Page 192 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

7. GENDER DISCRIMINATION
time and throughout one's career. In other words, attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors continue to develop and to be reinforced (or challenged) when
one relocates to another organization, shifts to a new career, takes on a new
project, or moves within an organizational career path. 161
Research on discrimination has traditionally focused on differences be­
tween people (e.g., differences between high- and low-prejudiced individ­
uals have been studied extensively). The developmental perspective pays
attention to within-individual differences or changes across time. Individu­
als' beliefs and behaviors fostering discrimination in the workplace are not
cast in stone, and they can be influenced by workplace interventions. Indi­
viduals may differ in their propensity for development or change (i.e., the
attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of some individuals may be more resistant
to change); these differences may have implications for both the timing of
interventions and the contexts in which discrimination-reduction interven­
tions are most likely to succeed. A developmental view is also important
because it conveys more clearly the nature of the discrimination process—
small but consistent differences in the treatment of men and women in the
workplace (e.g., small decrements in pay, conditions of work, and so forth)
can have large cumulative effects over time (Martell, Lane, & Emrich, 1996;
Valian, 1998).
Cultural Gendering According to sociologists Padavic & Reskin (2002),
societies produce, reinforce, and maintain gender differences through pro­
cesses of socialization, the actions of social institutions, and interactions
among people. Together, the processes, actions, and interactions that pro­
duce and reinforce gender differences have been referred to as gendering.
Thus, gender is more than biology—it is a system of social relations that is
embedded in the way major institutions (including the workplace) are or­
ganized (Acker, 1990; Lorber, 1992, p. 748). Sociological research on gender­
ing helps us to examine the ways that social institutions embrace gendered
arrangements and thus, create and maintain differences in the behavior and
expectations of a society's male and female members (Padavic & Reskin,
2002).
Why does gendering exist? According to Acker (1990), Padavic and Re-
skin (2002), and others, a primary reason for gendering is to maintain male
advantage. Gender roles and gendered organizations institutionalize the
favored position of men as a group. In our society, organizations play a
fundamental role in establishing a gender hierarchy that tends to favor
men over women. Although many men may not be aware of the benefits
they derive on the basis of their gender, these benefits are real and mean­
ingful. Two institutions that are particularly important to most adults are
work and family, both characterized by strong sets of assumptions about
the differences in the roles of men and women (Padavic & Reskin, 2002).