Women and the Glass Ceiling

Glass ceiling is the mindset of the traditional patriarchal society habituated to discriminate women from basic rights. The term is particularly used for women at workplace who are denied pay equal for the same work as the opposite gender. Sexism and gender discrimination are concepts that are later classified into glass ceiling. It is a barrier in the progress of gender minority groups especially working women. Recent reviews in the United States state that the top Fortune 1000 industrial companies have 95 percent of the senior managers as men; also 97 percent of them are white! Feminism is the new idea of glass ceiling. We use the hierarchical distribution of work based on conventional differences between two sexes. In 1980s female authors rewrote the male dominated literature and demanded equal rights for women. Recently, senator Hillary Clinton applied the theme glass-ceiling plea for her participation in presidential election in United States. Origin and Use of the Concept Glass Ceiling: The term glass ceiling was used basically in corporate field as the Wall Street Journal promoted this issue in March 1986. It described conflict that arose when qualified women were denied higher positions in corporate ladder and did not get equally paid for similar type of work. Many women writers raised their voice to point out how they have been treated in America and that they keep bumping their heads on the glass ceiling without any result. A quote by womens activist and writer, Nora Frenkiel in 1984, sums up the situation: "Women have reached a certain point. I call it the glass ceiling. They're in the top of middle management and they're stopping and getting stuck. There isn't enough room for all those women at the top. Some are going into business for themselves. Others are going out and raising families." Glass ceiling is found in workplaces, not only in the discrimination of pay scales, but is also marked by sexual harassment, exploitation at work and also as a feeling of insecurity in women due to conduct of the opposite sex. Women struggle to incarnate their own personality in spite of restriction of gender discrimination. United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 grants equal treatment for all human at employment or workplace. This law holds the opportunities without any deterrent(s) according to sex, race, color, and religion to each individual. An example of how and what heights women can achieve if given the chance is Quentin Bryces became the current Governor-General of Australia, for the first

time in the world history, on 5 September, 2008. One can look up to her for the impartial judgments and long experience of teaching (1968-1983) in the Faculty of Law at the University of Queensland. Issues on Glass Ceiling: One should not take glass ceiling as the subject of gender earning penalties, since it totally depends on the company and workplace a woman is into. We require proper management to deal with problems in profession and for womens progress in general. Creating a cooperative environment without bullying a junior by overload of daily work would be one way out. Human resources should promote people who meet the goal of their program eliminate any cultural and gender prejudices. Try to encourage women for their talent and leadership. A workplace should consider the ability of an individual and not the issues of glass ceiling based on sex, religion, culture and race of minority class. In todays world of equality, wo(man) is not "Frailty, thy name is woman!" but she is the one who represents the quote "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world!" For more information on how glass ceiling takes place at workplace, please refer to gender discrimination By Vaishali Satwase

Gender Discrimination at Workplace

Gender discrimination at workplace is a serious type of employment discrimination. Read on to find out more about this topic... In an age where we talk about equal rights for men and women, there are still instances of people being discriminated against because of their gender. Have you ever been discriminated against at work, just because of your gender? Have you been at the receiving end of lecherous looks or snide comments at the workplace? If yes, then you should know that gender discrimination is not an issue, which you can ignore or bear silently. People should realize that gender discrimination at workplace is a serious form of employment discrimination, which should not be dismissed. Gender based discrimination is defined as adverse action or differential treatment against a person that would not have occurred if the person had been of another sex. It can be the men, women and also transgenders individuals in the

society, who face gender discrimination. Gender discrimination is considered as a serious form of prejudice and is illegal in certain circumstances in most of the countries around the world.

