Running Head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL Research Proposal Rosalyn Moore July 11, 2019 1 RESEARCH PROPOSAL 2 Introduction Cultural factors have been a topic of concern in the international community due to the continuing discrimination against people of a different gender at the workplace and in society, and this has led to women experiencing more psychological distress than men (Fuller et al., 2005). Women are considered to be the most affected by the inequalities due to the stereotypes that are associated with the women in the social setup (Fuller et al., 2005). However, this has improved since the time of social movement and feminism. Women in the past were fighting for their recognition and rights through social movements, and they were able to promote policy change that allowed them an opportunity to get equal chances to education and employment. However, women in the modern world are now fighting for equal treatment at the workplace, as well as equal employment opportunities. In the patriarchal society, women are seen as housewives with their role being to bear children, look after them, and attend to household chores. On the other hand, the man is considered to be more powerful over the woman and children, which puts them at an advantage of having the ability to control women. Women in the modern world are still struggling to get jobs in government and private institutions. Those who are lucky to secure a job are faced with the problem of discrimination, lesser pay, and lack of promotion to higher positions at work. Women are also underrepresented in most of the aspects of life, a situation that engraves their minds due to the cultural beliefs of men as the superior being. These inequalities are also seen to cause psychological problems that result from humiliation and stress (Perry et al., 2013). RESEARCH PROPOSAL 3 Statement of the Problem The main problem has not been the achievement of women in the society since females have been able to achieve an education with some countries having more women achieve in education than men. Also, women have been given more opportunities to contribute to the labor market in most countries. However, the problem arises when it comes to equality between both genders at the workplace and home. In this case, the major problem that is presented is that the division of labor is on a sexual basis where men do different jobs from women. The labor sector is set in a way that discriminates women as they are seen as subordinates to men in the workplace (Niaz & Hassan, 2006). In this case, the labor system does not take into account the social roles of women, which puts them at a disadvantage than men. This creates a situation where women are unable to equal their labor power with that of men, which affects their well-being. Different research studies have shown that differences in social roles and relationships affect the psychological well-being of women (Fuller, 2005). However, there is a research gap on the effects of discrimination and inequality at the workplace on the psychological well-being of women, which this study aims to fill. The labor system is also inflexible, and this leaves women with no choice other than to quit or leave their jobs for childbearing, which makes them give up their careers and this affects their well-being (Carbajal, 2018). Participation in the labor force is an important role-related characteristic in women, and this contributes to their psychological well-being. In most cases, women who have family roles find it hard to get into leadership positions creating inequalities that result to lower economic status and limited contribution of women into the economy. Women remain in the lower positions as they are also blocked from promotion due to reduced opportunities for networking (Perry et al., 2013). Networking at the workplace increases the probability of promotion and stepping up the RESEARCH PROPOSAL 4 ladder. However, the lack of such opportunities creates a glass barrier that reduces the chances of promotion. This promotes the need for a social and cultural change of beliefs that promotes and glorifies males at the expense of women leading to discrimination of women in the society and workplace. Purpose of the Research The study aims to: • Find out the prevalence of inequality between genders in the workplace. This will be done by enquiring whether men and women are offered equal job opportunities, promotion, and roles in the workplace. • Establish how women discrimination in the workplace affects psychological well-being. This will be done in the survey by determining individual feelings using measures of psychological distress (e.g., sadness, demoralized, restless, irritable, worthless) when faced with discrimination. • Determine how productivity in the workplace is affected by women’s social roles and discrimination. This will be established by asking how the women facing discrimination concentrated with work and their decision making abilities. • Find out the forms of discrimination women face at the workplace. Justification of the Research Women are at a disadvantage in the workplace compared to men due to barriers that have been created by the society and understanding the root cause and effects can lead to their removal (Rudman et al., 2012). This is mainly due to their traditional roles in the family that limits their contribution as they have to balance work and family, which is seen as a second shift (Fitzsimmons, RESEARCH PROPOSAL 5 Callan & Paulsen, 2014). Women put more hours into performing household chores than men, and this makes it difficult to achieve gender equality, given that they are expected to be available at work and also carry out their home duties. This study will determine whether such inequalities promote poor psychological well-being among women. We will also be able to find out how psychological distress due to discrimination at the workplace affects women’s productivity. Also, gender inequality is tied to traditional habits where the division of labor takes a sexist path. For instance, technical jobs and C-suite roles considered to belong to men and women are given fewer opportunities to join such jobs (Fitzsimmons, Callan & Paulsen, 2014). Those who are hired find it hard to get promoted to managerial positions as they come to a dead end while men can advance