Unit IX-Gender in the Workplace

Module 9:
a. The different forms of gender discrimination in the
workplace
b. The different nature of men’s and women’s
communication
c. How to effectively communicate in the workplace
d. How to promote gender equality in the workplace.
Learning Guide Questions:

The following are questions that will guide you through this
lesson:
1. What is workplace discrimination?
2. Determine the different forms of gender discrimination.
3. What characteristics are protected from discrimination?
4. What are the ways that workplace discrimination can be
manifested?
5. How do you effectively communicate in the workplace?
6. How to protect you/us against workplace
discrimination?
7. How to create gender equality in the workplace?
What is Workplace Discrimination?

Workplace discrimination occurs

when people treat an employee
unfavorably or unfairly because of
their religion, gender, race, sexuality,
or disability. Treating someone less
favorably because they have
different characteristics from the rest
of the staff is discrimination.
 Employees can experience
discrimination in various ways. It
can be a one-time incident or an
ongoing dynamic between co-
workers or between employees
and employers. The act can be
done intentionally or
unintentionally. Regardless of its
intended purpose, workplace
discrimination is harmful and
unlawful.
Different forms/ways that workplace discrimination can be
manifested:

 Unfair treatment - Unfairly treating

an employee because of who they
are is discriminatory. When this
happens, they may feel ashamed,
upset, or scared, leading to a drop
in their productivity and
performance levels.
This form of discrimination
involves spreading rumors
about an employee about
their protected characteristics
or compensating certain
workers less for doing the
same job due to biases and
prejudices.
• Harassment - Harassment is
repeated unreasonable behavior
towards an individual. You may
experience it verbally, physically,
or psychologically. Some forms of
harassment include disability
harassment, sexual harassment,
or racial hatred.
Incidents of sexual harassment
Examples:
1. sexual remark or jokes
2. implied or actual threats of being overlooked for
work opportunities or promotion, if you say no to
your boss’s advances
3. unwelcome touching, patting, or pinching by your
boss, co-worker, or customer
4. regular hassling for a date or being followed
home by a co-worker
5. sexually offensive images, including screen
savers of a sexual nature
6. intrusive questions about your sex life.
• Denial of transfers and other
opportunities (disparity in promotions)-
When supervisors deny an employee a
transfer to a lateral employment position
or a promotion because of their
protected characteristic, it’s considered
workplace discrimination.
• Exclusion or isolation by co-workers -
Exclusion or isolation means that your co-
workers fail to involve you in activities or
interactions. It becomes discriminatory when
the cause is based on your protected
characteristic.
 Unfair dismissal - Unfair dismissal is
when your employer ends your
contract for unjust or unreasonable
grounds. Employees are usually
unfairly dismissed when they try to
exercise their workplace rights, and
their employers don’t allow them to
because of discriminatory reasons.
 What characteristics are protected from discrimination?

Applicants, employees, and former employees are protected

from employment discrimination based on ('protected
characteristics'):
● age
● gender reassignment
● being married or in a civil partnership
● being pregnant or on maternity leave
● disability
● race including color, nationality, ethnic or national origin
● religion or belief
● sex
● sexual orientation
How to effectively communicate in the workplace?

Gender Communication Differences

Improved communication, or an elevated understanding

of divergent communication methods, can help to
manage confrontation, aid in conflict resolution, relieve
stress and anxiety, build stronger relationships, and
meet our needs as humans for social interactions.
Strong communication skills can facilitate goal
achievement and improve job performance, especially
in customer service and management positions.
Research shows that men and women are more likely
to exhibit different styles of verbal communication. Men
are more prone to adopt what is called “report talk,”
while women gravitate more toward “rapport talk.”
Report” style of communication
• direct and typically does not include any personal
anecdotes or stories, with limited emotional connotation.
• aimed at building relationships based on solving that task
at hand
• users typically tend to dominate the conversation and
speak for longer periods of time than other types of
communicators.
 “Rapport” style communication
• aimed at building relationships and problem-
solving with the aid of those relationships.
• includes more listening than “report”
communication and involves the inclusion of
more personal feelings and past experiences
to solve tasks
• tend to problem solve as they are speaking
and are more concerned with everyone
equally contributing to the conversation.
However, we can all set ourselves up to be better
communicators in the workplace if we practice
something called executive presence. You don’t have to
be a CEO to implement this style of communication.
Instead, executive presence just involves exhibiting
confidence, communicating clearly and efficiently, and
reading an audience or situation effectively. Executive
presence includes eliminating behavior like questioning
ourselves as we speak, laughing nervously while talking,
overly apologizing, storytelling in excess, and being
extremely deferential. Instead, executive presence
involves listening, talking efficiently to forward the
conversation, speaking firmly, and standing/sitting tall.
Protect Yourself Against Discrimination
If you feel like you’re being discriminated against or
harassed by your colleagues or employer, here are
some tips on what you can do to protect yourself.