Glass Ceiling Effect

We can see the glass ceiling effect in the professional arena all over the world. The following article is an attempt at analyzing what it is and what obstacles it poses to those who fall silent victims to this discriminatory phenomenon. We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly. ~ Margaret Atwood No matter what country we belong to and no matter how economically and academically advanced a society is, discrimination - be it in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, community or physical/ mental disability - continues to exist. The only difference between its existence in relatively advanced and relatively backward socioeconomic frameworks is the level of conscious acceptance of its existence. The more advanced the society, the more discriminations are layered by a veneer of nonexistence and the lesser a society is advance, the more conspicuous the forms in which discriminatory practices prevail. Glass ceiling effect is the name given to such discriminatory practices within an organization that are directed towards obstructing the advancement of the discriminated individuals to upper echelons of the organizational hierarchy despite such individuals being deserving candidates in terms of academic qualifications and professional experience. An Insight Into the Glass Ceiling Effect So, what is the glass ceiling effect all about? As discussed above, glass ceiling effect is the term used to define employment discrimination or the discriminatory phenomenon that takes place at workplace and which poses a hurdle in the path of professional advancement of those towards whom such discrimination is directed. The most common forms of glass ceiling effect are those discriminatory policies which are based upon gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity. The fact that such discrimination are clearly outlawed and almost all companies' HR policies condemn such practices, citing any discriminatory act that assumes offensive proportions as punishable does not deter the existence of this glass ceiling. Indeed, this phenomenon of discriminatory limitation of individual professional growth is known as glass ceiling due to the fact that although it exists as a barrier to further upward growth after a few promotions, its existence is not apparent. It is neither official nor express. Most of us who are working professionals and fall under the aforementioned categories of candidates most prone to hit the glass ceiling have experienced some or

the other form of professional obstacles in different magnitudes of intensity. During our periodical appraisals, haven't we often wondered why certain people, who have been working at the same profile/ process as us, manage to get better hikes when our own organizational inputs as well as professional excellence far outstrips theirs? And often, the reasons offered for holding off promotions and professional growth of victims of the glass ceiling effect appear to make no sense! For instance, suppose you're working in a KPO as a back office process analyst and your reporting manager is performing your appraisal for the current year. What sense would it make if your manager refuses you a hike citing the reason that you haven't been taking much initiative towards making the organizational processes more economic and profitable? Come on! You're just an analyst and besides, such decisions are for the likes of the operations head or CEO to make! No offense to my male counterparts, but isn't such glass ceiling and its effects on women, especially, pretty ubiquitous across most organizational cultures? Indeed, bias against women and discrimination in the workplace is the most common manifestation of the glass ceiling effect. Glass Ceiling Effect: Types of Professional Obstacles Types of discrimination in the workplace based upon gender and other minorityfactors can be in any of the following forms: Discriminatory compensation where people doing the same or similar work at an organization get paid differently; which may be in the form of offensive jokes, religious and racial jibes, undesirable sexual advances, etc., targeted towards members of a particular gender, sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity; Absence of workplace policies that accommodate the needs of individuals with special needs such as physically challenged individuals, single parents, etc.; Typecasting and stereotyping; The hour-glass ceiling, in which the butt of such discrimination does get to climb the ladder of professional growth but after a longer duration than his/ her colleagues who are doing much the same job as him/ her;

Unfriendly, often hostile work environment which is characterized by exclusion of members who are targets of discrimination from informal networks and professional circles.

Racial discrimination in the workplace is perhaps the second most prevalent instance of the glass ceiling effect after gender discrimination in the workplace. Women and the glass ceiling effect have had a shared history since ages - almost for as long as women have ventured into the same professional domains as men. The fact that some men still consider women as incapable of having financially promising careers involving high academic qualifications cause them a concern over their own professional identities and capabilities being overshadowed when they see women entering what they have been considering as their turf and succeeding there as well! This sense of pseudo-threat often lead such men, who are in a position of power and authority, to stunt the growth of women at a workplace. The glass ceiling effect is nothing short of a professional and social injustice which is rooted in unfounded prejudices. Those who are victims of such prejudice are a sad lot and those who give in to such prejudices to the extent of obstructing a deserving person's advancement are a sick lot. I pray for their own sake, as well as for the sake of those who are at the receiving end of such discriminatory practices, that they recover from their prejudice-driven insecurities and get well soon. By Ishani Chatterjee Shukla

What is the Glass Ceiling

What is the glass ceiling and how can women break it? How can they move up and prove that they are as capable as their male counterparts in the workplace? Find out here.

