Week 15 - Format for Progress on Final Report 3 (Part 2)
Week 15 - Format for Progress on Final Report 3 (Part 2)
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Summary:
This research paper addresses the social effects of gender discrimination in the workplace,
focusing on the inequality between men and women when it comes to accessing
employment. This research will seek to identify the factors that contribute to this inequality,
being aware that, despite the progress achieved in recent years, social inequality persists.
The research will provide a solid basis for implementing concrete measures to promote
Abstract:
This research paper addresses the social effects of gender discrimination in the workplace,
focusing on the inequality between men and women when it comes to accessing
employment. Through this research, the aim is to identify the factors that contribute to this
inequality, while being aware that, despite the progress made in recent years, persistent
inequalities still exist. The research will provide a solid foundation for implementing concrete
measures that promote gender equality and eradicate discrimination in the workplace.
Introduction:
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Gender discrimination in the workplace is a reality that continues to affect many people
around the world. Despite the progress made in the fight for gender equality, inequalities and
barriers that limit the full and equal participation of women in the labour market still persist.
One of the most common forms of gender discrimination at work is the wage gap, where
women often earn less than their male colleagues for doing the same work. In addition,
women also face obstacles in accessing leadership and decision-making positions in the
workplace. They are often assigned roles traditionally considered "feminine," which are
characterized by less responsibility and decision-making power. Given this situation, the
following question arises: What are the social effects of gender discrimination in the
workplace in Lima between 2018-2022? Given this question, the social effects of gender
discrimination in the workplace in Lima between 2028 and 2022 are manifested through
discrimination in hiring, the wage gap between men and women, obstacles to accessing well-
paid jobs, sexual harassment in the workplace and few opportunities for growth. We also
consider it important to define what gender discrimination is, which means discrimination
workplace harassment.
As we know, there is a huge inequality between men and women when it comes to getting a
job, especially in the fields of engineering, science and high-paying jobs. Women tend to be
discriminated against when trying to access better-paid and better-qualified jobs. Following
Becerra, she mentions that: “Gender inequality is established even in school texts, where
Men make history. And women's achievements have no place among those obtained by
This excerpt refers to the gender inequality present in school texts, in which it is taught that
men are the protagonists of history and their achievements are highlighted, while the
achievements of women are not recognized or are not given the same importance.
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Women also experience discrimination in the workplace, particularly with respect to their
vacation, maternity and other benefits. Likewise, there are social and cultural barriers that
prevent women from having the same number of working hours and benefits.
To better understand gender inequality in the world of work. Through this research, it will
help identify factors that contribute to gender inequality, such as inadequate access to
education and training, the existence of entry barriers, unequal allocation of tasks between
men and women, discriminatory hiring policies, etc. The research will serve as a basis for
taking concrete measures to improve gender equality and eliminate discrimination in the
workplace.
Below we will present the arguments that will support our research work:
1. Discrimination in hiring
The first topic to be addressed in the research seeks to raise awareness of the
inequality that exists in society, as well as the ability of the female gender to address these
gaps.
discrimination is a recurring problem that mainly affects the female gender and its autonomy.
This is why the INEI tells us that women's autonomy implies their ability to make decisions
and have control in three fundamental areas: physical, economic and decision-making.
Latin America have been established to assess and quantify gender gaps in these areas. It is
worth mentioning that the inequalities that exist anywhere in the world are neither acceptable
nor justifiable, despite the social progress already achieved, it is worrying how maternal
mortality, teenage pregnancy, precarious employment and the unequal distribution of the
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From the quote we can mention that female autonomy is the capacity of women to
make important decisions and that despite the efforts of the institutions responsible for
On the other hand, in the workplace, inequality and gap are much more noticeable,
because women tend to have many more disadvantages when starting their working
life in their youth. Barrantes and Matos mention that: "[...] women are at a
disadvantage when they seek to access the formal labor market: social norms that
an early age are seen as obstacles or expenses by the company because they must pay
In this way, discrimination is more than evident in the salary of women in any country,
there is the so-called glass ceiling, Bucam and Quinde tell us that:
It is seen that women suffer from wage or salary discrimination since this depends on
the countries in which you live, but we are taking the Latin American countries since
this is due to the culture that exists in each country, but for these cases it is given that
the government implements campaigns to avoid these cases and this study was
carried out to make known that there is still discrimination against women in the
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As mentioned above, social and salary discrimination is also linked to the culture of
each country, reaching the point of thinking that women are inferior to men, and despite the
government's efforts to eradicate this type of discrimination, cases of this type of situation are
still recorded.
