Social Exclusion of Women in the Workplace

Explain the consequences of being socially excluded from ONE socially valued resource.
The perpetuation of discriminatory views towards women has negatively affected their access to the socially valued resource of work, leading to a consequence of a lower socio economic status in Australian society. This difference of social class with men impacts women’s micro and macro sphere of attaining occupations of authority and power. The Sex Discrimination Act was introduced in 1984 making against the law to treat an individual unfairly because of their sex, marital status and pregnancy as a point of cooperation in an attempt to formally reduce conflict for the future. However, women continue to be represented in low earning career areas which reflect the traditional role of a female. This conveys embedded perceptions of their common maternal identity, negatively impacting their access and opportunities in the workforce. As a result of this, women are currently earning 84 c in the male dollar as they are not advancing in their careers. This social concept can be referred to as the “glass ceiling” (an unacknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession).
The Gender Equality Blue Print 2010 states “Australian women still have limited choices when it comes to paid work, often because of their family and caring responsibilities”. 69.9% of all Australian part time workers are women as they are more likely to be out of the workforce due to their common maternal identity. This means that women are more likely to earn less money and less likely to have adequate superannuation, upholding the exclusion of women. Women are earning less than half the superannuation of men- $63 000 to $136 000- consequently leaving women financially vulnerable. This supports Max Webber’s theory of social stratification as he states “Class is determined by economic differences… that determine life chances”.
These factors of gender segregation have contributed to the feminisation of poverty and...