The concept of glass ceiling and its association with women is not new, and has been around for a while now. What is the glass ceiling? It is a term coined by the Wall Street Journal in the year 1986, that refers to barriers in the advancement of women and other minorities in the workplace. This is due to several stereotypes and types of employment discrimination that exist, due to the view that men are more capable of advancing in various careers than women. A metaphorical term, the glass ceiling is symbolic of the fact that there is a limit to which a woman can grow within the organization, and though everything may appear as transparent as the glass ceiling is indiscernible by an outsider, it is only experienced by a woman, and exists nonetheless. The Glass Ceiling and Women in the Workplace Since time immemorial, there have always been typecast gender roles in the

workplace and in society in general. Over this time, the heights of such discrimination on this basis have reduced, though they still continue to exist in the shadows. The glass ceiling is one of the biggest examples of gender discrimination in the workplace, and a lot of theories have come into being to understand why such discrimination still exists. For one, as mentioned earlier, men have always been perceived as balanced individuals who are capable of taking the right decisions and leading an organization towards success. The general consensus towards working women is that they are more emotional and are less capable of taking practical decisions. Another reason why one would believe that the glass ceiling and discrimination against women in the workplace still exists is that there are certain male-oriented jobs that pay well, and that women would not opt for. For instance, when it comes to fields such as civil engineering, not many women are found here. However, it is a very high paying job. It is believed that women still choose low income jobs such as secretarial or administrative jobs so that they are able to balance time between their family and work. On the other hand, it is also a fact that women who are as educated as men in a particular field are discouraged from taking up jobs in those fields because they are perceived as male-oriented jobs. However, there are women out there, who are willing to break the glass ceiling and move ahead, to prove every 'theory' or 'perception' wrong, to be as successful and more than their male counterparts. In this discussion about women and the glass ceiling, the glass ceiling effect cannot be ignored, and should be given due importance in order to understand what the current scenario is. What is the Glass Ceiling Effect? Due to the glass ceiling, it has been found that women are paid lesser than their male counterparts due to the aforementioned perceptions, even when they perform similar jobs. Men are always considered for promotions over women, and moving up the corporate ladder results in a huge hit for women when they face this glass ceiling. In spite of laws that require organizations to provide equal pay to men and women, such discrimination does exist, and abiding by the law is not something all organizations are doing. While older studies and research have shown that the effect of the glass ceiling on women is that of low self esteem, motivation levels, and a general tendency to give up after a point, there are some very positive effects of the glass ceiling that should be made note of. It is said that there is something good in every bad, and this statement could not be truer with reference to the glass ceiling. One of the biggest positive effects of this type of employment discrimination is that women have made it a point to prove it wrong. There are women who are continuously breaking the glass ceiling, by means of sheer talent and capabilities. A woman who works as hard as a man, is as practical as a man, and is capable of taking decisions as well as a man is definitely considered for a higher position in an organization that knows how to value its employees irrespective of the gender. There are now numerous women in

top positions in various companies, and in fact, studies have proven that such organizations with women at the head fare much better than their male dominated counterparts. It may be true that bias against women and discrimination in the workplace does still exist, but women are doing all they can to surpass it and prove themselves. It may also be unfortunate that in spite of calling ourselves modern thinkers, women still have to 'prove' their worth, while men are believed to possess it already. They say it is only a matter of time before this glass ceiling vanishes completely, but a big question in this regard is, how much more does a woman need to do to prove that she is as capable as a man to do exactly as he does? Why is there still an issue regarding women's rights, while men are supposed to be born with these? Answers to such questions are still vague, and the only diplomatic way in which an attempt is made to answer these is 'time'. Women need to be explained what is the glass ceiling and be prepared to face such forms of gender discrimination in the workplace. No matter how many laws are passed and how much ever a woman may want to fight, it is only by proving her worth can she break the glass ceiling and become as successful as her male counterparts. By Puja Lalwani Published: 12/11/2010

Discrimination Against Women in the Workplace

Discrimination against women in the workplace is not a new issue. Talk about gender equality and this disparity to some extent is a major show dampener. Join me as I try and explore this workplace discrimination.

Disclaimer: This topic is a multifaceted issue with lots of complexities and gender intertwining. So it is impossible to cover all those aspects in a single article. This is going to be my attempt towards dabbling at explaining this vast topic. Women got their voting rights after men. Why? Never mind, it is history, dead and gone. But the fairer sex empowerment notwithstanding and its capabilities not underestimated, women still have to get what they deserve. Come to think of it, some of us believe that the age of gender equality has arrived. But I beg to differ (even though I know that I am no Simone de Beauvoir or any other feminist).

