IMPACT OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN
PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY AT SCHOOL
Rationale:
According to the report, this could break down
stereotypes on women in leadership and encourage women to pursue their careers further,
to seek
for roles which they would have not otherwise considered and to ask for more raises and
promotions. Other data from 2018 confirms that companies with at least a woman in the
board
chair were more likely to have a larger share of women board members (28.3%) compared
to
companies with men board chairs (17.1%) (Catalyst, 2021).
In general, compared to 30-40 years ago, women have increased their representation in
politics and leadership, achieved more equal rights, and substantially increased their
educational
status while engaging in more diverse types of work opportunities. In the United States,
women
roughly constitute 50.8% of the entire population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021).
However, while societies have improved their social mores and reforms to empower
women over time, gender gaps in the workplace keep being a persisting issue that seems to
keep
widening across societal levels. As far as political representation, as of 2022, there are only
“26
women serving as Heads of State and/or Government in 24 countries” (UNWomen). In the
United States, “145 (106D, 39R) women hold seats in Congress, comprising 27.1% of the
535
members; 24 women (24%) serve in the U.S. Senate, and 119 women (27.4%) serve in the
U.S.
House of Representatives” (Center for American Women and Politics, 2022).
Underrepresentation exists also in academia (science, engineering, and computing, also
known as
STEM), as these professions continue to be dominated by men. In these areas, a significant
underrepresentation exists at the upper ranks: for example, 47% of U.S. medical students
are
females and yet only 12% are full professors in academic medicine. Progress toward gender
equality in these fields is slow, and the number of women in STEM positions remains almost
unchanged every year. As matter of fact, women’s representation among different STEM
occupational levels has not changed remarkably since 2016. In 2021, women were 74% of
healthcare practitioners and technicians, compared with 75% in 2016. In 2021, women
accounted
for 25% of those working in computer occupations. Furthermore, “the share of women in this
fast-growing occupation cluster declined from 2000 to 2016 and has remained stable since
then”
(Fry, R. et al., 2021).
At the corporate level, in 2020 the number of women representing
Fortune’s list of CEOs in the 500 largest U.S. companies was 37, defined as an “all-time
record”
compared to the year before when they were only 33 (Hinchliffe, 2020).
Theoretical Framework of the study
There are significant theoretical ramifications to these observations. Although numerous
research exist
recording the ways in which gender influences views of leadership and professional
effectiveness in the workplace
The current study sheds insight on the reasons for the discrimination against and
underrepresentation of women.
provides fresh perspectives on people's expectations of male and female leaders
especially in environments that value diversity in behavior. The current study's objective was
to look at
the impact of gender on participants' assessments of perceived female work competence
and male leaders, as well as the idea that a DEI proposal was successful. Considering
pertinent theories like
as the Lack of Fit Model, Role Congruity Theory, and Social Role Theory (Eagly, 1987;
Eagly &
It was suggested (Karau, 2002; Heilman, 1983) that women are typically regarded as less
capable
compared to males Nevertheless, we also considered further evidence that
assert that female leaders who exhibit behavior that values diversity face harsher
consequences.
performance evaluations relative to leaders who are male and participate in it (Hekman, et
al., 2018), in part due to the perception that women have of self-serving bias when they are
observed engaged in this kind of conduct. Despite our hypothesis being false, there was no
discernible change between the assessments of perceived ability and proposal success
made by men and women, For both tests, women's performance ratings were found to be
marginally higher than those of males measurements, as demonstrated by contrasting the
statistical means of the two groups. This indicates that by if we had used a bigger sample
size, we might have seen a more significant difference in Finding this mechanism is a novel
contribution because earlier studies have mostly looked at how lower performance ratings
could be impacted by the perception of a female leader's inconsistency with the a position of
leadership. In our situation, the framework of diversity, equity, and inclusion is pertinent as
an significant modulator of our findings, and we believe that this can serve as the foundation
for further research. To come and examine historical theories in a more contemporary
manner as organizations continue to evolve and forming this novel setting. Perhaps as a
result of our findings, the literature already in existence attributes diversity-valuing behavior
to being more akin to the gender roles and characteristics of women than those of men in
leadership situations.
Statement of the Problem
Gender gaps have taken on increasing importance to governments, investors, and citizens
of the world for a variety of reasons. Research has found that gender stereotypes can widen
gender gaps and create conditions that offset economic development and growth for some
societies, especially economically developing countries (Santos & Klasen, 2021). In these
countries, education is also “gendered”, as fewer educational opportunities are being
afforded to girls when compared to boys. The unequal access to education is in part heavily
influenced by the societal context and the wealth someone grows up with. Encouraging
women to gain a better education, and eventually promoting them to top positions that are at
the heart of the decisionmaking process, would represent a change to the status quo
dominated by male representatives in those countries and create economic and societal
well-being for everyone else who still is in a less privileged position. On the contrary, if
women are less educated and less represented than men in contexts like politics, STEM
jobs, or C-suite positions due to the stigma of relying on male-dominated fields, there will not
be enough women qualified to assume control and change the outcome, and that will create
a much bigger gap. This stigma has changed considerably and varies across countries
today as the overall global picture demonstrates that women exceed men Gender gaps
have taken on increasing importance to governments, investors, and citizens of the world for
a variety of reasons. Research has found that gender stereotypes can widen
gender gaps and create conditions that offset economic development and growth for some
societies, especially economically developing countries (Santos & Klasen, 2021). In these
countries, education is also “gendered”, as fewer educational opportunities are being
afforded to girls when compared to boys. The unequal access to education is in part heavily
influenced by the societal context and the wealth someone grows up with. Encouraging
women to gain a better education, and eventually promoting them to top positions that are at
the heart of the decision making process, would represent a change to the status quo
dominated by male representatives in those countries and create economic and societal
well-being for everyone else who still is in a less privileged position. On the contrary, if
women are less educated and less represented than men in contexts like politics, STEM
jobs, or C-suite positions due to the stigma of relying on male-dominated fields, there will not
be enough women qualified to assume control and change the outcome, and that will create
a much bigger gap. This stigma has changed considerably and varies across countries
today as the overall global picture demonstrates that women exceed men When we think of
gender gaps specifically in the workplace, the way companies and organizations decide to
operate as part of their own organizational culture and strategy is focused on how we can
better address the issue at stake. At the employment level, those in charge should
understand what impacts and consequences this underrepresentation can have within their
organizations. Enacting policies to eliminate this disparity by bringing more women into the
decision-making process, is one of the key elements to focus on. In general, concentrating
our attention on promoting more women at board levels and C-level positions is important to
break down gender barriers in the rest of the workforce (Froehlicher et al., 2021). A 2019
Deloitte Report edition named Women in the boardroom: A global perspective report found
out that “companies with women CEOs have significantly more balanced boards than those
led by men—33.5% women vs. 19.4%, respectively.” According to the report, this could
break down stereotypes on women in leadership and encourage women to pursue their
careers further, to seek for roles which they would have not otherwise considered and to ask
for more raises and promotions. Other data from 2018 confirms that companies with at least
a woman in the board chair were more likely to have a larger share of women board
members (28.3%) compared to companies with men board chairs (17.1%) (Catalyst, 2021).
