Gender issues and changes at work facing human resource management and Essay

Gender issues and changes at work facing human resource management and promoting equality at work through diversity - Essay Example One important fact to question is one that begs an inquiry into why women fail to move up the employment hierarchy. One possible explanation has to do with the perception that women do not "fit in" with the traditional "male" profile. This is most prevalent in the choice of employment conceived by children which translates to future adult employment aspirations. As children career choices are guided by hobbies, skill sets and the notion that some careers are more attractive than others. In so doing, the traditional gender roles play a crucial rule. Female children tend to aspire to employment with fits the traditional gender roles of women being employed in a subservient position while male children tend to aspire employment which places men in dominant positions such as that of upper level managerial positions. This bias in the rating process may lead to subjec ¬tive selection and promotion decisions. In fact, in a HRM survey on work place diversity and the decision to promote individuals within an organization indicates that subjectivity plays a vital role. Other barriers cited by this survey include lack of developmental exposure and experiences provided to women, and selection through word-of-mouth networking from current male employees. Fur ¬ther, most of these organizations steer their women em ¬ployees into staff positions.