Perhaps we are still long way from that. (Again, neither am I into staunch feminism or an expert). I am saying this totally on the basis of being a woman. One of the aspects which lead me to believe that, is the employment discrimination against women in the workplace. The naysayers would vehemently deny that, but unfortunately that is the harsh reality in quite a few parts of the globe in a so called modern world. The text to come will try and map this complicated Women's issue. Explaining Workplace Discrimination Workplace discrimination, simply put is said to have happened when an employee suffers an unfair or unfavorable treatment on the basis of race, gender, religion, caste, nationality and some other factors. In this case, it is gender discrimination in the workplace. Furthermore, this may also include those employees who suffer reprisals on account of opposing the work place discrimination or even reporting violations to the authorities. The Federal law, however, does not allow for discrimination in several areas connected with work, from recruitment to job evaluations to promotion, training and disciplinary action. All said and done though, unfair treatment may not necessarily mean equal unlawful discrimination. Violation of Equal Employment Opportunity laws is said to have violated only when the unfair treatment is done on the grounds of presence of protected characteristic, more than the performance or even the personality of the employee. Yet, all this can be highly subjective and what one may consider as discrimination would not be considered so by someone else. Read more on harassment in the workplace. The United States has the following legislation and acts related to gender discrimination at work Equal Pay Act of 1963 (part of the Fair Labor Standards Act) - prohibits wage discrimination by employers and labor organizations based on sex. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - broadly prohibits discrimination in the workplace including hiring, firing, workforce reduction, benefits, and sexually harassing conduct. Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - covers discrimination based upon pregnancy in the workplace.

Workplace Discrimination Against Women In rural Rajasthan, in India, some 18 years back in 1992, a female government official was gang raped by 5 men whom she tried to refrain from marrying off a girl (less than an year old) from their family. The demon of sexual harassment of women and automatically discrimination of women at work hit the Indian society real bad. It wasn't that it was never there or people were not aware of it, but it was an eye opener of sorts. In this case though, lot of women's organizations filed a petition in the Supreme Court, sice they were unable to get justice at lower judicial levels. The petition was filed as Vishakha and in 1997, after 5 long years, the Supreme Court of

India gave a landmark judgment adding teeth to rights of women in the workplace by putting across guidelines, called as Vishakha guidelines. Read more on discrimination against disabled people in the workplace. This was about India, but there must have been innumerable incidents of discrimination against women in the workplace all over the world. Poverty-stricken and orthodox societies are credited with having more number of such workplace discrimination cases. Although in developed countries too there are such incidences. In most cases, where ever it is, this disparity is seen in the wages given to men and women, for starters. Then in some cases, women are not seen capable of doing a particular task or handling a particular project. A huge tantamount and proof for this statement is a United Nations concept of Glass Ceiling, which says that there is hardly any society where women are at par with men. To add to this, In the United States, the Glass Ceiling Commission, a government-funded group, stated that "Over half of all Masters degrees are now awarded to women, yet 95% of senior-level managers, of the top Fortune 1000 industrial and 500 service companies are men. Of them, 97% are white." Isn't it crystal clear then that these whooping numbers cannot be just coincidental? It prominently shows that there is some sort of gender bias in a world super power too, then what can we say about the plight of women in the Middle East and African and Asian countries? Read about: Women and the Glass Ceiling

Various movements have been witnessed by history even in now developed states for equal women's rights. It was a long drawn battle for them to get what they wanted the least at that time. Angela Merkel, Sonia Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher and other women like these have tried and laid the foundation for a change in this womencannot-do-this mindset. They tread a thorny path and reached where they are now. It will still take time though to get rid of discrimination against women in the workplace totally. It will happen, it is all up to the women. At the same time, this is not to undermine the benefits and rights women are enjoying in some parts of the world and in some pockets. But a lot needs to be done. At the end, this reminds me of what Simone de Beauvoir, a French feminist and writer opined, "Man is defined as a human being and a woman as a female - whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male". By Medha Godbole Published: 3/17/2010