• Know your protected characteristics - Everyone

has protected characteristics, and it’s against the
law to discriminate against someone because of
these. Knowing your protected characteristics can
help you determine if the act is discriminatory.
 Know the law - You must know what your rights are and
what’s considered discrimination and harassment. By learning
about the law that protects you, you can identify the violation
made against you.
 Gather documentation - As you come forward with your
discrimination case, it’s best to record the incident, especially
subsequent ones. As much as you can, take down notes on
everything about the incident. Digital evidence such as
emails, videos, and photos can also take you a long way to
support your case.
 Report the incident to HR - Filing a formal complaint about
what happened will show that you are serious about the incident
and were offended by the treatment of your co-worker or
supervisor. When you don’t report these incidents to the HR
department, people will think that what happened wasn’t a big
deal. If management doesn’t do anything about the incident, it
may be best to move forward and explore your legal options.

 Educate employees on diversity - Diversity in the workplace is

beneficial to companies. However, this can only happen when
both management and employees commit to making their
workplace more inclusive.
With this in mind, as management, it’s your responsibility to
educate employees on diversity and inclusive practices in the
workplace. However, these lessons should not be confined to
the workplace, as it is equally important to treat customers,
vendors, and partners more inclusively.
By holding diversity training programs, the company can
prevent encountering discriminatory cases as all employees
will know how to treat everyone with respect.
How to create gender equality in the workplace?
Despite the popular belief that women have nearly
closed the gender gap in the workplace, men continue
to land the majority of high-paying jobs. Learn how we
can close the gap. Businesses must try to both closes
the gender gap and make their workplaces truly
inclusive
1. Focus on diversity during your recruitment process. -
Creating gender equality in the workplace starts with your
recruitment process. Work toward a diverse and equitable
workplace by creating accurate and inclusive job descriptions,
sourcing a gender-diverse candidate pipeline, and conducting
fair interviews

2. Create fair compensation and promotion procedures. -

Create an employee compensation program that is fair,
equitable, and transparent. Offer your employees equal pay for
equal work, regardless of their gender. Offering competitive and
fair pay is also a great way to attract and retain top talent.
3. Offer flexible and supportive employee benefits. - Companies can
reduce stress by offering comprehensive benefits and more opportunities
for better work-life balance, such as better access to child care and greater
acceptance of flexible work arrangements (remote work, hybrid work and
flexible scheduling). This can reduce burnout among women and allow
qualified mothers to play a more active role in the corporate world.

4. Create a diversity and inclusion training program. - Train your

employees on what is and isn’t acceptable in the workplace. Have your
employees attend a diversity training program customized to your business
to address potential biases and prejudices within your organization. This
can also encourage your employees to move from awareness to action in
terms of allyship (supportive association with another person or group).
5. Hold managers accountable. - “It is important for companies to
track, measure, and hold managers accountable for diversity and
inclusion efforts,” Price said. “If this important business metric is not
tracked, we may never see any improvement.”

6. Build an inclusive company culture. - To bridge the gap,

companies must create a culture where employees feel a sense of
belonging and acceptance. They should focus on improving their
cultures to increase inclusion and
enhance employee experience and engagement. A work
environment that is not only diverse but inclusive is an integral part
of reducing the gender gap.
7. Pay attention to political changes. - There are
laws intended to eliminate the gender gap and provide
equal opportunities for men and women. As we get
closer to a world with gender equality in the workplace,
look out for any potential legal changes that arise.
References:
Ramos A. (2021). Workplace Equality and Diversity in the Philippines: 8 Laws to Protect You.
Retrieved from
https://manilarecruitment.com/manila-recruitment-articles-advice/workplace-equa
lity-diversity-philippines-laws-protect-you/#:~:text=Moreover%2C%20employers%
20can't%20discriminate,%2C%20color%2C%20or%20ethnic%20origin
.

Wilson J. (2019). 5 Top Issues Fueling Gender Inequality in the Workplace. Retrieved
from
https://www.asyousow.org/blog/gender-equality-workplace-issu
es
Aotearoa M.H. (2018). Sexual harassment. Retrieved from

https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-industry/sexual-harassment/examples-of-sex
ual-harassment-at-work/

Schooley, S. (2022). How to create gender equality in the workplace. Retrieved from
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4178-gender-gap-workplace.html

https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/small-business/3-who-protected-employment-discri
mination

https://rochesterrising.org/main/gender-communication-differences-what-can-we-lear
n#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20men%20and,to%20solve%20a%20given%2
0problem
.