While government efforts have not been helpful in eradicating discrimination, this
should be an indicator that it is a problem that we should all take into account and act on.
measures that companies take to avoid discrimination, and they make us aware of
This is why it can be said that it is a great step forward that some companies together
with the government are already taking measures against this problem, enacting laws that
In light of the above, it is known that discrimination is a recurring problem that seems
to never end, mainly directed towards minority or supposedly inferior groups in society.
However, this argument reliably supports that there are indeed differences, but not inferiority
or superiority of any kind, ethnicity, culture, gender, which is why we should be aware of this
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This second argument will demonstrate the existence of gender inequality in terms of
the wage gap, through the presentation of statistical data that show how women are
undervalued and receive lower remuneration for doing the same work as men.
In recent years, the gender pay gap has narrowed, partly due to equal pay legislation
and government policies in most countries. However, globally, women are still paid
significantly less than men for doing the same work. Salas indicates that:
According to the International Labour Organization, the average gender pay gap
(unadjusted) worldwide is 23% (ILO, 2016). However, when one reviews statistical
information from different countries, one finds that the gender pay gap varies widely.
For example, among the member countries of the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, there are countries with a difference of less than 5%,
such as Costa Rica or Luxembourg, and others with a gap of up to 34.6%, such as
South Korea. In Peru, the unadjusted gender pay gap is 29%, which means that we
are 15.1 percentage points above the average wage gap (2019, p.4)
As we can read, the gender pay gap is not only a problem that occurs in our country,
but also occurs internationally, demonstrating that the incomes of men and women vary
widely.
Likewise, according to the International Labour Organization, 28% of the wage gap
between men and women is due to different levels of labour productivity, 35% to different
levels of education, 7% to different levels of experience and the rest of the wage gap remains
unexplained. According to Salas, there is a lot written about the reasons behind the wage
gap. However, a very popular and widespread theory is the one proposed by the Chicago
School of Economics: according to this approach, men earn better salaries than women
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because they are more productive. As a complement to their explanation, experts in this
school think that it is logical that women invest less in their academic preparation because
they frequently have periods dedicated to children and home (2019, p.4).
From this quote we can see that women are undervalued and underappreciated.
Having fewer leadership assignments and promotions, and less credit for work in which both
On the other hand, women face discrimination in many areas, from hiring practices to
salary allocation. Inequality in employment persists in countries around the world, with
women receiving lower wages than men for the same work and at the same level of
In Peru, 60% of the income gap between working men and women in 2017 is
domestic workload. This reveals the influence of unpaid domestic work in generating
As we can understand, the gender pay gap without recognition of unpaid domestic
work is probably further aggravated. This is because domestic work associated with caring
for children and family members is predominantly performed by women. If these tasks are
not considered for direct payment, women would continue to receive significantly lower
wages than men, since the unpaid work time they perform would not be taken into account.
Therefore, although some progress has been made in reducing the gender pay gap, it
working to eliminate this inequality and ensure that men and women receive fair and
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equitable remuneration for equal work. Only through equal pay can we move towards a more
This third argument is about the indifference of companies in recognizing the work
performance of young women and laws in favor of female workers that are ignored.
In recent years, indifference towards female employees is the cause of various social
problems that must be addressed, despite the fact that regulations that cover them are
mostly ignored.
23-34)
In contrast to the above, there is an initiative for equality between men and women in
equality plan in companies to improve the quality of life of women who have been rejected.
In addition, there are serious repercussions that affect the work environment, such as
and an action plan in case these situations arise. Health and safety management
authorities must be aware of the risks and dangers associated with violence and
harassment, as well as their impact on the workplace. On the other hand, cases of
violence and harassment must be visible, identifying the contexts where there is a
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greater risk of these acts being committed, especially in cases motivated by gender
This shows that there are high levels of insecurity, which generates a greater risk
when it escalates into gender discrimination. In addition, the right to physical integrity and
health is mostly affected by harassment. For this reason, Convention 190 is implemented,
which strengthens the State and promotes protection for companies against workplace
Subsequently, a factor arises that is detrimental and creates a labor gap, as the lack
of salary for female employees also affects the environment to which they are assigned since
One of the phenomena that sums up inequality in the labour market is the fact that
women earn less than men; women receive the equivalent of 73.1% of men's labour
income. When this same relationship is controlled for by education level, the gap
improves for women with higher education, who earn on average the equivalent of
which women are singled out for receiving less pay and at the same time representing a
smaller number of jobs than men. This results in a larger male population being found in the
EAP, leaving an equal and low proportion of women and adolescent workers who are
economically inactive.