Bias Against Women and Discrimination in the Workplace

Name it glass ceiling, or shrug it off as figment of imagination of feminists, but fact remains that there 'IS' BIAS against women. Discrimination in the workplace is just a tip of the iceberg, women across the world have to struggle against unsympathetic minds of men in every walk of life. I don't know whether you are a man or woman, whether you ever faced or saw bias against women, discrimination in the workplace or anywhere else and whether you would agree with me or not, but I am pretty sure that you would definitely agree in unison, that half of the world's population should not be considered in any way inferior or superior to the other half, just on the basis of anatomy. Though, feminism and its very vocal envoys cry foul at the status of women in the world, I for one have stopped banging my head on the wall. I have just accepted the fact that the God, the Supreme One, the Almighty, call him by any name, is a male. If He is not a male, then how come all the difficult tasks (read from pms to child bearing) landed up on women's lap? Hmm... this issue is pointless as it can not change a single fact about the reality of women. What actually boils my blood is that even in 21st century, women's rights are in fact a struggle, not a fundamental right. It's been years since Equal Pay Act (EPA) abolished wage disparity on the basis of gender, but then why do we hear of women being paid less than their male counterparts for the same amount of work. If Lilly Ledbetter, at the end of her career can fight for her legal wages, when a female liquor clerk in the state of Illinois can file complaint against her bosses for her due earnings, then we can at least ponder on discrimination against women in the workplace and other related issues. Discrimination in the Workplace: Definition Gender discrimination in the workplace can be defined as an unjust treatment of an employee on the basis of gender, resulting in less or no compensation, remuneration, promotions, job evaluation, recruitment, training or other employee benefits and excessive disciplining, or subjecting to unfair rules. The phenomenon of women facing invisible barriers in the growth of their careers is termed as glass ceiling. Many a times, passing over for promotions becomes a norm for working women. A few decades back, the situation was so bad that the higher the post, it was less likely to be occupied by a woman. There are many obstacles which makes the career growth of educated, skilled working women, slow and uneven when compared to their male peers. These barriers are: Being sidelined from the informal networks and communication channels in

the workplace. Getting harassed, either physically or mentally. Facing bias in the form of stereotypes, prejudices about women's role, commitment and leadership role or style. Uncooperative organization culture. Lack of role models at the peak levels.

Bias Against Women: Discrimination in the Workplace Facts People vehemently articulate that the difference between wages of a man and woman for the same amount of work and equal professional position is slowly bridging. Or so they think! My point is: this wages gap is not reducing fast enough. Everyday, you and me lose out our hard earned deserving money because of inertia of people who matter. So, it does not come as a surprise that retail giant, Wal-Mart is being sued for gender discrimination in the workplace by thousands of its female employees. This lawsuit is being hailed as having gigantic repercussions in the history of employment discrimination. Here are some women discrimination in the workplace statistics and facts that would elucidate my points. According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics, working women get 15.4% less than what men get for spending 41 to 44 hrs in the office. If you are thinking about putting in some overtime to earn some extra cash, then here's bad news for you. Quoting the above source, women who work more than 60 hrs and so, get even lesser pay than men in the same job category. It is estimated to be 21.7% less than what men earn. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) receives around 15,000 complaints of sexual workplace harassment every year. A telephone poll done by Louise Harris and Associates sheds light on bias against women, discrimination in the workplace and sexual harassment. Out of 783 workers interviewed, 43% of the women were harassed by their supervisors and 27% by superiors. Colleagues of the same level harassed 19% of these women and 8% were victims of harassment by a junior employee. Employers have come up with excuses like recession, low productivity, etc. to let go of those employees who are on the family way. Ironically, even employers in maternity stores don't prefer to hire or keep expecting women which is a violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. This Act considers bias against women and discrimination in the workplace based on

pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy related issues unlawful. World Economic Forum gives the credit of bridging gender gap to none of the countries in the world. Though a considerable improvement have been made regarding women's issues, there is still a long way to go for complete elimination of women discrimination in the workplace. Women taking legal action against their firms have to abide by the EEOC rules to get justice. It requires them to file a compliant with EEOC with in a stipulated time period, for their case to have a valid claim under the EPA Act. Therefore, do not stall or be afraid if you want to seek justice. By Pushpa Duddukuri Published: 8/5/2010

