One of the most significant changes in Canadian society in recent decades has been the dramatic rise in the number of women entering the workforce. A woman's position in the workforce often reflects her overall situation in society. The reality is that women do experience gender inequality in our society and most definitely in the Canadian workforce. Although women have made significant strides in entering the workforce and in exploring a wider range of occupations, they still face discrimination today. One of the most obvious disadvantages that women encounter today can be seen through Canada's gender-segregated workforce and the gender wage differential and the way women are treated.
The increasing number of women entering the workforce was a dominant trend and topic studied mainly by sociologists, however, psychologists and anthropologists have also completed some works on this topic. According to functionalists, women's roles as caregivers in contemporary industrialized societies are crucial in ensuring that key societal tasks are fulfilled (Kendall,368).
Lathe operator machining parts for transport plane...
Female homicides in Ciudad Juárez
English: Gender Inequality Index (updated), 2008 D...The husband performs the instrumental tasks of economic support and decision-making, whereas the wife assumes the expressive tasks of providing affection and emotional support to the family (Kendall, 368). Conflict theorists will most likely explain gender segregation simply through male dominance and control over women and resources. Psychologists say women work for three main reasons: money (give a sense of power), desire for a career, or relief of the boredom of being a housewife "imprisoned" in the home (Wright,1760). Working women often have a higher self-esteem and suffer less depression than women who do not work, mainly because our society values people according to the size of their paycheques. The social scientist, has viewed the labour force through a global perspective. The anthropologist will say that in all cultures, and all countries there exists a gender-segregated workforce.
Gender-segregated work refers...