User:Rcantoin/Exploitation of women in mass media

The exploitation of women has been happening for centuries, and exploitation while trying to make a living has been a hardship women have had to face since working was legal for them. Women are exploited in the workplace in various ways; the two prominent being when a woman is financially or sexually abused. Their basic human rights are violated completely and thus makes them feel uncomfortable while performing their duties. Gender-based violence in the workplace is a pressing issue, and many women would rather opt to stay at home since they cannot tolerate the abuse that takes place at their jobs. Women's exploitation in the workplace is typically overlooked, especially in sectors where women dominate. People have been fighting for gender equality for a long time, but still, gender inequality is seen in the workplace where women are subjected to low wages, limited security at the workplace, and are presented non-formally and given a poor working environment. Women are highly discriminated against when it comes to their complaints of sexual harassment, requests for maternity leaves, and possible termination of employment. In all spheres, women should be treated as equally as their opposite gender, whereby they get equal opportunities in the workplace.

When women face sexual abuse while working, it results in a non-productive environment for them to do their jobs. In America, about 80% of women are victims of rape that happens while they are at work. As we can see from these high rates, it is clear that women's safety is not guaranteed. After having to go through such traumatic experiences, their self-esteem is lowered, and they may choose to stop working, and if they do, they will suffer from stigmatization. A healthy worker will foster the growth of the organization as compared to a worker with freedom. Women who are abused at workplaces cannot render services compared to those who have healthy working conditions.

Not only is rape an issue but so is sexual abuse in general, such as harassment. Women who work in places where the male gender is in the position of power are often sexually abused; for instance, women in the military. Those in command subject them to sexual harassment them, and if they reject them or do not meet their expectation, they end up discharging them or giving them a hard time. Some employers may blackmail some women with sexual acts. They coerce them sexually to provide them with a job. If women refuse to go with their command, they are likely not to get the job they are seeking. If sexual harassment continues at a workplace, it leads to low productivity, errors at work, and reduced self-confidence.

Most women are disrespected at workplaces in ways that reduce their conductivity. Pregnant women are discriminated against by their bosses; for example, when they work slowly, inefficiently, or request to take work days off, they may be laid off or have their salary reduced. Women who are pregnant should be respected, and their health should be considered. Their jobs should not be terminated and their pay should not be altered in any way just because they aren’t able to work in the same manner as other people in the company for the time-being.

Most women are fired for becoming pregnant since they are seen as not being able to provide optimum services. It seems that it is a crime for women to get pregnant while being employed, as their contracts get terminated, and they lose their jobs, and at times if they decide to take maternity leave then, consequentially, their contracts will not be renewed afterward. Apart from discrimination from pregnancy, women are also discriminated against in terms of how they are addressed and greeted in the workplace. Men are more likely to be addressed with respect despite their position at the place. Women are discussed in a manner that makes them feel uncomfortable working, and are at times degraded even while in positions of authority, which can be embarrassing and belittling. At some jobs, women who have the lowest position in the organization will end up working for more hours with little pay as compared to other people since they are seen as less valuable, even though they have been given the same job to handle.

Some jobs, such as clubs and bars, have intentions to sell the women as sex slaves in return for money. The trafficking of vulnerable women has been an issue in many countries, especially at the borders. They are taken to work as slaves and some are locked up and molested since they cannot fight for their rights. Some women are used to transport drugs across the border and this can lead to their deaths. Most women who are sold out to work as slaves in other countries end up dead, affected by diseases, and may also suffer from psychological problems. Women who work in clubs and bars generally are not respected.

Also, those who work as waitresses find a difficult time doing their jobs. Their customers sexually harass them because they are supposed to remain “friendly” and “amicable”, thus them not being able to do much of anything about it. If they do choose to complain, they may not be taken seriously by their employer or could risk losing potential tips for not being receptive. They are employed as waitresses since they attract more customers, however, they are treated as if they are unimportant to the business and are paid much less than minimum wage.

Women are paid lower wages compared to their male counterparts. The same job that a man does, a woman will be paid less. Employers believe that women cannot carry out the same tasks as men can; they discriminate against their ability to work in certain positions. They also believe women are not effective while working and that they have many weaknesses that make them disqualified for the job. Also, there are organizations who will reject women from certain positions such as accounting due to discriminating stereotypes. They believe that women have poor mathematical skills and cannot manage the finances of the company. Ladies are usually placed in positions such as receptionists because it is less work and does not require many qualifications. Women who have earned many qualifications for a particular job may be denied access because of their gender.

Even though the exploitation of women has become common in workplaces, with a lot of effort and unionizing, some of these problems can be resolved. Law should be much more aggressively enforced on people who discriminate against women sexually, physically, financially, etc. Words such as, “competitive” should no longer be used when describing a work environment as this can be off-putting and insinuate that women have to worry about competing for their job roles or for fair and equal treatment. Employers should learn to review salaries and payments before employment. Most women are not paid equally to men, and to avoid this, light should be shed on salary rates and inquiries of these differences in salaries should be made.

Companies should have policies that address discrimination, and if people fail to adhere to these policies, they must undergo them. 67% of women feel pressured to “just get over” things that have been done to them whilst working or to “let it go”. Policies should be made that are not biased toward a group of people. Organizations should provide paid maternity leaves to women without making them scared of losing their jobs and means of living while bringing a new life into the world. Women should be encouraged to aim for progression while working, not made to remain unseen and small. Women should not have to be hesitant or afraid to ask for promotions from their jobs.