Sexism - Gender Discrimination

Sexism, or gender discrimination, is a reality women face all over the world. Sexism, or gender discrimination, is present everywhere, in every culture, in every country. The terms sexism or gender discrimination basically means the prejudicial treatment of a group or a person due to their gender or sex. It involves a reinforcement of behavior and attitude on the basis of traditionally stereotypical roles people have in the society we live in. Gender discrimination can involve a whole gamut of issues, from unequal pay to women being portrayed as sexual objects in the media to wives being beaten up by their spouses. While in theory gender discrimination can affect both men and women, however, it is women who have been at the receiving end through the ages and across cultures, since most cultures in the world are patriarchal, or male dominated. A stark and recent example of sexism is Hillary Clinton being judged according to the clothes she wears and her looks, thereby belittling what she stands for intellectually, as she makes a bid for the Presidents office in the U.S. And there you have it, despite the emancipation of women in the West, there has not been a single woman president yet what can be more telling! Sexism is a mindset that has the potential of affecting practically every aspect of womens lives, preventing them from accomplishing their full potential. Sexism in the Workplace: From being sexually harassed by male colleagues to women getting paid less for the same jobs to preferential treatment given by male bosses to more compliant women, whom they dont consider a threat, to stronger female colleagues being undercut for openly challenging the conventional gender roles they are supposed to conform to, to discussing female colleagues or making jokes about them in a denigrating manner, gender discrimination exists to some degree in most workplaces.

According to the United Nations, there is not a single society where women are not discriminated against, or have equal opportunities as men. Even in countries in the West where womens emancipation has bettered the lives of countless women, they still experience the unfairness of the glass ceiling, wherein women just do not get promoted beyond a certain level. According to the Glass Ceiling Commission in the U.S., about 95-97% of the senior managerial posts in countrys largest corporations are held by men. Gender Discrimination and Religion: Practically all religions in the world are male dominated, and most gender discrimination have their roots in these religions, with women being relegated to a much lower level than men. She is regarded as unclean when she menstruates, she becomes untouchable after childbirth until she undergoes a ritual cleansing, she is described as a temptress or a whore in the scriptures, she has to cover herself from head to foot in order not to weaken the mans purity of resolve, she is supposed to have been created by God from Adams rib, and that too as an afterthought, and God is a man of course! From being burnt at the stake accused of being witches to honor killings that still continue in places like India, Pakistan, and other Islamic countries, to undergoing fasts for the wellbeing of her husband all religions have always discriminated against women and continue to do so. Gender Discrimination in Developing Countries: If women in the emancipated West are still continuing for justice and equal rights for women, the girl-child and woman in developing countries have a plethora of discriminatory practices which continue to keep them trammeled. From being sold into the sex-trafficking trade, to rape, to child abuse, to sex-selective abortion, to infanticide, to neglect, to dowry deaths and honor killings, discrimination against females is a stark reality that affects large portions of the society across these countries. Women the world over are still regarded as passive or weak or sexual objects. There is still a long way to go to attain gender parity. Women continue to fight for respect, justice, and equality. Gender discrimination has to be resisted wherever it exists. Whereas in the developing world it can be achieved by widespread education and economic independence, in the developed world, women must continue to break all the glass ceiling barriers, to achieve equal parity with men in every field, while continuing to sensitize men about the issues of sexism and gender discrimination. By Rita Putatunda

Types of Gender Discrimination at Workplace:

There are several ways in which gender discrimination takes place at work. Here are the four ways in which gender discrimination can take place: Direct discrimination: At times there are instances where people treat you differently at workplace. Direct discrimination includes acts like difference in salary based on gender although both are doing the same job, or promoting someone because they are single instead of an equally qualified person. Indirect discrimination: Instances where people are indirectly discriminated against include examples where a certain set of rules or laws are made which indirectly imply that people of a certain gender cannot qualify those laws or rules. Harassment at work: This type of discrimination is perhaps the worst of the lot since it not only discriminates but causes emotional as well as psychological trauma for the employee who is discriminated against. Sexual or verbal harassment or inferior treatment owing to gender is included under this category. Victimization: Unfair or biased treatment based on the employees gender translates into victimization at work. This is also a form of employee discrimination based on gender. How to Handle Gender Discrimination at Workplace Gender discrimination is an issue that you need to stand up for even if it is you who is discriminated against or your colleague. The first step that needs to be takes in tackling gender discrimination is to talk to your seniors about it and let them know how you feel. Do not hesitate to be honest enough to speak up your mind. In case your senior is the miscreant encouraging gender discrimination, try and approach the higher authority to look into the matter. You can also discuss this issue with your HR (human resources) manager. There also exist several organizations like trade unions or even employment tribunals that support employee rights and look into matters of employment discrimination. In case talking things through fails you, you can always resort to the law to help you out. Always remember that gender discrimination at workplace or anywhere for that matter should not be ignored or taken lightly. It is a breach of human rights, as well as a serious breach of law. By Uttara Manohar