Gender discrimination in the world of work

Abstract

The debate over the differences between men and women goes back thousands of years. Writing in the fourth century B.C, Plato held that" the gifts of nature are alike diffused in both sexes; all the pursuits of men are the pursuits of women'', but then he added that " in all of them a women is inferior to a man"(favris and Wade, 1984). Some may say that women have equal opportunity in the labour market today and indeed, with affirmative action programs, an advantage. Others may argue that men close ranks and create a "glass ceiling" to prevent women from getting to the top. The debate on gender discrimination is vast and it differs among the different sectors of work. If one is to gain some understanding of the problems of measuring and tackling gender discrimination, it is important to comprehend the possible mechanisms at work and the motives and causes of such discrimination.