Additionally, we can assess that the levels of employability in the female sector,
The main indicator of deterioration for the female workforce is unemployment. In the
country, 5.4% of women in urban areas who want and need to work are unable to do
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so, despite actively seeking work. The implications of this situation are significant in
terms of the impact these obstacles have on these women and their families. A long
and can translate into the acceptance of very low salaries in very precarious
positions, in the increase of the inactivity rate due to discouragement, which helps to
In this sense, a statistical calculation shows that both in rural and urban areas there is
a gap in the wage system, therefore in 2019 there was an unemployment rate between men
and women that, although it was decreasing, the unemployment rate in women tends to be
higher than that of men. Consequently, young women or married women are represented
under a social aesthetic role that opens a labor gap, giving superiority to men.
Finally, this argument explains in detail how despite the situations there is a wide
difference that leaves female employees below average in terms of remuneration and
approval. It should be noted that although there are laws or practices that promote equality
and security, they are mostly ignored by companies to avoid charges that cause them losses.
The fourth topic to be addressed in this research seeks to raise awareness of the sad
and painful situation that women experience in their workplace, as well as the lack of support
and care that exists to be able to obtain a job, both formal and informal.
Furthermore, the difficulty that women have today in being able to gain an
independent place in society and have a well-paid job is a very far-fetched question.
assume greater care responsibilities at home or the lack of role models towards a
work culture that expects long working hours and the undervaluation of traditionally
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“feminine” qualifications, and inadequate measures to reconcile work and family life,
limiting the possibilities for women to overcome segregation and participate on equal
terms in political, social, economic life and in related decisions, and hold high-level
From this quote we can see the degree of inequality that exists between men and
women due to the fact that they are of different sexes and even today the stereotypes by
society that believe that a woman cannot reach a higher position like a man, because it is
believed that she is not capable of doing so and should only dedicate herself to household
On the other hand, due to the great gender inequality in the labor and social spheres
this, the National Institute of Statistics provides us with the following information:
the HDI encompasses other important aspects, so it should not be considered in such
Since the Gender Inequality Index encompasses different dimensions than those
included in the HDI, it cannot be interpreted as a loss in the HDI itself. Higher values on the
Gender Inequality Index indicate greater inequalities and, therefore, a greater loss for human
development, with these data being terrible for us as a society in the future.
For everyone, the pandemic was an unpleasant time in every sense, both politically,
socially, economically and in health, leaving incalculable gaps and damages that will take us
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years and effort to get back on track, even more so for women, since, if it is normally difficult
for them to get a job, with the pandemic it has greatly increased.
The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, has had a
terrible economic and social impact on homes and businesses, since more than three
million jobs have been lost in recent months, which aggravates the high rate of
informality that exists in our country, and has affected the working and fighting women
In other words, it is clear that the pandemic affects people in all sectors of the
country, both economically, politically, etc. This also affected women, since in order for the
company to continue operating, only the people who held the most important positions
worked, and not the people below this position, such as women who do not hold a high
invitations that are presented as any manifestation of abusive conduct, especially behaviors,
words, acts, gestures and texts that may attack the personality, dignity or physical or
Women workers in informal employment are among the most marginalized people
since their work is not recognized and the violence they suffer is ignored. In these
cases, there are few work-related mechanisms for them to report violence. Those
responsible for this violence may include representatives of the State, employers and
owners of capital, other workers and criminals, making it difficult to confront these
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From this quote we can consolidate that the informal market is very little supported by
the state, generating thanks to this even more informality, which causes more sexual
harassment towards women who try to put bread on the table due to the fact of the little
In short, this issue showed that the government is not very concerned about
supporting women, since despite not feeling safe in their workplace, it is also difficult for them
to find one by resorting to informal work, which in itself is already fraught with insecurity, and
because of the still retrograde patriarchal thinking of the vast majority of society, who think
Finally, this research shows us how women have few opportunities for growth in the
workplace due to gender discrimination. In current governments around the world, it is seen
that women are discriminated against in the workplace. This is seen in underdeveloped and
developed countries. It is not only a problem in Latin America, but everywhere women are
discriminated against simply because of the idea that women are weak. This idea is old and
today we see that women perform different jobs just like men.
