Diversity means that there are differences amongst people. These differences can be found in culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical appearances, and even belief systems. What one person believes to be true may not be a belief of another person. Knowing and understanding these differences can encourage better communication which in turn develops better relationships. Within this paper the authors will discuss two issues that are apparent in American society gender equality and sizeism. Each issue will be defined and an example of how these they may affect not only the individual but the organization as a whole. Even with the change in laws these issues still have their stereotypes and effects on many individuals, personally and professionally.
One perspective of diversity that can be encountered in the workplace is gender equality. In order to fully understand gender equality we must first define gender. Gender can be defines as the “economic, social and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being male or female in a particular point in time” (World Health Organization (WHO), 2001). With that being noted, gender equality is the equal treatment of both men and women in laws and policies. This equality indicates that no matter what gender you are, there should be equal access to resources and services. These services are at all levels including families and communities (WHO, 2001). The workplace is no exception to this equality. Even within a workplace there should be fairness and justice in benefits and responsibilities between the genders. This often means that gender specific programs and policies must come to an end (WHO, 2001).
Examples of gender equality issues can be seen in a number of different industries, with one being that of childcare. Recently in Hawaii, it was not likely for woment to work on the cases of special needs children who were considered violent. Women were actually banned from from working on one of...