Inequality for women in the workplace Research Paper

Inequality for women in the workplace - Research Paper Example 565) and yet just over thirty-years later, The Glass Ceiling Commission reported that equity was far from being achieved. The report noted that women continued to earn proportionately less than men for the same work or that there was a wage-gap, and that they made up only a very small fraction of the upper-level positions in U.S. Organizations (Russell, 1995, p. 8). Hence, where there are no visible or concrete (legal) barriers for advancement, the barriers are invisible or made of glass. The following will examine the barriers faced by women in the workplace, and this essay will try and make the transparent visible. It will be argued that inequality can only be explained by how the dominant class in society legitimates and perpetuates power, and how the distinction between gender and sex is important to understanding the actual barriers to equality. In order to arrive at understanding the invisible or glass barriers for women in the workplace, a brief overview of some of the legal o bstacles will first be presented. While it is true that many barriers remain for women in the workplace, it can also be held that the twentieth-century was marked by a significant amount of progress. At the turn of the twentieth century, many obstacles existed for women in the workforce. ... 154). However, as science progressed this form of legitimation proved untenable. Likewise, attitudes changed significantly, and access to higher education meant access to better positions in the workforce. As with progress in education, likewise with the the percentage of women in the workforce in the twentieth century. One of the main contributing causes for this change, are the two World Wars (1914-1918 and 1939-1945) where women were needed to work in the place of men who were participating military action. For example, in 1900 only 5.6 % of all women worked outside of the home, and following the First World War this percentage rose to 23.6 % (Webb, 2010, pp. 1-2). During the era of the Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929, there was a public sentiment that maintained that the few jobs that existed ought to be given to men, but again, the Second World War changed the workforce demographics again and between 1942 and 1945 over 6.5 million women entered the workforc e in the U.S. (Webb, 2010, p. 2). And, while attitudes were still negative about women in the workforce, there were many public campaigns that promoted it because of the necessity of the War. This had a significant impact on changing attitudes toward women in the workforce, and as with the period following the First World War, the period following the Second was marked by a higher percentage of women who remained employed outside of the home (Webb, 2010, p. 2). Along with the barrier's of access to education and the workforce, a number of legal or legislative changes improved egalitarian conditions in the twentieth-century. The right to vote for women largely came about through the lobbying and

Analyze a Major Retailer Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analyze a Major Retailer - Term Paper Example Over the years, Macy’s continued success saw the company open regional stores and take over other retailers to increase its presence in the market (Macy’s, 2011) \. Way back in November 25, 1929, another revolution was being made in American retail when Abraham & Straus of Brooklyn, Filene's of Boston, F&R Lazarus & Co. of Columbus, OH, and Bloomingdale's of New York combined together to form Federated Department Stores, Inc. which was later renamed Macy's, Inc. in June 2007(Macy’s, 2011). Each of these retailers had marked and prominent presence in the market with the backing of their rich history. The company grew to be one of the biggest retailers in the company and acquired other stores and retailers in the coming years. It had its own ups and down but in the 1990’s, Federated Department Stores acquired Macys to form Macy’s Inc. Macy's, Inc.  is the owner of both Macy's  and  Bloomingdale's  department stores (Macy’s, 2011). As Fu hrmann (2011) adds, with an annual 2010 sales of $25 billion, Macy’s currently serves its customers in over 800 stores throughout the country and specializes in retail clothing, fashion accessories such as jewellery, handbags and shoes along with household items such as furniture and kitchen items. Macy’s is not just a simple retailer; from its traditional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 4th of July Fireworks to its Annual Flower Shows and the tree lightings and animated window displays at the time of Christmas, Macy’s has always been in the forefront in creating its own distinctive and unique identity (Macy’s, 2011). Innovation at its forefront, Macy’s is very well known as bringing many ‘firsts’ in the retail industry. Macy introduced several revolutionary business practices in the industry; it initiated the one price system, in which an item was sold across the shops to every customer at one price. It also was the firs t company to quote prices of different products in the newspapers. Macy also made history when it assigned Margaret Getchell, the first female executive in the retail industry. It also was the first retail store in New York to hold the license to sell liquor. With its corporate philosophy revolving around the customer, Macy’s has always recognized the importance of directing its strategies towards providing localized shopping experience to its customers. The Corporate Financial objectives of Macy’s, Inc. are: Increasing sales; Increasing profitability levels Have better return on invested capital; Shareholder return should be maximized (Macy’s, 2011). According to Fuhrmann (2011), keeping in mind the above objectives, Macy’s has seen an increase in sales in the year 2010 by 4.6 % as compared to the previous year while its operating income increased by 7.6% of sales in the year 2010. SWOT ANALYSIS A  SWOT  analysis critically studies a company's  int ernal Strengths and  Weaknesses in relation to the external  Opportunities and  Threats it faces coming from its environment. To understand the environment of Macy’s, a SWOT analysis has been conducted. STRENGTHS Diversity: With the acquisitions of small retailers at all regional levels, Macy’s has strategically aligned and integrated diversity in all aspects of its operations. For Macy’s, diversity has become the most integral and essential part of business. Macy’s caters to a much-diversified market and this has made it very beneficial to its customers, vendors, suppliers and business