Week 4 - Blog 1

Ch. 7 Identity and Difference in Organizational Life

On p. 206 and 207, the authors discuss gender differences in work/life. This section discusses the “second shift” that working women tend to endure by working an 8-5 job and continuing to take on the bulk of domestic labor. The text states that “women who work outside of the home typically still do twice as much routine housework as their male partners.” I remember hearing one of my female coworkers talk about how she felt bad for griping at her fiancé over “doing the laundry wrong.” I, myself, have complained a time or two because I didn’t like how my husband separated the laundry or didn’t think he did a thorough job cleaning the dishes. If other women have done what my coworker and I are guilty of doing (and I think that they probably have), it’s no wonder their male-counterparts don’t take on more domestic responsibilities! (chuckle)

The text also mentions that women’s ways of speaking and being are depicted as less valuable than men’s. In the book, The Philosophy of Science, it suggests that the way we see our world, conduct scientific studies, etc. is biased in that our ways of looking at things were constructed by men. For example, men generally score higher on IQ tests than do women. However, IQ tests were created by men. Had women been the originators of IQ tests, I’m sure there would be very different aptitudes and skills tested, which would likely result in females having higher IQ’s.

This theory can be examined in an organizational context. Men have established most of our organizational environments. If women established our work environments, there would be a different organizational structure. As is pointed out on p. 205, women’s organizations would not resemble the standard male hierarchical structure. It would be more “feminine” with an emphasis on relationships, boundaries between work and home, and balance.