Question 1
In the journal article “Women are Working more than ever, but they still take on most Household Responsibilities” Maggie Germano explores the responsibilities that women take on in addition to their job. She explains that while women have definitely gained more equality in the workplace than we had 50 years ago, we have yet to achieve true equality in the workplace and in more places than just the office. Germano gives statistics and discusses how women are treated differently in the workplace in regards to their lives at home. Having children, caring for sick and/or elderly family members both are most likely taken care of by the women in the relationship and therefore their jobs are affected.
The value in this article is that it is drawing attention to how much women do in a day and how their jobs and income is negatively affected by it. Why should a women be penalized for having a child if it does not affect how much work they do or how they do it? Why do men not get penalized as much for the same thing? Germano makes these points in ways that are not attacking or accusing businesses or companies but simply pointing out that these practices are unfair and need to be changed. This adds an example to Wynn’s point in her article “Individual Change Won’t Create Gender Equality in Organizations”. It is supporting her ideas and giving evidence to her argument.
Question 2
Alison Wynn’s article “Individual Change Won’t Create Gender Equality in Organizations” discusses the idea that individuals are not enough to fix gender inequality in the workplace. She identifies different ways that employees can work together to dissolve inequality in their company and offices. I think that all men would benefit the most from reading her article, not just men who have authority or are higher up at their company but all of them. I believe so because those are the people who are participating in inequality. They are the ones who are sexually harassing and discriminating against women. Are they the only ones, most likely not. Unfortunately, there most likely are women who discriminate against other women. But men are the rings leaders of it all and by changing their behaviors, women will be more comfortable in the office.
I liked the question that she posed in the beginning of the article, “If you were an executive tasked with reducing gender inequality in your organization, how would you do it?”. I think that this is a good question for everyone to ask themselves when hearing about gender inequality, or all kinds for that matter. I think that there are definitely people, especially men, who participate in gender equality without particularly realizing it. If they all asked themselves Wynn’s question, their actions might come to light in their minds. They could point out things that should be done to fix inequality and along the way realize ways that they have been making it worse.
Consider what it would mean to make that a standard interview question–to ask managerial candidates how they would address gender inequities would not only yield some potentially interesting ideas, but would also put those interviewees on notice that this stuff *matters* in this place, and THAT would really be something.