their careers with ease. The existing gender stereotypes are difficult to break, and this requires an understanding of the existing stereotypes and inequalities to effect change. The best solution to inequality is to create more opportunities for women in the workplace, including promoting them. Also, affirmative action would be necessary to solve the problems that exist. However, research must be conducted to ensure the path that is taken, and policy decisions made are data-based and informed. RESEARCH PROPOSAL 6 Literature Review Women find the workplace as an inhospitable place, which is due to the continued inequalities and discrimination. Although it has reduced over the years, gender inequality and discrimination at the workplace is seen to affect women’s economic status as evident from the widened wage gap, delayed women leadership due to the longtime women need to get promoted, and their psychological well-being which results from work-related stress (Stamarski & Son Hing, 2015). Organizational leadership contributes to a wider scale, the structural processes, and Human resource practices that are carried out in an institution. Leaders are crucial as they determine the organization priorities are, and this could result in or reduce gender inequality. Inequality in leadership exists in institutions where women are underrepresented in the workforce or well presented in the lower positions compared with men. Leaders are crucial in determining the degree to which gender discrimination exists as they can promote gender policies and gender supportive environment within the organization. Research shows that people perceive that the organizational environment is supportive of women when they hold a variety of key positions in the organization (Ostroff et al., 2012). It is also considered that women working with male supervisors perceive the organizational environment to be less supportive of women compared to those working with a female supervisor. Also, research shows that women who work in a department that is headed by men report more discrimination compared to those in departments led by women (Konrad et al., 2010). Gender roles are another factor that contributes to gender inequality. In this case, some businesses do not promote workers based on performance only. This means that employees have to put in more hours into their jobs to show their commitment, and some of the roles involve RESEARCH PROPOSAL 7 extensive business travels to local and international destinations. Although such requirements are industry-based and not bound to legal action, they leave women at a disadvantage compared to men, and they may affect their career (Son Hing & Zanna, 2010). This is because their partners may not be willing to relocate or take over the housework that is traditionally a woman’s role. Lack of work/job flexibility to accommodate family responsibilities creates a situation where women lack a linear career path as they must choose jobs that require less commitment. Gender segregation is also seen to promote gender inequality. Women are pushed to work in the industries that are female-dominated, such as nursing, teaching, and hospitality, among other care-related work with less pay (Cohen, 2011). On the other hand, men dominate in the administrative, and technical jobs such as (construction machinery operation, and mining) with high wages, which creates economic inequality between genders. The reason for segregation at work is due to culturally defined choices and stereotypes by workers, employers, and society (Cohen, 2011). For instance, increased presentation of women in certain departments in an organization or certain jobs leads to the reduced status of such jobs and the pay, wage or salary of such jobs reduce with time. A research study of over 2000 managers showed that the networks or functional areas headed by women attracted lower wages than those that were headed by male managers (Ostroff & Atwater, 2003). Women are less compensated than men, as research shows that personal biases lead to the wage gap between males and female workers. This is evidenced by the fact that when participants of the research were asked to determine salaries for matched candidates based on gender, they paid men more than women (Stamarski & Son Hing, 2015). Also, women undergo personal discrimination during hiring, as when recommended for male-dominated jobs, women are evaluated more keenly and negatively than men, and they are less likely to be hired. RESEARCH PROPOSAL 8 According to Rudman et al. (2012), gender stereotypes also play a major role in enhancing women discrimination. Gender stereotypes are the expectations of how men and women should perform or behave, how they are, and this can be the explanation behind women discrimination against men-typed jobs. Gender stereotypes create a situation that when a job seems inconsistent with the characteristics or attributes that are ascribed to women, they are considered to be unfit for such roles leading to reduced expectations of performance. Also, men are considered to be of higher status in the society, and this results to them being accorded high roles such as managerial or leadership in the workplace while women are given low-status jobs/roles. According to ThomasHunt & Phillips (2004), women are poorly evaluated in situations that require an expert opinion as people are more skeptical towards women’s opinions, and they are more discredited than those of men. Sexists that believed in gender stereotypes are known to create a hostile environment for women, and this limits their contribution to the workplace. Ambivalent and hostile sexism could be stressing for women, and this could lead to mental health problems among women at the workplace. Institutional discrimination against women is also seen to affect promotion, reward, and punishment. Various studies show that performance evaluations of women who carry out mentyped roles are biased as they receive lower performance evaluations than men. Biased evaluations contribute to gender discrimination. According to Roth et al. (2012), research shows that managers are more likely to give promotions to men than women as women’s ratings for promotion are lesser than that of men. This also makes it difficult for women to climb up the job ladder as they have less status and networking than men in