A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles

This would be a good thing according to conflict theorists, who believe that the male exploitation of women is detrimental to society; any sort of exploitation of rich to poor, male to female, must be deconstructed. â€Å"A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles† supports the rising number of traditional gender roles being reversed in today’s society. However, just because the roles are switched, does not mean that true gender equality exists. Social norms establish the privileges and responsibilities a certain status may occupy. Females and males, mothers and fathers are all statuses with distinct role requirements that are perceived as â€Å"normal† to society. The status of a mother includes ‘expected’ roles involving love, caretaking, duties in the kitchen, etc. The status of a father primarily includes the expected role of a breadwinner. The huge increase of women in the workforce, an achieved status, may unfortunately lead to the experience of Durkheim’s concept anomie, or uncertainty of rules/norms in a society. These ‘traditional norms’ have begun to change, but new ones have not yet developed, â€Å"To put it simply, because we’re not there yet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kathleen Gerson, quoted in article). So why does gender inequality persist even though men and women are not tied to traditional roles as they were in earlier times? Conflict theorists argue that women are at a disadvantage because of the inequalities built into the social structure. This social structure ‘built’ into society refers to the agents of socialization that have structured what it means to be gendered-female and gendered-male; gender roles are learned through the socialization process. Children learn proper behavior for girls and boys, first—and most crucially—through parents, then the media (Disney movies) and finally peer groups or other sources of socialization. Even at an early age, children develop stereotypical notions of both genders and then use those notions to systematize their thoughts and behavior. However today, the media puts out ideas that are inconsistent with ideas of family or education and so it is directly antagonistic to the other important institutions in society. These pre-conceived ideas of gender-typical behavior have prevented individuals from truly assuming the identity of a reversed role, â€Å"Men have a sense of esteem, of identity that comes with being the provider†¦Women don’t get the same identity benefit — there’s a sense that one has a double burden. † (Barbara Rissman, quoted in article). The author clearly struggled with her new gendered-male role. She wasn’t prepared for the role conflict she would experience in partaking a ‘man’s role’, â€Å"I didn’t think I’d feel so guilty, or derelict in my womanly duties, when my husband is quick to comfort our fussy 4-month-old—or reminds me where we keep the muffin tin. Or that I’d feel so much chest-tightening pressure when I monitor our bills. † (Dunleavey). When asked, â€Å"Did your concept of ‘equality’ ever include supporting the family? †, the author had to admit her answer was no. Women have consistently complained and fought for equality— but is that what they really wanted? Now that we have it, we are â€Å"seething — with uncertainty, resentment, anxiety and frustration. † (Dunleavey) The pre-ordained notions of what is right vs. wrong, female vs. male that have been engrained in our heads from early childhood and then through constant resocialization over the years, have prevented some of us from truly being equal, even when we are on the surface—equal. A conflict theorist would point out for this case, that the need to eliminate inequalities does not just include eliminating the suffering of those on the bottom, but eliminating the suffering of those on the top as well. Despite the increase of women in the labor force and the now blurred boundaries of gender discriminations, men and women live in a society where the demands of balancing work and parenting are unsettled. Women were not prepared for what true equality would actually entail—but can we blame them? Literature Cited: Dunleavey, M. P. â€Å"A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles. † The New York Times 27 January 2007, Section C 1:1. http://www. nytimes. com/2007/01/27/business/27instincts. html A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles This would be a good thing according to conflict theorists, who believe that the male exploitation of women is detrimental to society; any sort of exploitation of rich to poor, male to female, must be deconstructed. â€Å"A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles† supports the rising number of traditional gender roles being reversed in today’s society. However, just because the roles are switched, does not mean that true gender equality exists. Social norms establish the privileges and responsibilities a certain status may occupy. Females and males, mothers and fathers are all statuses with distinct role requirements that are perceived as â€Å"normal† to society. The status of a mother includes ‘expected’ roles involving love, caretaking, duties in the kitchen, etc. The status of a father primarily includes the expected role of a breadwinner. The huge increase of women in the workforce, an achieved status, may unfortunately lead to the experience of Durkheim’s concept anomie, or uncertainty of rules/norms in a society. These ‘traditional norms’ have begun to change, but new ones have not yet developed, â€Å"To put it simply, because we’re not there yet†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Kathleen Gerson, quoted in article). So why does gender inequality persist even though men and women are not tied to traditional roles as they were in earlier times? Conflict theorists argue that women are at a disadvantage because of the inequalities built into the social structure. This social structure ‘built’ into society refers to the agents of socialization that have structured what it means to be gendered-female and gendered-male; gender roles are learned through the socialization process. Children learn proper behavior for girls and boys, first—and most crucially—through parents, then the media (Disney movies) and finally peer groups or other sources of socialization. Even at an early age, children develop stereotypical notions of both genders and then use those notions to systematize their thoughts and behavior. However today, the media puts out ideas that are inconsistent with ideas of family or education and so it is directly antagonistic to the other important institutions in society. These pre-conceived ideas of gender-typical behavior have prevented individuals from truly assuming the identity of a reversed role, â€Å"Men have a sense of esteem, of identity that comes with being the provider†¦Women don’t get the same identity benefit — there’s a sense that one has a double burden. † (Barbara Rissman, quoted in article). The author clearly struggled with her new gendered-male role. She wasn’t prepared for the role conflict she would experience in partaking a ‘man’s role’, â€Å"I didn’t think I’d feel so guilty, or derelict in my womanly duties, when my husband is quick to comfort our fussy 4-month-old—or reminds me where we keep the muffin tin. Or that I’d feel so much chest-tightening pressure when I monitor our bills. † (Dunleavey). When asked, â€Å"Did your concept of ‘equality’ ever include supporting the family? †, the author had to admit her answer was no. Women have consistently complained and fought for equality— but is that what they really wanted? Now that we have it, we are â€Å"seething — with uncertainty, resentment, anxiety and frustration. † (Dunleavey) The pre-ordained notions of what is right vs. wrong, female vs. male that have been engrained in our heads from early childhood and then through constant resocialization over the years, have prevented some of us from truly being equal, even when we are on the surface—equal. A conflict theorist would point out for this case, that the need to eliminate inequalities does not just include eliminating the suffering of those on the bottom, but eliminating the suffering of those on the top as well. Despite the increase of women in the labor force and the now blurred boundaries of gender discriminations, men and women live in a society where the demands of balancing work and parenting are unsettled. Women were not prepared for what true equality would actually entail—but can we blame them? Literature Cited: Dunleavey, M. P. â€Å"A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles. † The New York Times 27 January 2007, Section C 1:1. http://www. nytimes. com/2007/01/27/business/27instincts. html

