods in psychology: investigating human behaviour . Los Angeles: SAGE. 

Steiner, L. (2012). Failed theories: Explaining gender difference in journalism. Review of Communication , 12 (3), 201-223. 

Technology concept designs Inc. accessed 14 th Dec 2019 retrieved form https://www.tcd.ie/swsp/assets/pdf/Participant%20consent%20form%20template.pdf 

Fictional Timeline and budget 

Budget items	Number of items	Cost per item	Total cash cost	In kind cost	Notes
Fare	1	$340	$340	-	Trains
2 month accommodation	1	$3000	$3000	-	Accommodation approximation from trip advisor
30 days per diem	50	$100	$5000		University requirement
Statistical analysis by research assistant	1	$600	$600		Requirement by me.
questionnaire dissemination cost	50	$7	$350		Requirement by me
Total cost		$4047	$9290

Appendix A 

Gender stereotyping Consent to take part in research 

The concept form is retrieved from Technology concept designs Inc 

“ I……………………………………… voluntarily agree to participate in this research study. 

I understand that even if I agree to participate now, I can withdraw at any time or refuse to answer any question without any consequences of any kind. 

I understand that I can withdraw permission to use data from my interview within two weeks after the interview, in which case the material will be deleted. 

I have had the purpose and nature of the study explained to me in writing and I have had the opportunity to ask questions about the study. 

I understand that participation involves…[outline briefly in simple terms what participation in your research will involve]. 

I understand that I will not benefit directly from participating in this research. 

I agree to my interview being audio-recorded. 

I understand that all information I provide for this study will be treated confidentially. 

I understand that in any report on the results of this research my identity will remain anonymous. This will be done by changing my name and disguising any details of my interview which may reveal my identity or the identity of people I speak about. 

I understand that disguised extracts from my interview may be quoted in…[list all forum in which  you plan to use the data from the interview: dissertation, conference presentation, published papers etc.]. 

I understand that if I inform the researcher that myself or someone else is at risk of harm they may have to report this to the relevant authorities - they will discuss this with me first but may be required to report with or without my permission. 

I understand that signed consent forms and original audio recordings will be retained in [specify location, security arrangements and who has access to data] until [specific relevant period – for students this will be until the exam board confirms the results of their dissertation]. 

I understand that a transcript of my interview in which all identifying information has been removed will be retained for [specific relevant period – for students this will be two years from the date of the exam board]. 

I understand that under freedom of information legalization I am entitled to access the information I have provided at any time while it is in storage as specified above. 

I understand that I am free to contact any of the people involved in the research to seek further clarification and information. Names, degrees, affiliations and contact details of researchers (and academic supervisors when relevant). 

Signature of research participant ----------------------------------------- ---------------- 

Signature of participant 

Date 

Signature of researcher 

I believe the participant is giving informed consent to participate in this study ------------------------------------------ ---------------------- 

Signature of researcher Date” 

Appendix B 

Questions in the questionnaire 

Do you think gender stereotyping is existent in your work place? 

If so who are the most affected? 

In what ways are the affected stereotyped? 

Do they complain to leaders about the issue? 

Who are major contributors to the stereotype juniors or the management? 

Are you given fair roles? 

Is there a specific gender that is being favored? 

What have you done in regard to the issue? 

Is so did you receive any support? 

Has the situation changed if you intervened? 

What do you expect to be done in regard to the gender issue? 

Is there a pay gap between men and women? 

Is there discrimination in regard to promotion and rewards? 

Are there trainings in regard to gender issues and discrimination done in the last one year? 

If yes did it change the situation? 

Is there a balance in gender among the present staff? 

What about the management is there a balance in sexes?