organizations. Also, women lack female mentors, as there is a limited number of women in high/ top leadership positions. RESEARCH PROPOSAL 9 Theoretical framework Marxist Theory This theory is focused on the effect of capitalism on labor segregation, where Marx argues that capitalism contributes to inequality in labor organizations due to a conflict between capital and labor (Marx, 1859). A capitalist society is driven by production and reproduction, which creates the need for division of labor. According to Vogel (1983), men meet the production demand by working as laborers while women have a reproduction role and work at home. This means that men are the breadwinners as they meet the economic needs of the family, which is the basis of patriarchy as this place man in a powerful position. On the other end, women depend on men for economic sustainability as they are highly involved with house chores and childbearing and this places them at a lower position in the society which creates the basis for gender inequality (Hurst, 2010). In this case, feminists believe that ending capitalism can lead to women liberation as capitalism leads to class power, which creates inequality between the different classes. Marxist theorists consider women as labor reserves who provide labor only when there is a shortage and return when they are no longer needed. According to Marx (1983), capitalists benefit from gender inequality as they can get surplus value from women when they need to increase their economic value during the crisis. This means that employers can limit employee resistance and acquire cheap labor by sustaining gender segregation. This makes it clear that women discrimination in labor as a result of capitalism, and the solution to this is to urge women to join the workforce. Although women have succeeded in entering the workforce, subjugation still prevails, and women face discrimination both in their social and work lives especially in the corporations that RESEARCH PROPOSAL 10 represent the modern form of capitalism (Hossain, Nazri & Siraj, 2016). In this context, patriarchal societies promote gender inequality through women oppression in the workplace. Radical Feminist Theory In the radical feminist theory, various concepts of Marxist theory such as class struggle, exploitation, labor, and production have played a role in its development. The theory maintains that society is set in a way where men and women are different as men are more powerful than women (Vukoicic, 2013). The radical feminist theorists maintain that the cause of gender segregation, women oppression, and discrimination in the workplace is due to patriarchal structures. This theory asserts that patriarchy was traditionally used to refer to a situation where the father is considered to be the head of the family. However, the term is used in the modern days to refer to the powers males have over females, a situation that creates a class difference that promotes segregation of gender with the males being more privileged than females who are seen as their subordinates (Vukoicic, 2013). In this case, the root cause of patriarchal structures is due to sexist approaches to labor division that disadvantage women over men and also lower the status of women at the workplace and in the society. Research Questions • How does gender inequality affect the status of women in the workplace? • How do women discrimination affect the psychological well-being of women? • How does gender inequality and discrimination affect the productivity of women in the workplace? RESEARCH PROPOSAL 11 Hypothesis • Gender discrimination is directly linked to the reduced status of women and productivity at the workplace. • Gender discrimination and mistreatment in the workplace is associated with increased rates of psychological distress. • We hypothesize that equal pay and opportunities at the workplace increase psychological wellbeing. Many of our measures of psychological well-being will be derived from the previous studies using indicators such as anxiety, depression, self-control, positive attitude, among others. A series of regression models will be used to determine the relationship between discrimination and deficit in psychological well-being. In this case, regression values will be estimated for every indicator of well-being. The measures of distress will include different scales consisting of the indicators of anxiety and depression, which are the main symptoms of distress. Other scales will include indicators such as irritability, lethargy, and psychological withdrawal. Null Hypothesis Gender discrimination is not associated with reduced psychological wellbeing among women. Research Design A descriptive design will be used to find facts on the impact of gender discrimination on the psychological well-being of women at the workplace. The research method used will involve the use of a quantitative research method. The quantitative method will help in the provision of RESEARCH PROPOSAL 12 measurable data in numerical form that will help in gaining a better understanding of the underlying factors behind gender discrimination and the indicators of psychological well-being among our sample population. Descriptive research provides a report of how things are as it is concerned with how and what has influenced or affected the current condition (AECT, 2001). The descriptive research design will help in discovering the relationship and interaction pattern that exists between the male and female workers at the workplace. Data Collection Descriptive studies use survey method of data collection to find out “what is” or “how” (AECT, 2001). The research will use a descriptive survey design to collect or gather data from the participants. This is a crucial method as it can help in the collection of information regarding attitude, thoughts, and people’s habits. In this case, we will be able to correct data about the different forms of discrimination in various companies and indicators of distress among women in the sample population. I prefer this method as it promotes the collection of original data, which is good for generalization. Data collection will involve the use of questionnaires to collect quantitative data. The data will help in finding out the extent to which gender inequality has been established in various companies and how discrimination has affected the