The media unfairly represents women by making them out to be victims in almost every scenario. A study conducted in 2008 found that women were represented as victims in 9.51% of the advertisements they were present in. Separate examination by subcategory found that the highest frequency of this is in women's fashion magazines where 16.57% of the ads featuring women present them as victims. Women are also taken advantage of in sales and media whilst producers use sexually suggestive images and catchphrases such as "I Love Boobies" and "Save the Ta-tas" to masquerade as women empowerment and breast cancer awareness. Women who have breast cancer find these campaigns to be offensive, with some stating that it holds the importance of women needing to keep their breasts for the pleasurable gaze and not so much for their health.

Lead
The exploitation of women has been happening for centuries, and exploitation while trying to make a living has been a hardship women have had to face since working was legal for them. Women are exploited in the workplace in various ways; the two prominent being when a woman is financially or sexually abused. Their basic human rights are violated completely and thus makes them feel uncomfortable while performing their duties. Gender-based violence in the workplace is a pressing issue, and many women would rather opt to stay at home since they cannot tolerate the abuse that takes place at their jobs. Women's exploitation in the workplace is typically overlooked, especially in sectors where women dominate. People have been fighting for gender equality for a long time, but still, gender inequality is seen in the workplace where women are subjected to low wages, limited security at the workplace, and are presented non-formally and given a poor working environment. Women are highly discriminated against when it comes to their complaints of sexual harassment, requests for maternity leaves, and possible termination of employment. In all spheres, women should be treated as equally as their opposite gender, whereby they get equal opportunities in the workplace.

Article body
Not only is rape an issue but so is sexual abuse in general, such as harassment. Women who work in places where the male gender is in the position of power are often sexually abused; for instance, women in the military. Those in command subject them to sexual harassment them, and if they reject them or do not meet their expectation, they end up discharging them or giving them a hard time. Some employers may blackmail some women with sexual acts. They coerce them sexually to provide them with a job. If women refuse to go with their command, they are likely not to get the job they are seeking. If sexual harassment continues at a workplace, it leads to low productivity, errors at work, and reduced self-confidence.

Most women are disrespected at workplaces in ways that reduce their conductivity. Pregnant women are discriminated against by their bosses; for example, when they work slowly, inefficiently, or request to take work days off, they may be laid off or have their salary reduced. Women who are pregnant should be respected, and their health should be considered. Their jobs should not be terminated and their pay should not be altered in any way just because they aren’t able to work in the same manner as other people in the company for the time-being.

Most women are fired for becoming pregnant since they are seen as not being able to provide optimum services. It seems that it is a crime for women to get pregnant while being employed, as their contracts get terminated, and they lose their jobs, and at times if they decide to take maternity leave then, consequentially, their contracts will not be renewed afterward. Apart from discrimination from pregnancy, women are also discriminated against in terms of how they are addressed and greeted in the workplace. Men are more likely to be addressed with respect despite their position at the place. Women are discussed in a manner that makes them feel uncomfortable working, and are at times degraded even while in positions of authority, which can be embarrassing and belittling. At some jobs, women who have the lowest position in the organization will end up working for more hours with little pay as compared to other people since they are seen as less valuable, even though they have been given the same job to handle.

Some jobs, such as clubs and bars, have intentions to sell the women as sex slaves in return for money. The trafficking of vulnerable women has been an issue in many countries, especially at the borders. They are taken to work as slaves and some are locked up and molested since they cannot fight for their rights. Some women are used to transport drugs across the border and this can lead to their deaths. Most women who are sold out to work as slaves in other countries end up dead, affected by diseases, and may also suffer from psychological problems. Women who work in clubs and bars generally are not respected.

Also, those who work as waitresses find a difficult time doing their jobs. Their customers sexually harass them because they are supposed to remain “friendly” and “amicable”, thus them not being able to do much of anything about it. If they do choose to complain, they may not be taken seriously by their employer or could risk losing potential tips for not being receptive. They are employed as waitresses since they attract more customers, however, they are treated as if they are unimportant to the business and are paid much less than minimum wage.

Women are paid lower wages compared to their male counterparts. The same job that a man does, a woman will be paid less. Employers believe that women cannot carry out the same tasks as men can; they discriminate against their ability to work in certain positions. They also believe women are not effective while working and that they have many weaknesses that make them disqualified for the job. Also, there are organizations who will reject women from certain positions such as accounting due to discriminating stereotypes. They believe that women have poor mathematical skills and cannot manage the finances of the company. Ladies are usually placed in positions such as receptionists because it is less work and does not require many qualifications. Women who have earned many qualifications for a particular job may be denied access because of their gender.

Even though the exploitation of women has become common in workplaces, with a lot of effort and unionizing, some of these problems can be resolved. Law should be much more aggressively enforced on people who discriminate against women sexually, physically, financially, etc. Words such as, “competitive” should no longer be used when describing a work environment as this can be off-putting and insinuate that women have to worry about competing for their job roles or for fair and equal treatment. Employers should learn to review salaries and payments before employment. Most women are not paid equally to men, and to avoid this, light should be shed on salary rates and inquiries of these differences in salaries should be made.