The Good, the Bad, and Your Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Good, the Bad, and Your Business - Essay Example The pressure to make the correct business decisions is often unbearable to many managers. Indecision, anxiety, or a misstep can bring the company to its knees in today's highly competitive economy. While ethical dilemmas remain unsolved, employee morale can plummet, productivity can drop off, business competitors can take a large proportion of your profits, and dissatisfied customers can free (Seglin, 1999). This is bad news for business managers. It is on this premise that Jeffrey L. Seglin wrote the book, The Good, the Bad, and Your Business to give business managers some useful insights on how to conduct their businesses more efficiently and navigate through their everyday moral business dilemmas. Business mistakes can put a decent professional in serious ethical troubles. This essay attempts to answer some ethical considerations and questions using the above named book. The four point's test, otherwise called the CEO test is credited to Norman Augustine, a former Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin (Maslanka, 2008). In his contribution, Augustine asked business managers to reckon four questions whenever they were faced with an ethical dilemma. First, a manager should ask if the ethical dilemma is legal to avoid getting engaged in illegal activities that could further dent the image of the company. Secondly, the manager should spend time pondering about the fairness of the ethical dilemma if it was personally meted on him or her instead of the employees. If the ethical dilemma was splashed in the front page of the local newspaper, would the manager feel contented Finally, the manager should ask himself if he would feel satisfied if her mother saw him implement the ethical dilemma. If the manager answers to the affirmative in all the above questions, then the decisions he makes on the dilemma are ethical (Seglin, 2007). Q2: Comparing and contrasting the Four-point e test with the twelve-point test. The twelve-point test offers a more pragmatic framework for most mangers in dealing with ethical issues and dilemmas. First, a manager must ask himself if he has defined the problem accurately. Secondly, the manager must ask himself how he would have viewed the dilemma if he was an employee. Further, the manager must dig into how the problem occurred in the first place and who was involved in the situation in the first place. After evaluating the above, the manager should then stop to ponder what his intentions are in making the decision that he wants to make and how will the intentions compare with likely results. Afterwards, the manager must evaluate the consequences of his decisions. The eighth question, which is the most crucial question, is whether the manager can engage the affected party in discussing the problem before making a final judgment. Afterwards, the manager should stop to ponder about the longevity of the decision he makes. Will it appear valid over a long period of time as it appears now Another crucial question for the manager is whether he could disclose the decisions that he has made to his boss, CEO, board of directors, the society, and family members without any misgivings. The manager should also consider the symbolic potential of the action he is about to take. Finally, the mana

Management and Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Management and Business - Essay Example Through its Technical Training College, KLM UK Engineering also offers Aviation Safety Agency Part 147 provisions. The company increasing customer base comprises Europe highly established airline operators plus leasing firms like British Airways and Air France. The main base of the company is Norwich International Airport, and the company has three hangars, around eight bays and a wider on site workshop. Moreover, the company has a line maintenance stations located at Edinburgh airport, Glasgow airport and Norwich airport. Due to the constant changing nature of the air industry, the burden on the company is mainly on its staff training. The challenge of training its technicians to support the maintenance demands of constantly renewed fleet is becoming heavy. This is mainly because modern Aircraft are being added to the growing carrier fleet with more advanced equipments, flight decks, and advanced forms of control structures. In addition to the incorporation numerous structural materials, therefore, the challenge is to get and maintain the right human resources and factors to ensure that its personnel skills keep pace with the constantly changing nature of the industry. The technology is changing at very a  rapid pace compared with the speed at which the company personnel are being acquainted with the changing landscape. Cost management is also a major challenge facing KLM UK Engineering due to the increasing industry wide concerns on maintenance efficiency (KLM UK Engineering Limited 5). KLM UK Engineering Limited mission is to offer its clientele with enhanced service solutions leading to safe and dependable aircraft delivered within the client schedule necessities under most favourable cost. KLM UK Engineering invests in talented plus experienced professionals and sustenance systems to enable its customers to attain their operational goals. We offer a competent, rate effective, and specialized aircraft maintenance management, in addition to providing