mental well-being of women descriptively and quantitatively. Each response in the questionnaire will be coded, and different scales will also be used to rate different forms of discrimination and the level of distress among workers. Utility Statement After carrying out the survey, the findings will be of importance to the policymakers from various organizational levels in making data-based and informed decisions during the development RESEARCH PROPOSAL 13 of strategies and policies that promote gender equality at the workplace. Also, the results will add more knowledge by filling the gap that has been created by the previous researches concerning the root cause of gender inequalities and the psychological impact of women discrimination. Methods Target Population According to Lavrakas (2008), a target population refers to the people or units in which the survey findings will be used to make inferences or generalizations. The target population in this study is the selected staff categories, including top managers, team leaders, supervisors, and common workers in the selected companies and institutions. The top managers selected will provide information on the gender composition in the company leadership as well as differences in wages between men and women, team leaders will provide information on gender diversity in respective groups while supervisors will help in the provision of data on the performance of men and women in carrying out given tasks. The workers will provide information on how they associate with the management, including if there is gender discrimination in a given company and how it has affected their mental well-being if any. Sample Size Sampling refers to the process of selecting representatives of the whole target population, given that research is conducted on a sample rather than the whole population (Benerjee & Chaudhury, 2010). The workers from various companies and organizations will be represented by a sample group of staff from the selected companies. Good sample size should be at least 10% of the total population provided the number is not more than a thousand. This is because this percentage will normally give accurate results useful for representing the whole population. A RESEARCH PROPOSAL 14 random sampling method will be used to select the participants as it will give everyone an equal opportunity to be chosen as well as eliminating systematic bias. The estimated number of companies in the study area is ten with an average number of 100 employees, and with this in mind, 10% of 1000 employees is 100 which will be used as the sample for the research giving a total of 100 respondents. This number will be enough for our study since the total population of workers in our target companies is approximately 1000 people. The inclusion criteria will involve selection of workers in the company who must be above 18 years since this is the recommended age for adulthood and consent. The sample must also consist of people from diverse cultures to avoid bias that might be associated with one culture due to their traditional beliefs. Ethical Considerations In research, ethics refer to the code of conduct by the researching party that ensures no harm will come to participants of the research during the study and after the research period (APA, 2010). The first step will involve asking for permission at school to conduct the research. Permission from the selected organization leadership will also be borrowed to ensure the research is authorized. Informed Consent. The selected study participants will be made aware of the research process, including the voluntary status of the participation. They will also be informed of all the potential risks they might face during the study. Withdrawal. The study participants who include the sample population will maintain their rights to withdraw from research. This is because the study participants will be voluntary and not forceful, where one will have the free will. RESEARCH PROPOSAL 15 Anonymity. The people who contribute to the study will have their names kept secret and shall not be included in the data provided to hide their identity Data Confidentiality. The data gathered from the various participants will be protected from unauthorized individuals and third parties. Also, the data collected from the questionnaires will be used for this study only and destroyed after data analysis. This will ensure that data collected is not used for unintended use that might cause harm to the companies or participants involved. Harm. The research participants will be assured of their well-being as they will not be exposed to any form of harm, including psychological stress, pain, or invasion of personal privacy. Data Analysis The quantitative data collected will be analyzed the use of statistical package for social science (SPSS). IBM developed the software to analyze data to make predictions and sense out of it. The reason for choosing this method of analysis is that data analyzed using the SPSS software gives valid and reliable results that can be used to generalize. The correlation will be used in data analysis to find out the comparison of correlation coefficients between discrimination and psychological well-being in the sample. Also, regression will be used to analyze the link between women discrimination and their status at the workplace. The regression will also help in determining the relationship between mistreatment and gender inequality and reduced psychological well-being. In this case, various regression will be used for every indicator of well-being. RESEARCH PROPOSAL 16 Dissemination of Results The study findings will be made available to different audiences, including scholars and researchers, policymakers, and the company leadership as the results will be useful in making the necessary changes. Presentation of the findings will be done using visual aids, including tables, graphs, and charts that will help the leaders to understand data and make inferences. A report of the findings will also be developed and included in academic journals and library for future reference. RESEARCH PROPOSAL 17 References AECT. (2001). What Is Descriptive Research? The Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Retrieved from http://members.aect.org/edtech/ed1/41/41-01.html APA. (2010). 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