Gender discrimination in the workplace in UK

by

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my thanks to my advisor, for his suggestions, comments, patience and understanding. Very special thanks to my parents, my father, my mother, my brother and my sister who were continuously supporting me throughout my life and leaving me free in all my decisions. I would also like to thank my colleagues for his technical support whenever I needed. I would like to thank to Department, all the university managers, teachers and students with whom I have worked.

I certify that the work presented in the dissertation is my own unless referenced

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DECLARATION

I declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. I further declare that this work has not previously been presented in whole or part, for any other award, or published in whole or in part elsewhere, including this university. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

The current study investigates gender discrimination and the relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Women report through survey questions on how they view gender discrimination against women today, their level of commitment to an organization, and their level of agreement on how satisfied they are in their jobs. The purpose of this study was to compare the importance placed on various contextual influences that might impact the career decision-making of lesbians and heterosexual women. In response to the lack of inquiry into career decisions of women and in particular lesbians this study examined how lesbians' hypothetical career decisions differed from those of heterosexual women. Additionally, this study explored how levels of perceived discrimination in the workplace whether intended or unintended were different for lesbians and heterosexual women. Finally, this study examined if the combined effects of perceived discrimination and group membership were related to the level of importance placed on a particular cluster of contextual influences.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Problem1

Aim and Objective of the Study3

Statement of the Problem4

Rationale for the Study5

Research Questions6

Significance of the Study7

Structure of the Dissertation8

Chapter I: Introduction8

Chapter II: Literature Review8

Chapter III: Methodology9

Chapter IV: Data analysis and Discussion9

Chapter V: Conclusion9

CHAPTER # 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

Introduction10

The Glass Ceiling Effect12

Wage Imbalance13

Workforce Discrimination against Women13

Gender Discrimination and the Hiring Process14

Women's Work14

Women as the Workplace Victim15

The Female Role in Employment16

Sexism in the Work Environment18

Organizational Harassment Effect on Employees21

Social Cognitive Career Theory22

Perceived Discrimination24

Perceived Sexism at Work25

Heterosextism26

Heterosexism in the Work Environment28

Perceived Heterosexism at Work31

Summary of Relevant Literature33

CHAPTER # 3: METHODOLOGY36

Introduction36

Research Design36

Sampling Procedures36

Instrumentation38

Variable List with Operational Definitions38

Research Hypotheses39

Analysis of Data40

Summary41

CHAPTER # 4: FINDINGS AND RESULTS42

Participants and Descriptive Demographics42

Hypothesis Testing45

The Importance of Context in Career Development and Counselling47

Gender Differences in Organizational Commitment49

The Performance Paradigm51

Employee Incentives51

Job Design52

Summary52

CHAPTER # 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION56

Discussion56

Organizational Commitment57

Employee Participation58

Job Satisfaction59

Gender Differences in Job Satisfaction59

Limitations60

Suggestions for Further Research62

Summary65

REFERENCES67

APPENDIX77

CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Problem

In UK 47% of workforce comprises of women, for these millions of women discrimination on the job remains a ...