Despite the growing participation of women in the global workforce, inequalities are
still observed in the labor market, which clearly indicates that these advances in the
labor field have not contributed to curbing the wage disparities that revolve around
Latin American countries, high levels of income inequality are the result of an unequal
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That is to say, even though women participate in the political sphere, they are still
discriminated against in the labour market throughout the world, and this is reflected in the
salaries that women earn compared to what men earn doing the same job.
Likewise, companies have their own laws with which workers abide by these laws for their
It is evident that gender discrimination affects the economic sector on a larger scale,
From this quote we can see that it tells us about a statistical fact that reveals that
33% of women who aspire to have a high position in a company have very little chance, but it
is the opposite with men. It also tells us that gender discrimination is at an all-time high and
On the other hand, the pandemic, in these two years in which there was no work due
to government laws, fear, contagion and taking care of each person's family, businesses
were harmed, both companies and informal or independent businesses, this is explained by
Coloma,
businesses and even companies already positioned in the market. Over the course of
the last three months of this pandemic, a loss of more than three million jobs has
been seen, which has aggravated the already high rate of informality that exists in our
country and in most cases has affected working women to a greater extent. (2021,
p3)
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In other words, it is clear that the pandemic is also affecting all sectors of the country,
both economically and politically. This was also affected for women, since for the company to
continue operating, only the people who held the most important positions worked, and not
for the people who were below this position, such as women who do not hold a high position
in the company.
At the same time, when looking for work, after leaving university, people look for the
opportunity to work in a large or foreign company to earn a large salary, but it seems that
they hire more men since they are the ones who ask for permission the least, this is what
There are discriminatory traits towards young women when joining the workplace,
either because they are women or because they are considered unsuitable for a
position in the company. On the other hand, when a young woman manages to gain a
position, she is disadvantaged because they prioritize the male figure more than the
female one due to the social model such as the change of marital status to a married
woman, consequently, due to these social roles they tend to prioritize family life
leaving professional life behind, which produces a lower amount of income (2019,
p30-31)
In this quote, she explains to us that not all companies have an environment
designed for women, therefore not all women will feel comfortable in the company and
women get to the point of wanting to start a family and therefore have to ask for maternity
leave to raise their child and the most important figures are men, therefore women are
overshadowed.
Finally, this research showed that women suffer labor discrimination not only in Latin
America but throughout the world due to the fact that they are seen as the weaker gender
and that it is very difficult for women to reach high-level positions in companies for the simple
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fact that in the public eye, a woman as the image of a company does not inspire confidence,
but a man does, this gives us to understand that women are still being discriminated against.
CONCLUSIONS:
In short, discrimination in the workplace has been mainly directed towards the
female gender, questioning the autonomy and ability of women to perform certain
jobs, making sudden dismissals and retaining them in lower positions with the excuse
that they are less efficient and that they have disadvantages, since they could
become pregnant, which generates losses for the company. Despite this being a
constant problem, a solution has not yet been found despite the efforts of the
government. On the other hand, there are companies that are aware of this issue and
Likewise, the different impediments and the backwardness caused by the lack
of opportunities make it clear that the unequal predominance in jobs due to gender
preferences produces not only low opportunities but also a demoralization and loss of
EAP (Economically Active Population) in the female labor field, producing in turn an
gender equality.
unadjusted gender pay gap is 29%. This inequality is inherently linked to the unpaid
domestic work that women perform. Despite government equal pay legislation and
policies, women continue to receive significantly less pay than men for the same work
On the other hand, sexual harassment towards women in the workplace, both
formal and informal, is too noticeable, due to the little support and scarce participation
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of the government, resulting in inequality with respect to the support given to men in
the workplace, since for them there are greater facilities and comforts both to work
and look for employment, including this, there are also the stereotypes generated by
society itself, which makes it more difficult to support women in their search for a
Finally, it is taken into consideration that, despite the circumstances, that is,
whether it is a first world country or under crisis, such as the pandemic, the inequality
in employability and opportunities between men and women leaves young women
who are looking for an opportunity upon graduating from a job behind.
companies have a negative impact on the wages of employed women who are forced into
informality in order to obtain profits, in addition to calling into question a future lack of
academic education for young people who do not obtain opportunities because they are
underestimated. This problem is present in various countries, which further hinders secure
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